Johnson in rally mode in Columbus

Thursday morning, Kevin Johnson's game was nowhere to be found. The veteran hit only half of his greens in the opening round of the Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational, leading to an opening 75 that left him in a tie for 129th. Making the cut looked like a pipe dream.

But Johnson found his game seemingly overnight, and attacked the course Friday afternoon - making an eagle and five birdies through 17 holes. The effort put Johnson 5 under on his round through 17 holes, and right on the cut line at 1 under for the week.

Now is where the story gets a little tricky. After hitting his tee shot on the par-4 9th, his last hole of the day, the weather began to wreak havoc, and play was suspended. With nightfall fast approaching, it's unlikely that the players will get back out on the course tonight.

So here's Johnson, right on the cut line, needing a par to advance to the final two rounds after staging an unlikely Friday rally. If he bogeys the hole Saturday morning, he's through. If he pars it, he'll make a check on Sunday. And after missing the cut in his last start, Johnson surely doesn't want to miss back-to-back, especially considering his streak of 8 consecutive missed cuts earlier this year.

Must be an interesting feeling. Regardless of the outcome, he's got to be proud of himself for fighting his way back.

He has a chance, and that's more than he could have expected Thursday night.

Inman posts surprising 69 at Annandale

Sometimes things can come together in a hurry, and maybe when you least expect it.

That seems to be what happened for Web.com pro John Inman on Thursday, in the opening round of the rain-soaked True South Classic at Annandale GC.

Inman is a two-time winner on the PGA Tour, which gave him good enough status as a 'past champion' to enter the field at Annandale. Played opposite the British Open, the True South serves as an opportunity for many past PGA Tour champions to play in one more big-league event. Hence, players like Inman got the chance to tee it up this week - alongside the likes of Morris Hatalsky, Willie Wood, Len Mattiace, and Ted Tryba.

Inman took a ten-year break from competitive golf before returning to the Web.com Tour last year, and the results have been rather discouraging. In 18 starts between 2011 and 2012, he has missed 18 cuts. Ted Potter's name ring a bell, anyone?

He hadn't played a PGA Tour event since 2000, so he can't have had sky-high expectations this week. And considering his Web.com driving distance of 262.5 would rank dead last if he had enough rounds to qualify, it just seems that his game was meant for an earlier era.

So all he does at Annandale is post an opening 3-under 69, parring every hole on the front nine and making four birdies on the back. Despite averaging only 251.5 yards off the tee, he made up for it by taking only 22 putts. When you don't drive the ball nearly as far as most-everyone else, you need to make up for it on the greens. Inman did that on Thursday, and he finds himself in a tie for 34th - with the opening round still finishing up due to weather delays Thursday afternoon.

Either way, Inman finds himself with a real chance to make the cut, if he can keep his putting up in the second round. The cut line will probably be 3 or 4-under when all is said and done, so he likely needs to make a few more birdies. If he can avoid major mistakes, he will have a chance.

If he can do it, it would be the first made cut of his 'return' to touring golf after the ten year hiatus. This, in his first PGA Tour start of the stint, after 18 consecutive misses on the minor-league circuit.

Go figure.

Grinders struggle in Utah

Last week's Utah Championship was not a good week for our focused veterans out on the Web.com Tour. Let's take a look at how they fared...

-Playing in only his second event of the year, Bob Heintz needed a nice payday in Utah to move up reasonably in the next reshuffle. It's getting to the now-or-never point for Heintz, for whom each start is a key chance to salvage the season.

The good news for Heintz? He played his best golf of the week down the stretch on Friday, making three birdies around the turn and holding on to make the cut at 3-under.

Unfortunately for Heintz, the weekend wasn't as kind. He struggled to a 71-73 finish, mired in a tie for 62nd. So in two events this year, Heintz has made both cuts - but finished outside the top 60 each time.

Better than missing the cut, sure. But not much more than that.

-Heintz' ability to make it to the weekend was more than Kevin Johnson, Jeff Gove, or Omar Uresti could say. Each posted a two-round total that came up short of the cut line, and each went about it in a different way.

Johnson played the best of the trio on opening day, posting a solid 68 that left him well within the cut line in Utah. But a Friday meltdown was in the cards for Johnson, and it came quickly.

The Clemson product got off to the start that nobody wants to see - bogey, double, par, bogey. Just like that, Johnson went from right on the cut line to four shots back. All he could manage the rest of the way was 1-under for his last 14, which left him three outside the number.

Johnson righted the ship for a few weeks - making two cuts in a row, after a frustrating swing of eight consecutive missed. Hopefully he doesn't let the Friday failure in Utah deter him for the rest of the season. There's still plenty of golf to be played for the veteran. And unlike Heintz, he has the comfort of knowing that his full status allows him to play whenever he would like.

-Jeff Gove's season has completely came apart over the late spring and early summer, and Utah seemed to represent the crescendo. After a first-day 77, Gove found himself in dead last place, needing to shoot 9-under 62 on Friday just to make the cut. A respectable Friday 70 was nowhere near enough, and Gove has now missed 7 of his last 8 cuts on the year.

Seems like a wasted season so far for the 41-year old Gove, who has made less than $16,000 in 14 events played. That's life in the minors, if you go without a top-20 finish for half the year, as Gove has.

Next week in Columbus, it is near-essential that Gove plays half-decently. His confidence can't be too high at the moment, and he needs to salvage something the rest of the season to keep his spirits alive for the future. As we all know, golf is a fragile game - and at 41 years old, Gove isn't getting any younger.

-The saddest Friday tale of them all happened to Uresti. Coming into the par-3 18th hole at 4-under on the event, Uresti could make the cut and earn a paycheck with a simple bogey. And considering the hole was a par-3, he would have no trouble playing safe and assuring a bogey.

But Uresti hit a bad shot at the wrong time, finding the hazard - which forced him to take a penalty. Just like that, the Texan missed the cut, and he found himself packing his bags in Utah - with no financial reward for his efforts.

-Maybe the grinders will see better days next week in Columbus, at the Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational. The event is played at Ohio State's Scarlet Course - one of the toughest tracks on the circuit, where the cut line never makes it too far under par.

Precision play is rewarded in Columbus, and a bushel of birdies is not necessarily needed. Maybe the experienced veterans can take comfort in that knowledge, and turn in solid weeks. They need it.

Heintz in field in Utah

Almost two months ago, I sat down with Bob Heintz in a golf cart just off the 18th green at Thornblade Club in Greenville, SC. Heintz told me, in a matter-of-fact tone, that he was essentially done with professional golf. He said he needed to support his family, and that a 'real' job was now required - considering the state of his golf game.

Not even 60 days later, Heintz is back - in the field at this week's Utah Championship on the Web.com Tour, and ready to compete.

Questions linger: What compelled him to reverse his decision so quickly? Even if he were to make a comeback, why would it be the tournament furthest away from his Tampa-area home? Has his game improved so drastically in such a short period of time, that he decided competitive golf was worth another shot?

These questions may be answered with Heintz's play the next few days, or maybe not. If he plays a couple uninspired rounds and misses the cut, the decision won't make much sense - and Heintz will lose a lot of money (in travel costs) in the process.

In any case, he told me the decision to retire was based on cost, and the trip to Utah seems to contradict his prior statements.

I should say that I'm a huge Heintz fan, have been for a while, and am happy he is in the field. I hope he plays well, and that he makes some money to move up for the next reshuffle - so that he can get in a few more events, and build his career back up.

That being said, maybe this is just a one-time thing - that he had the opportunity to play, and figured to have a little fun while he can. Making the cut in Greenville gave him a bit of money for an earlier reshuffle - and if he is truly in the retirement process, this is the final year he will have a chance to play at all.

So could the Utah Championship be Heintz' swan song to professional golf? Perhaps.

Then again, I thought that was the case after he failed to crack the top 25 in Greenville. The fate of his career could well depend on how he fares this week.

But if this is it for Heintz, it's too bad it has to be all the way out in Utah - where I doubt he has much fan support. Then again, I could be wrong.

Grinding through the summer months

Sitting here from the stats room at Coca-Cola Field, getting ready to cover the Triple-A Home Run Derby, I heard Mike Schopp's voice projecting across the room. Schopp is the afternoon host on WGR, the go-to source for sports on Buffalo radio. I figured that someone here must be listening to WGR, nothing more.

Then I looked to my left, and there was Schopp. Two booths down from the statscenter, Schopp is doing his show live from the ballpark. Who would have thought? Although I interned for WGR last summer, I worked on the morning show, so I never met Schopp. Maybe I'll go introduce myself when he takes a break.

Interned at Schopp's place of employment last summer, now interning at the place where he's working tonight. Good stuff.

More notes from the last few days of travel...

-I ultimately decided to sacrifice the final round of the Web.com Tour's United Leasing Championship, in favor of seeing if Fred Funk could make a Sunday move at the Senior Players. A Saturday 64 had put Funk in the mix, three back, and the win would give him a spot in the 'real' Players next May.

Funk played well on the front nine, pulling within a shot after a birdie on 9. But it was not meant to be. The 56-year old proceeded to bogey 4 of his first 5 holes on the back nine, immediately falling out of contention. No return to the Players for Fred, unfortunately. Didn't get to talk to him after, but maybe the pressure of returning to his hometown event (where he won in 2005) was just too much to handle.

-But if Fred couldn't win, at least an even better story transpired. Lifetime journeyman grinder Joe Daley made one clutch par putt after another down the final stretch, fending off more-known names such as Mark Calcavecchia and Fred Couples. Coming into the tournament with little status on the Champions Tour, Daley now gets to test his mettle on Tour for the next year and a half. Good for Joe.

-At Victoria National, it was good to see Richard Scott do well on Sunday. After talking to him Saturday, I took a liking to the energetic young Canadian, playing his first full Web.com season after years of toiling on the mini-tours. Scott birdied the 18th to finish solo third place, just one shot back of a playoff between David Lingmerth and eventual winner Peter Tomasulo. Good to see Scott keep his composure down the stretch. We could see big things from him in the future.

-Also at Victoria National, Omar Uresti completed a whirlwind week with a 67, following rounds of 65-75-77. Talk about an interesting week - starting and finishing strong, with a meltdown in the middle. Uresti finished T26, and has a long way to go if he wants to finish in the top 25 and regain full PGA Tour status.

-After driving 9 hours through the night, from the Web.com event in southwest Indiana to the Senior Players in Pittsburgh, I was exhausted (needless to say). I somehow made the drive straight through without sleep - but couldn't say the same for the drive home from Pittsburgh to Buffalo. On the normally 4-hour drive, I needed to make three separate stops, where I pulled to the side of the road and slept - for about 45 minutes each time. Consequently, the drive took more than 6 hours.

Guess I wanted to stretch out my near two-week trip for as long as possible.

-Played in my dad's company golf tournament on Saturday, which takes the format of a four-man scramble. My team played awful on the front nine, shooting 6-over 42 to fall into dead last place, by four strokes. We did well to rebound on the back nine, shooting a bogey-free 2-under 34. As a bonus, we managed to elude last place, and finished tied for second-last. Gutsy.

-Worked a shift at Bob-o-Link on Saturday, the local par-three course - with lights. Talked to a man and his son, who told me they were visiting Buffalo for a family reunion - all the way from Atlanta. They just seemed so excited to return to Bob-o-Link to play some night golf under the lights. When I remarked about the rarity of playing golf at night, the man replied, "Heck, you're not going to get this ANYWHERE," with the last word being said enthusiastically. Good to talk to people who love Bob-o-Link, especially with business being down in recent years.

Although I did have to deny them a special request. They mentioned a possible Atlanta discount, which I had to deny - considering I'm a Mets fan.

But I told them to be grateful I didn't give them the Washington rates. Since the Nationals are leading the division, I would have had to charge them double.

-Back to covering baseball now (there's a nice segway), working the Triple-A Home Run Derby and All-Star Game this week. The Derby is tonight, and the game is Wednesday.

A celebrity derby will also take place tonight - featuring Buffalo-area luminaries such as Lindy Ruff, Bill Polian, Jim Kelly, and Fred Jackson. I'll be writing a postgame recap for the team website, so I'll get to interview all these notables after they duel it out. Looking forward to it.

-I know baseball has nothing to do with golf, but at least it's still Triple-A.

We're all about staying with the same themes here.

Potter completes Cinderella story at Greenbrier

After missing a 5-footer on the second playoff hole that would have given him his maiden PGA Tour victory, rookie Ted Potter could have gotten discouraged. He could have realized that he messed up a golden opportunity, and he could have lost the energy and motivation that helped him produce a spectacular Sunday 64.

But after all he's been through in his professional golfing life? No way. Potter has suffered through much more adversity than a pulled 5-footer, and he came right back with a stellar approach to 4 feet on the next playoff hole (the par-3 18th hole). He sunk the putt, and the birdie allowed Potter to knock out fellow underdog Troy Kelly. Just like that, Potter could call himself a PGA Tour champion.

It is no exaggeration to describe Ted Potter's win at the Greenbrier Classic Sunday as a true Cinderella tale. Heck, the fact that he is playing the PGA Tour this year - or still playing competitive golf at all - is a newsworthy story unto itself.

Let's take a look at the trajectory of Potter's career. After turning pro in 2002, he made it to the final stage of 2003 Q-School (tying for 74th) to earn status on the then-Nationwide Tour for the following year. Qualifying for the minor-league tour should imply that one has the ability to stay relatively competitive on the circuit - right?

Not so fast. Potter teed it up for the first time on the Nationwide circuit at the 2004 Chitimacha Louisiana Open - and promptly shot 76-78, easily missing the cut. But hey, no harm. It was his first crack at it on Tour, and surely some jitters were present.

Next stop, the First Tee Arkansas Classic, a few weeks later. Even worse. Potter shot 85-82, finishing at 23-over, nowhere remotely near the cut line.

And so it went. Potter missed the cut in all 24 of his 2004 Triple-A starts, flirting with the bottom of the leaderboard on numerous occasions. There were a couple more 10-overs, a 13-over, a trio of 16-overs scattered in. The worst? An 83-86 showing at the Chattanooga Classic in May, where Potter limped to the finish at 25-over.

I would love to talk to Potter, in order to better understand what happened during that catastrophic season of 2004. How can someone be so competitive in Q-School, and then find himself so overmatched once he tees it up on Tour? Was Q-School just played on much easier courses, where he could get away with loose shots?

Or was nerves too much to overcome?

So many possibilities, and it just seems like a great story. But the even better story lies in what happened next. Potter stuck with golf despite the rude awakening to Tour-level competition (putting it mildly), and near-dominated the Hooters Tour for the next few years. He regained Triple-A status for 2007 and made a few strides - making three cuts, including a stellar T12 at the Movistar Panama Championship.

But the end of the season mirrored 2004 far too closely. Potter missed his last nine cuts, failing to finish better than 8-over in any of his last eight events completed (there was a DQ in there, as well as a withdrawal at Miccosukee after an opening 80). After the late-season meltdown, one would be reasonable to assume that the golf world would never hear from Potter again. Two seasons on Tour, too many embarrassing performances. No way he would make it back for a third, right?

But he continued to plod along, working on his game and keeping faith that things would come together. A few more years on the mini-tours, and Potter regained partial Triple-A status for 2010 by making it back to the final stage in 2009.

And in 2010, steady signs of improvement were displayed. Potter made 3 of 11 cuts - not great by any means, but a reasonable outcome - and never missed more than five in a row. Maybe most importantly, he avoided posting any double-digit over par scores, proving that his game was becoming more competitive on Tour.

Then came the fateful week in 2011 that put Potter's career on the fast track. He Monday qualified for the South Georgia Classic and won, giving him full Triple-A status for the rest of the year. He made 12 of 18 cuts on the year, posted six top-10's, and even won again, at Soboba.

Before he knew it, Potter had qualified for the 2012 PGA Tour by finishing well within the top 25 on the then-Nationwide money list. And now, somehow, he's a PGA Tour champion.

There are many morals we can take from Ted Potter's story. Don't get discouraged when you're down. Know that good things will come if you continue to work hard. Believe in yourself against all odds. The lessons could go on and on.

Ted Potter believed in himself, certainly against the longest of odds. Others may have questioned his abilities to play golf on the highest of levels, even laughed off the possibility.

And you couldn't blame anyone who did. The scores were THAT bad.

But today, Ted Potter is no less than a PGA Tour champion. Regardless of how the rest of his career may pan out, nobody can ever take that away from him.

Congratulations, Ted. Enjoy it.