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.