But even with that being said, Jeff Gove's 2012 turnaround seems to still defy the odds.
Midway through the summer swing through the Midwest, Jeff Gove couldn't buy a made cut. He was struggling with his putting, his iron play, his normally relaible wedge game - you name it. A friend came out to Wichita to help him with his putting - but he putted poorly and missed the cut. One scene in my mind from the summer is Gove talking to this friend after his second round at Crestview, the look on his face quite confused.
But then the tides turned. The former PGA Tour player suddenly found his game, finding the level of Web.com consistency that had been his hallmark for so many years. He put together a string of top-25s, and nearly climbed his way back into the top 60 by the end of the year.
So Gove went to Q-School with reason to believe he could do well, and he fought through second stage to advance to finals. Then at finals, the consistency couldn't be broken. Four consecutive sub-70 rounds to start put him right in the thick of the top-25, and a fifth-round 71 in tricky conditions kept him afloat.
And a closing 67 was plenty enough. Gove finished at 21-under for the six-day event, four shots clear of the 17-under cutoff and in a tie for 10th. Just like that, Gove returns to the PGA Tour for 2013, successfully navigating his way through the last traditional form of Q-School as we know it.
After a front-nine 35, Gove was squarely on the line for PGA Tour membership. For any golfer who cares at all, the nerves surely become a factor at that point.
But Gove didn't show it. He went 4-under on the back, finishing in style with back-to-back birdies, and can proudly say he is a PGA Tour member for next season. Back are the opportunities for million-dollar winners' checks, and courtesy cars. Back to the good life.
Gove last had PGA Tour status in 2010, where he made only five cuts in 22 starts. We'll see if the experience will allow him to feel better this time, especially considering where his game was over the last stretch of 2012.
The 41-year old has had plenty of success on the Web.com Tour, winning three times, but has never cracked the top five on the big tour in 163 starts. Nearing the closing leg of his career, Gove now has a golden opportunity for a defining moment or two. We'll see.
Back in Greenville earlier this summer, I remember asking Gove if one of his main goals was to win on the PGA Tour. He looked at me and told me he had to get back there first.
Well, he did. Congrats, Jeff. Play well.
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