No Pain, No Gain(ey)

“RIGHT NOW, IT HURTS.” That was Tommy “Two Gloves” Gainey after his chance to win the Waste Management Phoenix Open turned into an 8th-place tie. Trying to catch leader Mark Wilson, Gainey attempted to drive the short par-4 17th hole. His ball hit a red hazard stake and disappeared into the water. Gainey chili dipped his chip and again ended up wet. Two Gloves may have taken a triple and thrown away a hefty payday, but he wasn’t second-guessing his decision.

“I’m one back,” he explained. “I’m trying to win the golf tournament. That’s all I was thinking.”

I can’t fault Gainey. It was an aggressive play by a journeyman gunning for his first PGA Tour title. There was another way to make a birdie—lay up and pitch it close—but Tommy preferred Option A, driving near or on the green. He just didn’t pull off the shot.

Wilson beat Jason Dufner on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff. It’s Wilson’s second victory in this young season and fourth PGA Tour win. The happy “Cheesehead” (Wilson is a Green Bay Packers fan) won the Sony Open a few weeks ago.

Wilson called Gainey “a great player and a great character.” I don’t know about great player, but Tommy is certainly a great character. His interview with Jim Nantz and Nick Faldo on Saturday was a hoot. I’m at a total loss to describe his swing. It’s divot-digging blue-collar golf.

Gainey will pack up the sticks and head to the Monterey Peninsula. “All I can do is try to get ready for Pebble,” he said.

−The Armchair Golfer

Golf Channel’s PGA TOUR Kickoff Sweepstakes

Editor’s note: If you’re going to be watching golf anyway, maybe you can win one of the following prizes from your friends at Golf Channel. Like a Hyundai Equus. Or an iPad. There are worst ways to spend your time.

By Golf Channel

Golf Channel is giving viewers the opportunity to win one of three 2011 Hyundai Equus and other valuable prizes by tuning in to the tournament telecasts of the first three PGA TOUR events: the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, the Sony Open in Hawaii and the Bob Hope Classic.

Golf Channel’s PGA TOUR Kickoff Sweepstakes runs through Jan. 24. Golf fans can win prizes by watching for a unique entry code each day during the network’s live tournament coverage and entering online at PGA TOUR Kickoff Sweepstakes or also via text messaging. Viewers can see the unique codes during the Hyundai Tournament of Champions from Jan. 6-9, Sony Open in Hawaii from Jan. 13-16, and Bob Hope Classic from Jan. 19-23.

All entrants are eligible to win daily prizes during the sweepstakes, including an iPad, a Golf Channel prize pack and a $100 Dick’s Sporting Goods gift card. At the conclusion of each of the first three PGA TOUR events, one lucky winner will be the recipient of a 2011 Hyundai Equus. Entrants each day are eligible for the daily prize and that week’s grand prize car drawing.

Complete information, including sweepstakes rules, tournament airtimes and interactive features, is available at PGA TOUR Kickoff Sweepstakes.

67-Year-Old Dave Eichelberger Qualifies for PGA Tour Event

DAVE EICHELBERGER HAS BEEN ordering off the senior menu at Denny’s for a long time. (If he eats there.) Eichelberger may even be collecting Social Security. He’s certainly old enough. Now the 67-year-old former tour player will be teeing it up with the flat bellies on the PGA Tour in January.

Eichelberger won the Aloha Section PGA Professional Championship this week to gain entry to the 2011 Sony Open in Hawaii.

“I am shocked,” he told The Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

Eichelberger is a four-time PGA Tour winner. He also captured six titles on the Champions Tour. His last victory was at the Emerald Coast Classic in 2002.

Still, Eichelberger is a pup compared to the oldest player to tee it up in a PGA Tour event. That was 77-year-old Jerry Barber at the 1994 Buick Invitational in California.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Visor tip to John Strege at Local Knowledge)