Patience, persistence pay off as Tommy Biershenk, 38, earns 1st PGA Tour card

Tommy Biershenk has been the epitome of patience and persistence in refusing to give up his life-long dream of playing on the PGA Tour.

The 38-year-old Inman resident and Clemson product's survival through constant highs and lows and even a stint away from professional golf all came to fruition Monday when he earned his PGA Tour card at the national qualifying tournament.

Biershenk (70-70-68-73-69-68) completed his long, strange trip with a tie for fifth at Q-School at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif. His 14-under total was three shots behind winner Brendon Todd, making him one of 27 to gain entry onto the big tour.

“My time just hadn't come,” Bieshenk told Golfweek.com of his lengthy pursuit to compete with the best in the world. “I knew if I just stayed patient and waited that things would come around and fortunately, thank God, I reached my goal.”

His ascension to golf's biggest stage comes one year after he missed earning his Tour card by one stroke at last year's Q-school, an experience that provided him a reawakening.

“It was certainly a stepping stone in my life,” Biershenk said. “It allowed me to appreciate golf as a job. I learned that if I wanted to make it playing golf, I had to work extremely hard to achieve my goals through hard work and determination.”

That solid finish provided him full-time Nationwide Tour status where a career filled with close calls added another one with a 31st-place finish in earnings that narrowly missed the top 25 required to earn his card. Biershenk was in contention for one of the desired slots until a disastrous third-round 80 at the season-ending Tour Championship left him outside looking in.

“I can't wait to have another redneck from Spartanburg out there with me on the PGA Tour,” said longtime friend William McGirt, laughing. “I don't know if they can handle two of us but they're going to have us both.”

McGirt, a Wofford product, finished tied for 14th Monday to return to the PGA Tour for a second consecutive season. He returned to the final hole after his round Monday to be one of the first to congratulate Biershenk, wrapping him in a “big old bear hug.”

“I'm tickled to death for Tommy,” McGirt said. “The guy is way too good and played way too well for far too long to never have his PGA Tour card. He's just a great guy who has played his butt off for a long time and it's great to see him finally rewarded.”

Following a nondescript career at Clemson, the Boiling Springs High graduate turned pro in 1997 and four years later became a Nationwide Tour mainstay. From 2000-02, he averaged $118,478 (when purses were much smaller than today) while posting 10 top 10s and 34 top-25 finishes. He would make only 6 of 25 cuts in 2003, however, to earn a paltry $11,418 and was unable to regain full-time status before last season when he totaled a career-best $160,513.

Void of confidence and with a family to support, Biershenk gave up professional golf for a time to go into private business, including involvement in a golf cart company. As late as two years ago, he was earning money on the side by farming. There has never been a shortage of support from the local community and beyond (financially and otherwise) and he was eventually convinced to begin competing again. He enjoyed success on the Hooters Tour and displayed flashes of brilliance during sporadic outings on the Nationwide Tour.

Biershenk has played three career PGA Tour events with his last outing at the 2002 BellSouth Classic. The first full-field tournament of 2012 begins Jan. 12 at the Sony Open in Hawaii.