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Sticking To It: Perseverance pays off for Mathis
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Published: May 26, 2008
David Mathis remembers the day he almost gave up on his dream.
It was in the fall of 2004, when he didn't make it out of the first stage at PGA Tour qualifying school.
"I said I was done," said Mathis, a Winston-Salem native who starred at North Davidson High and Campbell. "I was going to give it up."
But Mathis' girlfriend, Chastity, who is now his wife, talked him out of giving up on playing on the PGA Tour.
"She kind of said, ‘Why don't you just keep at it' and she made it clear she was still behind me 100 percent," said Mathis, who is in his third season on the Nationwide Tour.
Mathis, 34 and now living in Raleigh, gained valuable experience on the Canadian Tour in 2005, winning there and setting the stage for PGA Tour qualifying school that year. He advanced to the final stage to qualify for the Nationwide Tour in 2006.
Before making the Nationwide Tour, Mathis played anywhere and everywhere, making stops on the TearDrop, Triangle, Hooters and Tarheel tours. If anything, he is a testament to sticking it out. Upon graduation from Campbell in 1997, some told him not to bother trying to be a pro golfer.
"I think back, and there were some naysayers who said I'd never make it, and they flat out told me," Mathis said with a laugh. "It's hard to believe I've been doing this for 11 years now."
Mathis had his first Nationwide Tour win earlier this month, in the BMW Charity Pro-Am near Greenville, S.C., and his future looks bright. He was ranked fourth on the money list heading into the weekend -- his victory was worth a career-best $121,500 paycheck -- and if he wins another $50,000 or so this season, he would wind up among the top 25 on the Nationwide money list. That would give him a 2009 PGA Tour card.
"Of course, I'd like to win twice more out here, then I can go right to the big tour," Mathis said. Any player who wins three times on the Nationwide Tour in one season gets an immediate promotion to the PGA Tour.
Mathis, a devout Christian, also remembers a friend asking him about quitting pro golf.
"That friend of mine just kind of mentioned to me, would I be able to quit and not look back and have regrets?" Mathis said. "That kind of stuck with me. It seemed like the Good Lord was opening doors for me by me not quitting."
Mathis has played in five PGA Tour tournaments and has never made a cut. Despite being so close to the PGA Tour, he's trying not to look ahead.
"I can't look ahead because that can only make things worse," he said.
Mathis was reminded of how fickle the game of golf can be the day after his victory -- he played in a local qualifying tournament for the U.S. Open but failed to advance. But that didn't seem to bother him.
Instead of worrying about the future, which he says that minitour players do all the time, Mathis is more concerned with who in his family will end up with the new BMW 5-X that he also won.
"We haven't decided who gets it," Mathis said. "I actually just got a new car in December, so we'll see."
Another bonus from the Nationwide win is that Mathis' family, including his parents, Walter and Janet, were able to drive from Winston-Salem to Greenville, S.C., to watch the final round.
"My brother came down with my parents, and that was great to have them there," Mathis said. "It's a moment I'll never forget as long as I live, and they were all there to share it with me."
Kia Motors extends deal
The Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn, a five-year-old Champions Tour tournament, has extended its agreement with presenting sponsor Kia Motors through this year's tournament, which is scheduled Sept. 12-14 at the Rock Barn Golf & Spa in Conover.
Tournament Director Jim Correll said that the Champions Tour and Rock Barn have an agreement through 2009 with an option for 2010 and that it's up to Don Beaver, the owner of Rock Barn, to decide on the option year.
"The tour loves this place and loves what we've done here," Correll said. "So it's really about whether we can get the sponsorship of the high-level businesses that we've gotten in the past."
Beaver has opened up the possibility of a new title sponsor, with Rock Barn becoming the presenting sponsor.
"That's out there and there's been some feelers but nothing concrete as of yet," Correll said.
Around the green
Bermuda Run's Walter Hall had his best finish on the Champions Tour in more than two years earlier this month, tying for eighth at the Regions Charity Classic in Hoover, Ala. He shot 68-70-70, made $48,733 and moved from 68th to 54th on the money list with a little more than $126,000 in winnings.
■ John Dell can be reached at 727-4081 or at jdell@wsjournal.com
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