Long journey to laughter for improving Blanks
By Dave Lagarde, PGATOUR.com Correspondent
No telling how some professional golfers will react when their feet are held to the competitive fire. It becomes a case of different strokes for different folks.
Some get tense, while others become intense. Others get fidgety, unable to control their twitching nerves.
Then there is Kris Blanks. He giggles and laughs.
At least that's what Blanks, who was chasing his first elusive victory on the Nationwide Tour, did just about every time he got over a shot during the pressure-packed final round of the Bank of America Open just outside Chicago on Sunday. All things considered, conventional wisdom just might suggest that's not the optimum approach. But Blanks simply couldn't help himself.
"I felt good, was hitting quality shots,'' Blanks said. "Before I pulled the trigger I got a laugh every time I thought about all those nervous people back home watching on TV. Strange, isn't it?''
Actually there were two in particular that constantly crossed Blanks' mind as he played a near-flawless round that included 18 greens in regulation, five birdies and one three-putt bogey. The first was wife Tami, who admitted to her husband in an early morning telephone call that she hadn't slept a wink Saturday night while Blanks slumbered on a three-way share of the lead. The second was his swing coach, Hugh Royer III, a four-time winner on the Nationwide Tour who is naturally high-strung.
"I'm sure they were messing their pants,'' he said.
Blanks laughed.
"I guess some golf psychologist would have a field day with me,'' he said. "I guess I'm a mental midget.''
Blanks, a 35-year-old journeyman from Bluffton, S.C., could afford to be self-deprecating Sunday evening. He got the job done at The Glen Club, outplaying co-leaders David McKenzie and Skip Kendall and holding off hard-charging Bob May with a 4-under-par 68 that netted a one-stroke victory.
"Man this feels good,'' said Blanks, whose previous best career best was a pair of thirds in 44 Nationwide Tour starts.
No kidding -- for lots and lots of sweet reasons. Consider:
Blanks was handed one of those super-sized pasteboard checks that indicated he earned $135,000 for his maiden victory. That's $91,500 more than he ever won in a tournament and bettered his pre-2008 career winnings on the Nationwide Tour by more than $25,000.
The hefty haul pushed his season total to $205,505, a figure that places him fifth among 'THE 25.' That seemingly makes him a lock to graduate to the PGA TOUR in 2009 since there has not been player in Tour history who won more than $200,000 who hasn't.
Then there was the matter of personal satisfaction for Blanks, who persisted on this path while battling overwhelming odds. He didn't start playing competitively as a pro until 2002 when he and Tami, a standout for Duke University, relocated to Savannah, Ga. They began working at The Landings Golf Club and after a while Kris took a flier in tournaments staged by the Georgia Section of the PGA of America.
A taste of success convinced him to take a shot at Monday qualifying for a Hooters Tour event held in the area. Not only did he make it into the field, he won the event, whetting his appetite for bigger and better things.
So Blanks made his first foray to the PGA TOUR National Qualifying Tournament in 2004, where he sailed through the first two stages. A double bogey on the opening hole at the finals set the stage for his week. Nevertheless he rallied to gain conditional status on the Nationwide Tour in 2005.
The season turned into a blur of different cities, strange golf courses and stiff competition the likes of which he was unfamiliar with. Hampered by his status and never able to set a schedule, his play suffered as he missed 10 of 17 cuts, with a tie for 21st representing his best finish.
"I didn't even know what it took to warm up properly,'' said Blanks, who was used to rushing to the first tee whenever he spotted an opening at the club. "I left the Tour with my tail between my legs.''
Aware there was much work to be done, Blanks decided against going to qualifying school in 2005, choosing to play the Hooters Tour in 2006, where he could set a schedule and work closely with Royer.
"I needed to find out what it takes for me to play my best,'' said Blanks, a quick study who scored two confidence-restoring victories and finished second on the money list.
Blanks broke a rib the day before the first day of the first stage of 2007 qualifying school, dashing any hopes he had of giving either the PGA TOUR or the Nationwide Tour a try. Serendipity intervened in late May of 2007 when, on a visit to see his parents, he Monday qualified for the Melwood Prince George's County Open on a course near their home. He birdied the 72nd hole to finish in a tie for 25th and gained entry into the Bank of America Open, where he finished tied for third.
A year later Blanks is a winner on the same track where he started riding a wave of momentum. Having achieved his main goal for 2008, he quickly began setting others.
"I guess I can start picking and choosing what events to play,'' he said, his mind whirring. "It will be nice to have that flexibility and be selective. And I suppose if I continue to play well I can take a shot at becoming the leading money winner. Oh, and it just dawned on me. I don't have to fool with q-school this year. I can shut it down in November.''
The idea appealed.
"Wow,'' he said.
That's the proper word for a guy who believed he had enough game to compete on the Nationwide Tour despite the setbacks and thought "in the back'' of his mind that maybe a PGA TOUR opportunity might come some day.
"If I didn't I would have pursued another career,'' he said.
Now Blanks can pursue the one he chased and finally -- satisfyingly -- captured.
"The thing I'm most proud of is I put in the work,'' he said. "In that way it's fair to say I've earned everything I've gotten.''
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