Tom Gillis

Classic journeyman story, Gillis has been a professional golfer since 1990. In his years as a golfer, he has played all over the world, but it took 19 years before he found success, first on the Korn Ferry Tour, then on the PGA Tour in 2010. When he finally had a chance to win his first tournament on the PGA Tour, he was facing 21-year-old Jordan Spieth. Talk about unusual. It was only Gillis's luck to be facing a player who was just 12 days old when he made his first PGA Tour start in the 1993 Buick Open.
Gillis started playing at the age of 14 and caddied for two years at Indianwood C.C., the site of the U.S. Senior Open and The U.S. Women's Open. Goodwrench, his father's employer for 32 years, sponsored him during his rookie season on the 2003 PGA Tour. He played on the Hooters Tour in the United States, where he won seven times. Won the Jamaican Open in 1994. He missed qualifying for the U.S. PGA Tour in 1997 (one of eight tries), so he spent $8,000 to fly over to Europe and qualified for the European Tour. He played in South Africa in '95 and '96, where, as he said, "interesting things happened to me in the five years I was over there. I cannot think of one. That's how many things have happened. We went to so many places in so many different countries, and there was always something really neat, especially in the countries like Qatar and Dubai. Just the life was really different." Has competed on many tours worldwide, with competitions in 26 countries.
2006 Korn Ferry Tour Summary: Tournaments entered - 23; Rounds Played - 59; in money - 6; top -10 Finishes - 1; money $44,532 (Ranked 110th); Best finish: T3rd, Athens Regional Foundation Classic.
2007 Korn Ferry Tour Summary: Tournaments entered - 4; Rounds Played - 14; in money - 3; top -10 Finishes - 2; money $32,976 (Ranked 127th); Best finish T5th,Mark Christopher Charity.
2008 Korn Ferry Tour Summary: Tournaments entered - 9; Rounds Played - 30; in money - 6; top -10 Finishes - 2; money $72,968 (Ranked 89th); Best finish T7th, Livermore Valley Wine.
2009 Korn Ferry Tour Summary: Tournaments entered - 15; Rounds Played - 56; in money - 13; top -10 Finishes - 8; money $364,529 (Ranked 5th); Best finish win, Nationwide Tour Players Cup. With his money rank, he got a PGA Tour card for 2010.
2010 Notes: In his third full season on the PGA Tour, he recorded a personal-best three top-10s to finish 43rd in the FedExCup standings and 76th in the money race. His second start at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am was T-5th, the best finish of his career. Following four sub-par rounds, the next top-10 finish came with a T-9th at the Valero Texas Open. He played his way into the BMW Championship with a T-5th performance the previous week at the Deutsche Bank Championship. He moved from 92nd to 48th in the standings. He was close at TPC Boston with a 12-under 130 over the final 36 holes, the best of the 99-player field. He finished 43rd in the final FedExCup standings with a T-24th performance at the BMW Championship in the third Playoff event.
2011 Notes: After a great 2010, had problems in 2011. In 18 starts, he only made 9 cuts with two top-ten finishes. In his fourth start of the season and 100th PGA Tour start overall, he claimed a career-best 3rd at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. He finished T-9th at the Travelers Championship, with rounds of 66-69-66-65. He finished 114th in the FedEx Cup standings and 106th on the money list.
2012 Notes: Following a second-round, 6-under 64, birdied his final hole Sunday at The Honda Classic to join Tiger Woods in the runner-up spot, two shots back of Rory McIlroy. The finish topped his previous-best finish on Tour in 10 years. He opened up the FedExCup Playoffs with a T-10th finish at The Barclays. In the season's final event, the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic posted a second-round, 6-under 66 en route to a T-9th. For the year was 40th in the FedEx Cup standings and 72nd on the money list.
2013 Notes: Made the cut in 12 of 22 starts and finished No. 152 on the FedExCup points list. His best finish was a T-12th at the HP Byron Nelson Championship in mid-May, which started a stretch where he made the cut in nine of his final 11 starts. He tried to play in the Korn Ferry playoffs but withdrew from the Chiquita Classic and missed the cut at the Nationwide Children's. So that meant a trip back to the Korn Ferry Tour for 2014.
2014 Notes: He played in 17 Korn Ferry Tour events, recording two T-4ths, a T-7th, and eight top-25s while making the cut in all but two of his starts. He had a T-4th at the Hotel Fitness Championship on the strength of a final-round 66, moving him 14 spots up the leaderboard in the first of four Korn Ferry Tour Finals events. Another good finish came two weeks later, a T-14th at the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship, which gave him enough Finals earnings to ensure his PGA Tour card for 2015. He made the cut in all four Finals events, posting T-4th (Hotel Fitness Championship), T-38th, T-14th, and T-21st finishes.
2015 Notes: He struggled with his game going into the John Deere. His best finish in 11 starts was T-26th in the year's first event at the Frys.com Open. But his game came together at the John Deere Classic with rounds of 66-65-69-64. For the man who was 643rd in the official World Rankings, a win would have made him the 3rd lowest rank winner on the PGA Tour, just above Tim Herron, who won the 1996 Honda Classic at 711th in the rankings, and Mike Heinen, who was 738th in the rankings the week before winning the 1994 Shell Houston Open. He got into a playoff with Jordan Spieth and lost, but his runner-up finish got him the last spot to play in the British Open at St. Andrews. He missed the cut. He played in 16 PGA Tour events making 8 cuts and one top-ten at the John Deere. He finished 142nd on the FedExCup standings. He made all four starts in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals in a bid to regain status on the PGA Tour in case he did not reach his medical extension number T-50th on that money list.
2016 Notes: Played in 12 PGA Tour events making 6 cuts. Best finish T-34th at the John Deere Classic. He ended the season ranked 208th in the FedExCup standings. He played in 9 rounds on the Korn Ferry Tour, and his best finish was T-28th in the Brasil Champions. He ended the season 156th on the Regular Season money list.
2017 Notes: Had no status on any tour and didn't get into any events.
2018 Notes: For a second straight year didn't get to play in any PGA Tour or Korn Ferry Tour events. He did turn 50 in July and a month later got into the 3M Championship. Shot rounds of 67-67-67 to finish T-3rd, six back of winner Kenny Perry. He got into the Dick's Sporting Goods Open and finished T-3rd again, three shots back of winner Bart Bryant. Was T-6th at the Sanford International and T-5th at the Pure Insurance Championship. Got his fifth top-ten in seven starts with a T-6th at the Dominion Energy Charity. He played in the first playoff event finishing T-37th at the Invesco QQQ. He was 41st in the Charles Schwab Cup.
2019 Notes: Played in 20 PGA Tour champions events with four top-ten finishes. He was 40th on the Schwab rankings. T-8th at the American Family Insurance Championship, four shots back of the Kelly/Goosen/Stricker playoff. He was 4th at the Shaw Charity Classic, three shots back of winner Wes Short, Jr. He was T-7th at the Ally Challenge and 4th at the Pure Insurance Championship, two shots back of the Triplett/Andrade playoff.
2020 & 2021 Notes: Played in 26 PGA Tour Champions events with three top-tens and finished 62nd in the Charles Schwab Cup. Was T-10th at the Bridgestone Senior Players and T-8th at the 2021 Mitsubishi Electric Classic, five shots back of winner Dicky Pride. He was T-10th at the Pure Insurance Championship. He ended his season back at PGA Tour Champions Qualifying Tournament and won back his card by finishing 5th.
2022 Notes: Played in 21 PGA Tour Champions events with one top-ten finish. He was 62nd in the Schwab rankings and 63rd on the money list earning $241,468. His best finish was T-10th at the Hoag Classic. Returned to the PGA Tour Champions Qualifying Tournament and was T-14th.
2023 Notes: Best finish T-24th at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic.