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SALT LAKE CITY — Farmington's Daniel Summerhays is the last golfer to win back-to-back Utah State Amateurs.
Summerhays won many tournaments playing as an amateur in Utah, and then went on to become the first amateur to win a Nationwide Tour event with the Children's Hospital Invitational in 2007.
He knows how to win; he's done it many times. However, on the PGA Tour, the distance between ending up in the winning circle or ending up wondering what could have been is very, very small. Nobody knows that more than the former Davis Dart.
Two weeks ago, he held a three-shot lead going into the final round of the John Deere Classic. After a roller coaster final round in the final group, Summerhays needed a par on the 72nd hole to get into a playoff and have a chance to win and earn a spot in the British Open. Summerhays put his shot into the bunker with a buried lie and missed out on a playoff by one stroke.
Last week, Summerhays was once again in the final group on Sunday. He took a four-shot lead into the final round this time. Summerhays played well, but when he came up to the 72nd hole, this time he needed a birdie on the par five to get into a three-way playoff.
Summerhays learned from the previous week and drained a 4-foot putt for birdie to get into the playoff. However, on the first hole of the playoff, Summerhays' tee shot sailed right and, once again, in another bunker. There was no escaping the bad break: he had to get it over the lip of the bunker and under a tree. He tried but the ball bounced into the hazard. Once again, Summerhays was left wondering "what if"?
Two straight weeks, two straight chances to win his first ever PGA tournament and a check of over $1 million and all the "perks" that come with a win, such as being exempt on the PGA tour for two years and invites to major championships.
Coming so close to achieving a lifelong goal of being a PGA winner and not tasting the sweetness of the winners circle is an emotional "zapper." Summerhays is handling that "zapping" like a true pro, though.
I think my emotions, especially after Sunday, are a little more on the surface. Summerhays told me by phone from his hotel room in Canada where he's getting ready to play in the Canadian Open.
"I wanted that one pretty bad," he said. "The whole week I thought I was going to win. It was pretty heartbreaking."
When it comes to the progression of his game and his maturity, Summerhays is putting the last month into perspective. "Big picture-wise I can't ask for anything more to have gone from three weeks ago to saying, 'Hey, how am I going to keep my card this year to say OK. How are we going to make a deep Fed Ex Cup playoff run and maybe get into the Tour Championship.' "
"Looking at the big picture, I couldn't ask for anything more. But I didn't sleep very well the last two Sunday nights — let's just put it that way," he added.
The last two tournaments Summerhays has been in the final group on the final day. He is getting accustomed to the spotlight and is feeling like he belongs on the top of the leader board every week now.
"I think when you start feeling like you should be there you are doing something good." Summerhays said, but was quick to remind himself of what lies ahead. "I think what I need to be careful of is that when it doesn't happen, I need to continue to be patient with myself because nobody master's golf; it master's us and you just have to be careful to not get down on yourself because good things can happen right around the corner. Like four weeks ago at Congressional I shot 15 over par and then the next three weeks I'm ninth, fourth and second."
With his great play the last three weeks, Summerhays has moved up to 65th in the Fed Ex Cup standings, and with $1,014,686 in earnings this season, he is currently 65th in the money list.
Summerhays will continue his quest for his first PGA Tour win this week at the Canadian Open. If it doesn't happen, I expect it to happen someday because I have seen it first-hand many times playing alongside Summerhays here in Utah. He knows how to win!
The above video was an interview from Monday's KSL Golf radio show on ESPN 700 with Rod Zundel.
