Leaderboard: Back underway at Wyndham

So, Martin, just making sure we’ve got your story straight: You were a month shy of your 27th birthday last March, a definite “fledgling pro� who just a few weeks earlier had traveled to Mazatlan, Mexico, for a qualifying tournament to earn back playing privileges on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica, when on your way to that circuit’s opening event, the Guatemala Stella Artois Open, you decide, just for chuckles and a challenge, to try a Sunday qualifier in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico, for that week’s Web.com Tour El Bosque Mexico Championship by INNOVA. All good, so far? Big smile. Martin Trainer indicates we can move on. It’s all good. And then, you not only survive a 3-for-1 playoff for the last spot into the El Bosque, you post rounds of 67-70-68-69 to finish 14-under and win the bloody tournament, just the second time you’ve even made a cut in eight Web.com Tour tournaments. Wild and improbable, all of that, but there’s more, right? Because, don’t you miss the cut in nine of the next 13 tournaments, then strike again? You shoot 62-68-65-68 to win the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper, a second Web.com Tour victory that virtually assures you a PGA TOUR card for 2018-19 and . . . well, I mean, you start the year without even Latinoamerica status and you end it with PGA TOUR membership? Crazy, no? Another smile. Another laugh. Crazy, yes. What makes it even more wild – and please excuse me for sounding surprised – but it’s not like you blazed a trail through AJGA circles and meandered the country playing the big-league stuff by invitation only. You’re sort of the anti-pedigree kid . . .  Respectfully interrupting, Trainer laughs. “I almost skipped amateur golf, in a way.� Ah, right. You and no one else. But there’s the matter of your upbringing – which is quite cool and eclectic, don’t get me wrong. Yet, with all due respect, being born in Marseille, France, wouldn’t seem to be a gateway to the PGA TOUR. Paris, Texas, maybe, but not the south of France. It explains why you speak fluent French to your French-born mother, Isabelle, and English to your California-born father, Paul, and why you can make a terrific blanquette de veau – which I would love to savor, should the opportunity present itself – but, listen, let’s be honest, it doesn’t explain how you got to the PGA TOUR, especially without much junior golf stardom, then a collegiate career that was, well, unique. I mean, many kids quit college after their junior year to play golf. You quit golf after your junior year to stay in college. “I’ve always been sort of unusual in the way I’ve passed through the golf world,� laughed Trainer. Duly noted. But that begs the question: What do your cousins in France, the folks back home in Palo Alto, California, and your old teammates at the University of Southern California think about you having a PGA TOUR card? No hesitation, just another big laugh and smile. “I’m sure,� said Trainer, “that they’re as surprised as I am.� Against a backdrop of cookie-cutter swings and gold-plated junior/amateur/collegiate resumes, there are those who arrive at the PGA TOUR having forged a solitary path as if mentored by the Dalai Lama. They are players who possess “it,� according to Chris Zambri, the University of Southern California golf coach who recruited Trainer for his incoming class of 2009-10. “In golf, the intangibles are hard to come by,� Zambri said. “But Martin had them.�                                                          Stewart Hagestad, who has since won the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, was a heralded member of that class. He knew of two of the other USC recruits that summer, T.J. Vogel and Sam Smith. “But Martin Trainer I had literally never heard of,� he said. “I did wonder, but then again, you had to trust coach’s judgment.� Zambri’s gut-feel was validated, too, on that first big day of tryouts in the fall of 2009. “We were freshmen, three weeks into the season and in a qualifier,� said Hagestad, “I shot something like 74 or 75 and Martin had a bogey-free 64. ‘OK,’ I said, ‘this kid can play.’� Turns out, it is Trainer’s MO. “When Martin is good,� said Vogel, “he is very, very good.� Like the spring of 2011, when Trainer closed out his sophomore year with a victory in the Pac-10 Championship. “The ability to execute when you’re nervous, Martin can do it as well as anyone we’ve ever had,� said Zambri. “He’s a calm customer.� But so, too, is he as unique a customer as Zambri has ever coached. Things went off script in the fall of 2012 when Trainer, concerned about a sore elbow (he eventually had surgery), decided his senior year would be spent working toward his degree in business administration and gearing his solo practice sessions toward his pro aspirations – no team play for him – and while coach didn’t understand, time has healed all wounds. “Looking back, Coach was a great guy and he taught me a lot,� said Trainer, who graduated with his degree in business administration. “Hey, I was a young coach and he was a young player and maybe neither one of us felt college was everything it could have been for us,� said Zambri. “But Martin’s a bright guy and super-talented and I have a lot of respect for what he’s done.� What he’s done is pretty much secure a PGA TOUR card in a most improbable manner – 42 tournaments on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica and just 28 on the Web.com Tour – that Trainer thinks confirms the glory of pro golf. There is no blueprint, no one way to proceed. “There are different paths, different journeys,� he said. “When I went to play college golf, I just assumed I’d try pro golf. This is a dream.� That the dream kicked off October 4-7 at the Safeway Open in Napa, California, a mere 90 minutes from Palo Alto, where Trainer moved with his family when he was 5, provided more flavor to his story. Paul and Isabelle were there to watch, as were a couple of aunts and plenty of friends, and for sure, it was never like that when he played PGA TOUR Latinoamerica or Web.com Tour events. Trainer did resist, however, the temptation to seek out Phil Mickelson and Fred Couples for autographs. “I thought about that,� he said. “(But) I’ve been on TOUR a few days, so maybe I shouldn’t charge in to meeting everyone quite yet.� He did, though, charge into a mode that explains much about who he is. Having opened with 75 and sitting 2-over with five holes to play in Round 2, Trainer hit it to 12 feet at the 14th, 3 feet at 15, 6 feet at 16, 3 feet at 17, and 3 feet at 18 – five straight birdies to shoot 66 and make the cut on the number. “That,� laughed Hagestad, “is such a Martin thing to do. It’s classic Martin.� Like the scintillating 64 he had shot in that USC qualifier and how he turned a qualifying spot into an El Bosque win and PGA TOUR card? “Exactly,� said Hagestad. “It’s a Martin thing.� Like getting into position to win and doing it? “Martin is wired that way,� said Zambri. An engineer, even a retired one who now makes his own electric bikes, could possibly explain, but the best Paul Trainer can do is offer this: “He’s streaky. He’s been like that all his career, so it didn’t surprise us that he won twice (to get his PGA TOUR card). He just needs to put it all together.� If Paul and Isabelle have fully supported their son’s pro golf aspirations – “almost irrationally,� laughs Martin – likely it is rooted in their own commitment to a life that was not the norm. A 6-foot-7-inch basketball standout at the University of California, San Diego (he still holds records for career points and rebounds and was enshrined into the Hall of Fame four years ago), Paul Trainer in the mid-1970s figured he’d play a few seasons of pro basketball in France. Only 22 years later he was still there, married with two sons. He worked as an engineer in the satellite TV world, but his passion was the outdoors, bikes, drones, and using his creative mind – sometimes to try and assist his son’s career. “He built a 3D putting template that I use,� said Martin. Paul Trainer has also used drones to offer video lessons to his son. But mostly, the father is is enjoying his son’s eclectic pursuit of a nomadic lifestyle that has already seen him play professionally in more than 15 different countries. “His story is a little different,� said Paul, who will travel with Isabelle in their RV to watch Martin play a handful of tournaments on the West Coast. “He didn’t play as a young boy in France, and he got a late start into the game, but when he became totally into golf, he put a lot of time into it.� Martin Trainer had moderate exposure to national tournaments – he qualified for the 2007 and 2008 USGA Junior Amateur, making it to the second round of match play the second visit – but some of the youngsters against whom he competed (Jordan Spieth, Emiliano Grillo, Brooks Koepka, Cody Gribble, Patrick Rodgers and Vogel the most notable) had far more experience on the big stage. What convinced Trainer that he might be able to make a career out of golf, however, was his victory in 2008 in the San Francisco City Golf Championship, and Zambri concedes that made an impression on him. “It’s a very good tournament with a lot of veteran players (Trainer beat 48-year-old Randy Haig, a former champ, in the final) and he showed great composure,� said Zambri. “Martin was very green, but I think that’s when he decided he wanted to be a golfer and he dove in, head over heels.� In golf, the intangibles are hard to come by. But Martin had them. It has been an intriguing ride, with Trainer fully embracing his reality (“I’ve never been the best, but I’ve kept improving�) and his approach to the game (“If I drive it straight, I’ll do well; if I don’t, I’ll miss cuts�). When he teed it up at the Safeway Open, he was wide-eyed about everything – from the courtesy car, to sharing a putting green with Mickelson, to being asked to come into the interview room for a pre-tournament interview. Talk about a whirlwind; just eight months earlier he had booked a schedule built around tournaments in Guatemala, Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile and Nicaragua, only to somehow make it through at Sunday qualifier for the El Bosque, then author a miracle of miracles. “I cried. I couldn’t believe it,� said Trainer. “The night before (the fourth round), I couldn’t sleep. I was two off the lead and I was as nervous as I’ve ever been. “But now, I’ve certainly surprised myself and I’ve had to pinch myself. It’s crazy, but at the same time, you just can’t just sign up (to play the PGA TOUR). I’ve earned it.�

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DETROIT – Wyatt Worthington II of Reynoldsburg, Ohio shot a final round seven-under 65 Sunday to take home the men’s division of THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Golf Invitational presented by Rocket Mortgage at Detroit Golf Club. Worthington II earned an exemption into the PGA TOUR’s Rocket Mortgage Classic (July 26 – 31) in Detroit, Michigan. This will not be Worthington’s first taste of elite competition. Wyatt, a participant in the inaugural THE JOHN SHIPPEN, teed it up earlier this year in the PGA Championship at Southern Hills as well as the 2016 PGA Championship at Baltusrol. Worthington described Sunday’s round as “Disbelief, tenacious, and tough, that’s what it took” Worthington II carded a first round one-over-par 73 and started the final round five shots back of first round co-leaders Chase Johnson and Everett Whitten Jr. Worthington II rode a hot putter en route to eight final-round birdies, including four on the final nine holes, to capture the tournament title. His 36-hole total of 138 was one stroke better than Michael Herrera, who placed second. Worthington II is looking forward to the opportunity to competing in the Rocket Mortgage Classic “I’m excited to get more experience inside the ropes. This opportunity was earned and I’m excited to compete.” THE JOHN SHIPPEN, designed to showcase Black amateur and professional golfers, is named after John Shippen, Jr., who was the first American-born golf professional and also the country’s first Black golf professional. Shippen was bestowed PGA of America membership posthumously in 2009. Later this year, THE JOHN SHIPPEN Sports Business Summit will take place in Detroit. The summit is a one-day event, being held September 23, where up to 10,000 high-school and college aged men and women of color across the nation will be able to hear from and learn about the sports and entertainment industry from industry professionals, athletes and influencers. For updated information on THE JOHN SHIPPEN, please visit www.thejohnshippen.com/and follow us on Facebook and Instagram (@TheJohnShippen) and on Twitter (@TheJShippen). For information about sponsorship opportunities or how to get involved, email us at [email protected].

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PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Morgan Hoffmann is playing for more than trophies. Hoffmann hopes to find a cure for muscular dystrophy after being diagnosed with the disease in November 2016. The 28-year-old has started a charity to fund muscular dystrophy research while still chasing the PGA TOUR dreams he’s had since childhood. “I could become a recluse and feel bad for myself, but what’s that going to do?� Hoffmann said Thursday, after shooting a first-round 67 at The Honda Classic. “I love being out here and I love playing on the PGA TOUR and that’s my dream, and to help people ultimately is my goal. I think I can do really special things with this platform.� Contending at the PGA TOUR stop in his adopted hometown will help him spread the word on his mission to end muscular dystrophy. He is back on the leaderboard one year after finishing runner-up here to former Oklahoma State teammate Rickie Fowler. He trails another Oklahoma State alum, Alex Noren, and Webb Simpson by one stroke after the first round of this year’s Honda Classic. Hoffmann announced his diagnosis in a December article on The Players’ Tribune. He has a charity event planned for Aug. 20 in his native New Jersey. “It was tough to hear,� he said about the diagnosis, “but I think we’re going to do a lot of really good things with the charity that I’m starting, hopefully find a cure.� Thursday’s good round came after a difficult stretch. He missed the cut or withdrew in his previous six starts, but he made just one bogey Thursday. The disease has led to a loss of swing speed, but Hoffmann didn’t blame it for his recent struggles. “I’ve lost a lot of speed in my swing but my swing is still there,� he said. “I’m on plane. It’s not like it’s really killing my golf game.� In 2014, when Hoffmann qualified for the TOUR Championship, he ranked 78th in clubhead speed and 48th in driving distance. He’s 184th and 101st in those statistics this season. He’s lost more than 5 mph of clubhead speed in that span, dropping from 114 mph to 108.8. That hasn’t stopped him from trying to win his first PGA TOUR title. He just has other sources of inspiration now. SHOT OF THE DAY  NOTABLES Alex Noren, who’s known for an unceasing work ethic, wasn’t done after his first-round 66 that gave him the lead after morning wave. “I’m going to go and maybe play some holes on another course and try to figure out how to play all these different iron shots because this golf course is an iron paradise,� said Noren, who made five birdies and just one bogey Thursday. He ranks ninth in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green this season, but he wasn’t happy with Thursday’s ball-striking. “I hit a lot of wayward shots,� he said. Noren is playing his first season as a PGA TOUR member. He’s 33rd in the FedExCup, including a playoff loss to Jason Day at the Farmers Insurance Open. Justin Thomas attended the final round of last year’s Honda Classic only to congratulate Rickie Fowler on his win. Thomas had missed the cut, one year after finishing third. He’s back in contention at PGA National once again after shooting 67 in the first round. He’s coming off a T9 finish at the Genesis Open, his best finish since winning THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES in October. Daniel Berger, who grew up in south Florida, shot a bogey-free 67 while playing alongside Thomas and Sergio Garcia (72). Berger lost a playoff to Padraig Harrington at the 2015 Honda Classic during his Rookie of the Year season. “I’m a different golfer now than I was then,� said Berger, a two-time PGA TOUR winner. He missed just three fairways and five greens Thursday. He hit his tee shot at the par-4 sixth hole into the water but was able to save par after hitting his ball out of the water and getting up-and-down. Tiger Woods played the best round of his young comeback, shooting an even-par 70 in Thursday morning’s breezy conditions. He hit 7 of 14 fairways and 10 of 18 greens, but mostly avoided the big misses that have plagued him. For more on his round, click here. CALL OF THE DAY  QUOTABLES It can make you look bad in a heartbeat.You can see the Tiger effect when you come out here. There’s thousands of people.

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