Tommy “Two Gloves” Gainey has seen it all during his long career in professional golf. The tour veteran has wins on the Korn Ferry Tour, PGA Tour, and PGA Tour Champions. Thanks to his past victory at Korn Ferry, Gainey has qualified to compete in the season opener in the Bahamas next week.
But he won’t play.
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Monday Q Info reports that Gainey, now 50, has decided to forego the event to give young pros a chance to build a career.
Here’s what you need to know:
Tommy Gainey’s unique path to golf stardom
Gainey became a household name in golf households long before he appeared on the PGA Tour. He originally got his big break on Golf Channel’s old show “The Big Break” (the show will return in 2026). He debuted on the show in 2005 and won the 2007 season.
Over the next few years, he bounced back and forth between the Korn Ferry Tour (then known as the Nationwide Tour) and the PGA Tour, earning a full PGA Tour card in 2010 with two wins on Nationwide.
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He reached his peak on the PGA Tour in 2012, when he shot an incredible final round 60 to win the McGladry Classic.
After years of on-course struggles and off-course controversies, Gainey returned to the winner’s circle at the Korn Ferry Tour’s 2020 Bahamas Great Exuma Classic. It was Gainey’s third tour win, and he was granted an exemption until 2026.
But Gainey has plans for another tour this year, which brings us back to his selfless act.
Gainey opts out of Korn Ferry Tour opener
Next week, the Korn Ferry Tour’s 2026 season begins with the 2026 Bahamas Golf Classic on Atlantis Paradise Island. This is the beginning of a year-long adventure for young professionals as they fight to graduate to the PGA Tour.
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Gainey is exempt thanks to his 2020 tournament win. But two things happened last season that changed Gainey’s future in professional golf.
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Chandler Blanchett tees off during the final round of the Korn Ferry Tour Championship
First, he turned 50 and qualified as a PGA Tour Champion. Second, he won.
After his birthday last summer, Gainey played in nine PGA Tour Champions events. He took T5 in his first event, and in October he won the Constellation Furyk & Friends tournament, earning him his first win on the senior circuit.
By year’s end, Gainey had fully secured a spot in the 2026 PGA Tour Champions, making the Korn Ferry Tour much less appealing for the veteran. But it also meant his future didn’t depend on playing on the Korn Ferry Tour.
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So when the time came to participate in the Korn Ferry Tour’s season opener in the Bahamas, Gainey decided to sit out it.
Monday Q Info learned of Gainey’s classy antics and called him for further explanation.
“It’s 10 times harder than when I came up. I didn’t want to take the position away from the guy,” Gainey told Q Info on Monday.
Korn Ferry Tour events get a lot of excitement when big-name players like Gainey participate, so Gainey was worried that the tournament would steer him in the wrong direction. So, he told Monday Q Info, he called the tournament director and explained that he “didn’t want to disrespect the event.”
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He added: “These young players are so good that anyone can win, even if they are the last player on the field.”
See the full post below.
So Gainey won’t be there when the 2026 Bahamas Golf Classic opens next Thursday, Jan. 11, at Atlantis’ Ocean Club Golf Course. And one young professional who never expected to be there gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
As for Gainey, he will take a few more weeks off to prepare for the 2026 Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai, the PGA Tour Champions season opener that begins Jan. 22 in Hawaii.
The post “10 times harder than when I came in”: Veteran pro selflessly surrenders season opener appeared first on Golf.
