A tale of two falls: Similar plights for Miller, Thatcher

• By Rex Hoggard
• Oct 13, 2011 6:34 PM ET

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – For Zack Miller and Roland Thatcher it’s shaping up to be a tale of two falls, if not similar plights.

Miller, a PGA Tour rookie whose introduction to the professional ranks was a stint on the Korean Tour, is 146^th on the money list after a difficult year that has featured six consecutive missed cuts heading into the McGladrey Classic. It is the California native’s first exposure to the money list “bubble.”

For Thatcher, who is tied for 54th following an opening 69 at Sea Island Resort, his spot on the money list (121st) is well-covered territory. Last year with two events to play he was 179th in earnings and in 2009 he was 119th at this point in the season.

That the two would have divergent outlooks when it comes to their precarious positions is understandable.

“You don’t get used to (being on the bubble), but you do get immune to it,” said Thatcher, who made a late-season jump in earnings in 2010 with his runner-up showing at the season finale. “Having been there so often in the past makes it a little more manageable.”

But Miller doesn’t have a portfolio of pressure to pull from and, considering his play the last few months, has chosen to avoid as best he can the realities of his situation.

“I’ve been trying not to look at the money list,” said Miller, who is tied for the lead at 7 under with Webb Simpson. “Right now the reality is I’m battling to stay inside the top 150.”