ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – It’s called déjà vu. A year ago David Mathis found himself huddled with his wife and caddie beside the same scoring trailer crunching surprisingly similar numbers.
Last year Mathis began the week at The McGladrey Classic 123rd on the money list, tied for 15th thanks to a closing 68 and moved to 115th to effectively lock up his Tour card.
On Sunday at Sea Island Resort he went one better, carding a 67 that included an eagle-2 at the par-4 11th hole, and is currently tied for ninth and projected at 114th in earnings for another Seaside walk-off.
The relief for Mathis, who began the fall series as the ultimate “bubble boy” at 125th in earnings, was evident, particularly considering next season’s condensed schedule as the Tour transitions to a split-calendar lineup.
“It’s not like 125 (in earnings) is really good status and 126 to 150 is pretty good,” Mathis said. “One twenty-five is awesome and 126 to 150 is terrible. That’s kind of how the players view it because you can’t pick and choose where you’re going to play.”
As he and his entourage paused to enjoy another Sunny Sunday, Mathis was reminded that the best part of retaining his Tour card still remained – a refund for his Q-School entry.
“That’s a nice check to ask for. Full refund,” he smiled.