Tom Pernice Jr. couldn’t find the fairways, the greens or the cup at the 2021 Regions Tradition event, held in the suburbs of Birmingham. A PGA Tour and now Champions Tour fixture for nearly four decades, Pernice, 62, knew about the fickle fates of golf. He had played plenty of rounds—and plenty of events—that didn’t meet his standards. But this may have qualified as the most misbegotten weekend of his pro career.
By the last hole Sunday, Pernice had carded a plus-31 to finish behind Tom Kite and Scott Hoch, dead last in the 80-man field. The tournament winner, Alex Cejka, earned $375,000. Pernice took home $1,075, considerably less than his expenses for the week. His spirits already darkened, Pernice turned violent, says his girlfriend at the time, MaryAnn O’Neill, now 41.
Illustration by Dan Larkin; Ryan Young/PGA TOUR/Getty Images
