It's no secret that golf is a stressful game, especially when you play it to make a living. Going week to week without a guaranteed paycheck is hard at the best of times, let alone when you're on the cusp of breaking through, but forced to wait due to unmitigated circumstances.
In the case of Ryan Gerard, a conversation that was posted via the Twitter page, @acaseofthegolf1, showed just that, with the American sat on the cut line number as players finished their rounds early on Saturday morning.
Mad respect for Ryan Gerard. Sent him a text asking how he felt. Some guys would have just ignored it. (And I would have understood) No other starts guaranteed, literally 2 points from being a Tour member and watching the cut line this morning. pic.twitter.com/GqIVrZ5oMBApril 1, 2023
We'll give you some backstory; Gerard is looking to secure Special Temporary Membership with the PGA Tour after firing a fourth place finish at the Honda Classic. Following his best result, he has since finished T11 and T71, with the 23-year-old needing a solo 68th or better finish at the Valero Texas Open to secure the necessary points to earn him that membership.
However, after opening his tournament with a 41 on the front nine, it seemed that it wasn't going to be. However, the young American battled back valiantly and, after firing a five-under back nine, he packed up his first round with yet another 72 to sit level-par for the tournament.
This number, though, was indeed the cut line which, with multiple players yet to finish, could still move up, or down, depending on what scores came in. As you can imagine, Gerard seemed to be quite stressed, with the text conversation between him and the Twitter page showing just that.
Asked: "No problem at all if you don't want to answer, please don't feel obligated at all. What is the wait like?" Gerard responded with the words: "Stressful man, kinda hopeless. Sitting here on property just hoping for a tee time and opportunity. Watching guys bury putts on the last to bump you just an extra spot down with nothing you can do to stop it. Play better next time haha."
Thankfully, for the American, the cut line remained at level-par, meaning that he did indeed make it into the weekend as he goes in pursuit of that illusive 68th place finish.
Could he do it? Well, at the time of writing, prior to the final round, he is now two-under following a fine round of 70, with Gerard in a tie for 43rd place. Just 18 holes at TPC San Antonio separate him from that Special Temporary Membership which he so desires.
