By Justin Jarrett
LowcoSports.com
As everything else in his life fell into place around him in the past nine months, Bryson Nimmer’s professional golf career seemed to be slipping away.
Once a standout at Hilton Head Christian Academy, then a breakthrough star at Clemson, Nimmer caught fire during the COVID-19 pandemic and appeared poised for a quick rise through the ranks, but the grind of professional golf caught up to him, and he found himself drowning in a sea of talented young players, most of whom can hit it longer than the 5-foot-8 Lowcountry native.
After making only seven cuts in 19 starts last year, Nimmer slipped to conditional status on the Korn Ferry Tour, meaning he wouldn’t automatically qualify for events. Before last weekend, Nimmer had made only three starts this season, making two cuts and earning just north of $8,000.
In the meantime, he and WJCL News anchor Riley Miller married last fall, and the couple is expecting a daughter. The clock was ticking, and Nimmer’s wheels were spinning.
“I was working out at our family farm and thinking maybe golf’s not for me,” Nimmer said.
Even so, he knew his game was in good shape, and if he could get a chance on a course that suited him, he was only one good weekend away from being back in the game.
And, then, the magic happened at PGA Riviera Maya in Mexico.
After firing a 5-under-par 67 in the second round and taking the 36-hole lead, Nimmer stumbled on Saturday with a 73, but four birdies in his first five holes Sunday vaulted him back into the mix. Then, three bogeys in his last four holes on the front nine nearly did him in.
Nimmer settled down and shot 3-under on the back nine, including a birdie on the 72nd hole that made him the clubhouse leader, but Stuart Macdonald dunked one from the fairway to force a playoff.
Both players made par on the first extra hole, but Macdonald’s miscue on the second playoff hole gave Nimmer his first Korn Ferry Tour win, which secures his status on the tour for the remainder of this season and next season. It also vaults him to No. 16 in the season-long points standings, with the top 20 at the end of the year earning their PGA Tour cards.
“It’s crazy,” Nimmer said. “I think I just processed about two minutes ago that I have somewhere to play now all year, and I’m in a really good spot now to get my PGA Tour card.
“It changes everything.”
Nimmer gets a week off to enjoy his success, and then it’s back to work — his summer schedule just filled up. Next up is a four-week stretch that ends close to home with the BMX Charity Pro-Am at Thornblade Club in Greer.
“Just gonna keep doing what I’m doing. I’m hitting it great, obviously,” Nimmer said. “Just try to keep this momentum going and see if we can get another one.”
Justin Jarrett is the sports editor of The Island News and the founder of LowcoSports.com. He was the sports editor of the Island Packet and the Beaufort Gazette for 6½ years. He has a passion for sports and community journalism and a questionable sense of humor.
