Ex-reality star Peters remains in contention
Winning the first installment of the Golf Channel reality series “The Big Break” wasn’t as advertised for Justin Peters. Seven years later, Peters is still struggling to make it in professional golf.
With a wife and 19-month-old son living in Fort Wayne, Ind., Peters for the first time has seriously considered giving up his pursuit. Just one problem — the 33-year-old is playing the best golf of his career.
On Thursday, in the opening round of the Melwood Prince George’s County Open, Peters fired a 6-under-par 65 to move to within two strokes of the early pace set by veteran Patrick Sheehan (63).
Argentine Fabian Gomez (64) was a stroke back, while Venezuelan Jhonattan Vegas (65), Australian Nick Flanagan (65) and former PGA Tour winner Frank Lickliter II (65) were tied with Peters on a day of heat, humidity, thunderstorms, warm breezes and low scores. Play continues through Sunday at the University of Maryland Golf Course.
As is the case in many Nationwide Tour events, the leader board is full of disparate characters. Sheehan and Lickliter are 40-year-old PGA Tour veterans. Flanagan, 25, won three Nationwide tournaments in 2007 to earn automatic promotion to the PGA Tour. But his stay was short largely because of a bad back.
Gomez, 30, is bidding to become the first player this year to win a second Nationwide event. Vegas, 25, in his second year on the tour, was runner-up last month at the South Georgia Classic.
None of them have grinded as hard as Peters, who had his best year in 2009, winning 11 times on the Minor League Golf Tour but barely making enough to cover expenses.
“I was ready to quit last September. I was done. Not because I wanted to but because I had to financially,” Peters said. “I had been playing the best golf of my life. Since ’06, I had won more and more mini-tour events each year. But you just can’t get ahead winning mini-tours.”
Last fall, Peters decided to make one more run at the PGA Tour Q School. If he didn’t make it to the final stage, he told his wife, Shelle, he would quit. In the final round of the second stage, Peters made a hole-in-one, shot 67 and reached the final stage for the first time in 11 tries.
With a chance to qualify for the PGA Tour, Peters struggled at Q School but gained conditional status on the Nationwide. In five events, Peters has made the cut three times and earned $7,111. With a solid finish this weekend, Peters would play his way into more Nationwide events. With a win, he would go a long way toward qualifying for the PGA Tour in 2011.
It has been a long road for Peters, who grew up in Boston. After playing college golf at the University of Nevada, he sold septic tank products.
In winning “The Big Break” in the fall of 2003, Peters gained exemptions in four Canadian Tour events in 2004 and played well enough in those to get into four more Canadian tournaments. But when 2005 began, Peters was back to scuffling on the mini-tours.
By comparison, the Nationwide Tour is heaven.
“I’m living the dream, so to speak,” Peters said. “But it’s still a grind — the travel, being away from my family. It’ll get much better if I do something here.”
Still looking for his big break.
