Dothan, Ala., is where John Scott Rattan finds himself this week. It’s another stop on the NGA Hooters Tour, a long way — literally and figuratively — from Westchester, N.Y., where the PGA kicks off its inaugural FedEx Cup this week.
But for Rattan, a Montgomery Village resident, crisscrossing the Southeast, playing mini-tour golf, is his route to success.
“I see a lot of my steering wheel. My Honda and me are best buddies,” said Rattan, 25. “But I love doing this. I don’t have a girlfriend. There’s nothing making me wish I was somewhere else.”
Even after missing seven straight cuts, Rattan, a former Maryland state public school champion at Watkins Mill, remained upbeat. With his confidence intact, Rattan registered two straight fourth-place finishes, his best stretch in two Hooters seasons.
Earlier this month at Dancing Rabbit Golf Club in Choctaw, Miss., Rattan shot a 7-under 65 in the third round to take a two-stroke lead in the Pearl River Classic. But on Sunday, his even-par 72 wasn’t good enough as five other players shot 68 or better to overtake or tie Rattan.
“It was the first time I was in that position,” said Rattan, a graduate of Tennessee. “I was nervous. I went into it passive. If I get there again, I’ve got to stay aggressive and shoot low.”
The 5-foot-10, 165-pound Rattan knows how to do that. In his previous Hooters event, he fired a 9-under 63 to set the course record at Brook Valley Country Club in Greenville, N.C. The previous record holder was longtime Brook Valley member, Will MacKenzie, a PGA Tour pro who has earned more than $1 million this season.
That kind of windfall is foreign to Rattan. Last year he earned $20,447 to rank No. 59 on the tour and barely cover his entry fees. To play in each Hooters event, a player must pony up $1,000. Last year Rattan entered 19 tournaments.
This year, Rattan’s back-to-back fourth-place finishes netted just $17, 591, all of which is returned to a handful of investors who bought “stock,” in Rattan in increments of $5,000 and $10,000 before the season.
To cover expenses, Rattan estimates that he would have to earn roughly $55,000, a figure that will be achieved by only a dozen or so players this season on the Hooters Tour.
“My backers aren’t looking at this as a way to make money,” said Rattan. “They’re doing it to help somebody follow their dreams. For that, I can’t thank them enough. And if I ever get in position to do that for someone else, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”
