Chasing a Dream
SML Native Matt Chandler pursues the PGA Tour
By Andie Gibson


                When Matt Chandler was a kid growing up on the fairways of The Waterfront Country Club, he would often be so preoccupied with perfecting his golf game, he’d forget to stop and eat.
                “We almost had to make him stop to come in and have lunch,” said Ed Currin, formerly the golf professional at The Waterfront. “When he was 10 or 12 years old, he’d practice for hours and hours – chipping, putting, hitting balls. He’d practice until it was dark. That’s unusual for kids; Most of them just want to play.”
                The practice paid off and Chandler went on to an accomplished junior career, winning the Group AAA state title as a senior at Franklin County High School, finishing second in the prestigious Scott Robertson Memorial and becoming the only player to ever win the state Junior Match Play title twice.
                “The first time I ever saw him swing, I thought, ‘That little kid’s pretty good,’” Currin said. “Kind of like Tiger [Woods] – just a natural. He’s always had good rhythm and tempo.”
                Chandler, now 23, has spent much of the past six years trying to make a living as a professional golfer. He’s currently in Florida playing the Gateway Tour, one of golf’s most prestigious “mini tours.”
                “I really consider it more of a practice thing to get tuned up for Q School,” said Chandler, referring to the PGA Tour’s three-stage process of qualification. “That’s the ultimate goal – to keep my game in shape and compete at a high level. Hopefully, I’ll pick up some prize money along the way.”
                Chandler spent one semester at Ferrum College before deciding to pursue his dream of becoming a touring professional. At 19, he moved to Boca Raton, Fla., and became the youngest player on the Golden Bear Tour, formerly a top mini tour that ran June through September and was designed for competitors to hone mental skills and physical conditioning. He earned $28,000 that year, including $6,000 for a fifth-place finish, his best that season.
                “As far as experience, it was definitely the best I could have possibly had at that point,” Chandler said. “I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t even know if I could make a cut. But by the end of the summer, I felt pretty confident.”
                Chandler rode that confidence into the first stage of PGA Tour Qualifying School in October, 2002, in Coral Gables, Fla., where he finished fifth. He moved on to the second stage in Houston, but was eliminated after failing to finish in the top 20. (At the third stage, the top 30 and ties automatically earn a PGA Tour card. The next 50 best earn unconditional status on the Nationwide Tour, the PGA Tour’s top training ground.)
                “I wasn’t really even expecting to get through the first stage,” Chandler said. “It was a relief to know I could go and not play perfect and still compete.”
                The next summer, Chandler played the inaugural year on the Gateway Tour, playing courses in and around Myrtle Beach, SC. His best finish that year was a third but he was ninth overall on the money list at the end of the season, earning $35,000. Then it was off to Q-School again. Chandler advanced past the first stage, but “played terrible” at the second stage in Dallas and missed the cut. He spent the 2004 season on the Gateway Tour again, finishing 11th on the money list with $35,000. He missed advancing to the second stage of Q School that year by one shot.
                Chandler said he decided to take the 2005 season off and “figure out what I wanted to do.” He returned home to work for Currin at The Water’s Edge, practice and play in local and regional tournaments. He placed third in the Virginia State Open that summer. Chandler’s diligence paid off and he won the first round of Q-School that fall in Kannapolis, NC. Unfortunately, the road ended again in Houston, where Chandler finished 41st.
                 In addition to the Gateway Tour this season, Chandler will return to Virginia to play in an annual Skins Game at Roanoke Country Club. His competition will be Mark Fry, head professional at The Homestead’s Cascades Course, and former touring professional Chip Sullivan. The winner of this year’s State Open in July will round out the field competing for a purse of $7,500.
                The grueling schedule is all to help further Chandler’s goal of competing on the PGA Tour.
                “I thought when he was 13 he could win money playing golf if he wanted to,” Currin said. “I certainly don’t want to jinx him, and there are a whole lot of good players out there, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see him playing on the big tour some day. The potential is certainly there.”