Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Gardiner follows Tiger track
SAN DIEGO — Torrey Pines’ beauty can be entrancing, especially to a first-time visitor. But its stately trees, sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean and craggy cliffs were not why Scott Gardiner needed to be reminded once or twice that it was his turn to hit during the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open.
Gardiner struck up a conversation with a few teenage fans in his gallery, he said, “and I got sidetracked.”
On his way to the PGA Tour, Gardiner dealt with a decade of diversions, p l aying in at least one event on the Web.com Tour from 2003 to 2012 before earning his playing privileges this year. At 36, Gardiner (Farmington) is the oldest rookie on the PGA Tour, and he is also the first indigenous Australian to earn his full-time playing privileges.
Gardiner, whose roots are in a working-class Sydney suburb, is a product of a foundation created to identify and develop the Australian Tiger Woods. He was thrilled to play at Torrey Pines, where Woods has won six tour events and one U.S. Open and stood as the 36-hole leader for a second day after dense fog led to the suspension of Saturday’s third round.
“It’s pretty neat to be standing here at Torrey Pines, at a tournament that I’ve watched numerous years, and really finding out how good Tiger is, shooting 11 under,” Gardiner said after making the weekend cut with no strokes to spare at 1 under par. “I played about as good as I can play, and he’s 10 shots better.”
On Friday, Gardiner and Steve LeBrun, who were in the final pairing on the South Course, had birdie putts on their last hole. If they made them, then native San Diegan Phil Mickelson, a three-time champion who was on the cut line at 1 under, would be swept out of the tournament.
Each missed, allowing Mickelson a new lease on the weekend. A good thing, because other players say Gardiner exudes such goodness that he would have made a lousy Public Enemy No. 1 or 1A for Mickelson’s many fans.
“He’s getting a lot of attention because he’s Aboriginal,” said David Hill, who caddied for another Australian, Cameron Percy. “But it’s the kind of attention that he should be getting because he’s a great bloke.”
Percy, 38, who also started playing on the Web.com Tour in 2003, described Gardiner, who has an Aboriginal mother and a Scottish father, as “incredibly unique.”
“He’ll be playing fantastic and then he’ll try three sets of irons, four drivers and three putters on the Sunday night of a golf tournament,” Percy said. “Then he’ll be traveling to the next tournament and you’ll say, ‘Where are you staying, Scotty?’ and he’ll say, ‘I haven’t quite booked that yet.’ ”
Gardiner doesn’t put much time into his appearance, either.
“It’s not uncommon to see Scotty’s hat on sideways, the shirt kind of out and there might be a little bit of food in his mouth,” said Hill, who is acting as Gardiner’s agent. “He’ll just smile at you and move right along.”
When Gardiner glanced up from his yardage book Thursday, he noticed a handful of teenagers who looked as if they should be in school. He wandered over to the ropes and asked why they were not in class.
Gardiner found out they were on a high school golf team and had received permission to leave early to watch the tournament. They returned home with balls that Gardiner dug out of his bag.
“When I was a kid, I got to volunteer at some tournaments,” he said. “I know how big a thrill it was for me just to see the struggling pro in Australia, for them to acknowledge you or throw you a ball. Any pro that came through was a hero of somebody. That’s what inspired me to want to play the game.”
Gardiner played soccer as a child and, in his early teenage years, competed in the discus.
“I think I was the skinniest discus thrower in the country,” said the 5-11 Gardiner, who has filled out to 182 pounds.
He decided on golf as a career after he was invited to join a program, started after Woods began winning majors and administered through the National Aboriginal Sports Corp., to encourage Aboriginal children to take up golf.
As the program’s most successful golfer, Gardiner enjoys a high profile. He began the season at the Sony Open in Hawaii being shadowed by a documentary filmmaker for a 30-minute short. He finished tied for 15th.
“It’s been an advantage for me to be Aboriginal,” Gardiner said. “There’s people of similar ability to me who didn’t get maybe some of the backing that I did, which enabled me to bridge the gap between being a good amateur and having the chance to turn professional.”