Lee tried to make the PGA Tour through Q-School late that year. The top-25 players earn a card, but his attempt ended with his one-shot-short heartbreak. So, Lee set off for the second-tier Nationwide Tour (now called the Web.com Tour) in 2011.
Lee missed the cut in four of his first five tournaments. After 10 tournaments, including excursions to Panama and Colombia, he had missed seven cuts and had won only about $19,000. That was barely enough to cover travel, lodging, food and diapers.
“That was a tough first year on the Nationwide,“ he said. “Obviously, you don’t play for that much money anyway and the travel (costs) add up. I remember looking into my savings account and I had two grand left. That was lowest financial point for us.“
One week later, it suddenly clicked. He shot four-straight sub-70 rounds in the Mexico Open, finishing second at 15-under par. That earned him $75,600. Oh, how good he felt cashing that check.
Lee felt his confidence churning. He missed just four cuts over the final 14 tournaments, finishing the season with $143,243 in prize money. Taxes and travel took ample slices of the pie, but he was making progress.
His dream was still alive.
He returned to Q-School again late in 2011, and for most of the six rounds, nothing was happening. He was playing OK, but hope was fading. As he made the turn on his final round, he was not close to being among the top-25 finishers who would automatically earn a Tour card.
That all changed with five holes to go. Lee played those final five holes at five under par (birdie, eagle, par, birdie, birdie) to earn his card by one stroke — exactly the margin he had missed by the previous year.
“Coming back from the disappointment a year earlier, I can’t explain how great that felt,“ Lee says. “I still get chills thinking about it.“
He was finally a PGA Tour member, an exclusive club limited to about 150 golfers worldwide. He found out right away why this club was so exclusive.
These guys are really good. This was not college anymore, or some secondary tour. PGA Tour golfers were master ball-strikers and tough as nails, mentally. Cutthroats, all of them — and it was Lee being cut, week after week.
He cashed just two checks in his first eight tournaments, but one was for $102,400, for a 15th-place finish at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Small successes, but big rewards. He was progressing.
In the fall, he earned another big check — $156,375, for his sixth-place finish at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital Open (an event won by fellow Home Teamer Ryan Moore). For the 2012 season, he took home $547,733. It seems like a lot, but in the world of professional golf, it was still not good enough. Lee’s earnings put him 149th on the money list — 24 spots shy of the 125-player cutoff for exemption from qualifying. It was back to Q School again.
This time, though, Lee went in with the confidence of a well-played PGA Tour season. It was a breeze. No more last-minute dramatics — Lee finished fourth overall at Q School to easily earn his card.
And, the way he’s playing in 2013, he’s not about to give it up again.
By mid-July, Lee had already pocketed $829,991. He’s cashed four checks of more than $100,000. He’s had two top-10 finishes and missed the cut in just four of the first 19 tournaments he entered. He’s ranked higher on the money list than major winners Padraig Harrington, Martin Kaymer, Lucas Glover, Justin Leonard and Trevor Immelman, each of whom have played a similar number of events. He’s just about a lock for 2014. [UPDATE: Since publication in August, Lee has indeed clinched his PGA Tour card for 2014.]
Thurmond says that Lee’s success can be traced in part to the unconventional road he traveled to achieve his dream of reaching the PGA Tour.
“Richard took kind of the perfect path,“ Thurmond says. “He was learning things each step of the way.“
And according to Thiel, Lee’s path remains far from its conclusion.
“We have not seen Richard at his best yet,“ Thiel says. “We’re going to see wonderful things from him.
“He has not arrived, but he’s on his way.“
Thiel still works regularly with Lee on his game. Lee will email Thiel his thoughts from a previous event. They Skype. They go over swing thoughts. During the winter, Lee travels to Palm Desert, where Thiel has a school, to tune up his game.
All those lows may finally be behind Lee. He’s building from a foundation. His goal, like everyone else on the Tour, is to sustain a long career by being a consistent money-winner, so he can qualify for all the majors — especially the Masters.
“I have a pretty good chance at [qualifying for] the PGA Championship this year. Hopefully, I can get that one crossed off,“ he said. “I’m constantly moving up, little by little.
“Looking back, it’s been quite a journey,“ he adds. “But it’s been a good one. Everything I’ve experienced has been for the good. I really grew up fast and I would not change anything.“
A long-time Seattle sportswriter, Bob Sherwin is a regular freelance contributor to Cascade Golfer, having last written about PGA Tour player Jeff Gove in the April 2013 CG. He is also the co-founder and editor of the award-winning GolfersWest.com, and also writes for the New York Times, Associated Press and MLB.com.