Tommy Gainey’s selfless WD opens the door for the next generation

In a professional game where opportunities are scarce and careers can hinge on a single start, Tommy Gainey has delivered what may prove to be the most selfless act seen on Tour in 2026.

The 50-year-old American, now eligible for the PGA Tour Champions, made the decision to withdraw from next week’s Bahamas Golf Classic on the Korn Ferry Tour in order to free up a place for a younger player trying to establish himself in the professional ranks.

Gainey was fully exempt into the field as the tournament’s 2020 champion, and this season represented the final year he could use his past champion exemption. 

Instead of taking the spot, Gainey chose to step aside — a move that has rightly drawn widespread praise from golf fans, including everyone here at GolfMagic.

The Korn Ferry Tour remains the primary pathway to the PGA Tour, but it is also one of the most competitive and unforgiving circuits in professional sport. Starts are increasingly difficult to come by, and Gainey knows that reality better than most.

A one-time PGA Tour winner, Gainey claimed the McGladrey Classic in 2012 at Hilton Head — an event now known as the RSM Classic — after winning twice on what was then the Nationwide Tour in 2010. 

Nicknamed Two Gloves, he became something of an everyman hero during his rise, only to see the margins tighten quickly. He lost his Korn Ferry Tour card after the 2013–14 season and never managed to regain it.

Although he returned to win the Bahamas event in 2020, Gainey ultimately set his sights on PGA Tour Champions eligibility, turning 50 in 2025. He secured his senior card in remarkable fashion, Monday qualifying into October’s Furyk & Friends event and winning it outright, earning full exemption for the 2026 season.

With his Champions Tour status now locked up, a return to the Bahamas for the Korn Ferry Tour season opener might have seemed a fitting and well-earned appearance. Instead, Gainey looked beyond his own interests.

The story was first reported by the popular Monday Q Info account on X / Twitter, which revealed how the decision came about after a phone call with the player himself.

Monday Q Info's Ryan French wrote: 

Tommy Gainey was in the @BahamasKFTour next week as a past champion of the event. It’s his last year for his past champion exemption.

A friend of his called me and said he WD, so a young guy could get a start. So I called him.

Of course Tommy picked up. Said he loves the event, wants to play, but knows how hard it is to get KFT starts now. “It’s 10 times harder than when I came up. I didn’t want to take a spot from a guy”. Went on to say with all the changes it’s was that much more important that someone coming up got a start.

As much as he wanted to be there, with his Champions Tour status locked up he knew if he was 1st alternate that he would do anything for a start.

But before he WD he called @jfranklin513 the tournament director. “I don’t want to disrespect the event” Tommy said.

Josh thanked him and told him “not sure many would do what he was doing”.

Tommy ended the call saying “these young guys are so good, any one of them can win, even the last guy in the field.”

Well done @TwoGlovesGolf.

That final point perhaps captures the essence of Gainey’s decision better than anything else. 

Fully aware the Bahamas Golf Classic carries a $1 million purse — with approximately $180,000 going to the winner — he still chose to remove himself from the field.

The selfless act carries even more weight when viewed against Gainey’s own journey. 

Few players understand how fragile a professional career can be quite like he does. 

From Korn Ferry Tour wins to PGA Tour victory, from losing status to fighting through Monday qualifiers, Gainey has experienced every edge of the game.

Gainey is now set to begin his full-time PGA Tour Champions career later this month, making his debut as an exempt member at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai on January 22. 

After Monday qualifying into four of his first five senior starts last year, he has already shown he can still compete at the highest level.

But for now, his decision in the Bahamas stands as something far more meaningful than another start on a schedule. 

In a sport often defined by self-preservation, Tommy chose to give someone else a chance — and that deserves to be applauded.