With year in limbo, Bryson Nimmer went to work. Now he’s thriving on new golf series
Bryson Nimmer’s 2020 professional golf season falls into the if-life-gives-you-lemons-make-lemonade category. His is a story of rolling with the punches and persevering.
Like most fledgling athletes in any sport with goals of climbing to the major leagues, Nimmer saw his 2020 looking like a total washout. The coronavirus wiped out all the PGA Tour’s developmental competition, and other associations’ schedules took a hit.
But opportunity finally knocked, and Nimmer seized the chance. The PGA Tour cobbled together a series of tournaments called the LOCALiQ Series, and the former Clemson All-American from Bluffton has sizzled.
He won the first two LOCALiQ events to go with his earlier GPro Tour victory, then added a second-place finish on the LOCALiQ circuit and almost certainly will lead the Series’ points standings. His performance got him a spot in this week’s Korn Ferry tourney prior to finishing the LOCALiQ season in the Bahamas.
“Everything has worked out well,” Nimmer said. “I’m obviously playing well. I’m a bit longer, which helps, and I’m stronger physically, more athletic. I’ve put in time in the gym, and that’s been important. I’ve struggled in the past with putting, but now that’s a strength.”
The improvements are a testament to his work ethic. With his year in limbo after the cancellation of the PGA’s Mackenzie Tour Canada schedule, he became a player without a place to play. Cutting back on practice would have been easy.
“About all I had was Monday qualifying” for PGA and Korn Ferry events, he said. “But I was determined to keep my game sharp, and that has paid off.”
His game has been sharp for a long time. After he gave up baseball to concentrate on golf, he honed his skills competing in the South Carolina Junior Golf Association’s nationally acclaimed program and working with teaching professional Tim Cook at Sea Pines.
“I wasn’t anything special; some of those guys beat me pretty good,” he said. “But I enjoyed playing.”
And winning the Jimmy Self junior tournament in Greenwood convinced him he could compete successfully with the likes of Andrew Novak, Trace Crowe, Coleman Self and the Phillips brothers.
He followed his dad Tony to Clemson, got in the lineup the spring of his freshman year and sparkled. He earned ACC freshman of the year honors, all-ACC three times and ACC player of the year. The Nimmers are Clemson’s only father-son duo to each all-conference golf honors.
After the Tigers’ 2019 season ended, he flew to Canada to begin his pro career. He faced the usual rookie adjustments, made eight cuts in 11 starts on unfamiliar courses and placed 32nd in earnings. He finished 16th or better in four of his first five Mackenzie events before the wear and tear of a combined college and pro season took their toll.
His quest for join the 2020 Korn Ferry Tour ended in the second stage of qualifying school. He missed advancing to the finals by one stroke.
“I was going back to Canada this year, but that fell through,” Nimmer said.
Then opportunity knocked.
“The LOCALiQ Series has been huge for us,” he said. “The biggest thing has been having a schedule instead of looking for places to play. And winning those first two tournaments ... things couldn’t have been any better.”
The next step for his career path normally would be returning to the Korn Ferry Tour qualifying school, but these are not normal times. That q-school has been canceled, leaving Nimmer and others like him hopeful that their developmental tours will return in 2021.
Whatever happens, history suggests he and his golf game will be ready.
Chip shots. Carson Young, a two-time South Carolina Amateur champion who also starred at Clemson, is second to Nimmer in the LOCALiQ standings. ... USC’s women’s team finished third and the Gamecocks’ men placed fourth in the Blessings Collegiate Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas. In the inaugural event that featured only SEC teams, the Carolina teams finished second in the combined scores. Individually, Pimnipa Panthong (third) and Pauline Roussin-Bouchard (eighth) notched top-10s among the women and Caleb Proveaux (tie for sixth) led the men. ... Zach Siefert (Simpsonville) edged Cody Clepper (Sumter) by two shots to capture the SCGA’s Mid-Amateur title at Florence CC.
This story was originally published October 10, 2020 at 10:41 AM with the headline "With year in limbo, Bryson Nimmer went to work. Now he’s thriving on new golf series."