Counting Down Our Feel-Good Stories of the Year

10. Teen Makes the Cut at the DANA Open

15-year-old Mia Hammond shot 66 to win the DANA Open Monday qualifier, successfully qualifying for her first LPGA event. There was much to smile about for the teen still in braces, who had hoped to enjoy the experience of playing in front of crowds and alongside some of the game’s best players. Monday Q Info’s Ryan French was on site caddying for Christina Kim, and asked Hammond how she felt before the tournament’s opening round. “I’m nervous and excited,” Hammond said.

Hammond thrived in the spotlight, making four birdies in the opening eight holes of the tournament. She posted a 3-under 68 in the opening round, and despite a double bogey in the second round, birdied her final two holes for another 68, making the cut comfortably by six shots. Hammond, from New Albany, Ohio, two-and-a-half hours away by car, estimated 25 friends and family members showed up to cheer her on.

Despite the mounting pressure of larger crowds and media attention, Hammond played steadily, finishing the tournament at 6-under, good enough for T-26 in the field of 140 players. Hammond finished higher up the leaderboard than stars Lydia Ko and Stacey Lewis.

“I’m still kind of in shock that this whole tournament even happened,” says Hammond. “I know I’ve said it’s been a dream of mine to play on the LPGA Tour; hopefully a future career of mine as well.”

At the conclusion of the DANA Open Hammond wrote on Facebook, “I can’t wait to see what the future has in store.” Many golf fans share that feeling and will be watching.

9. The Hardy Way

PGA Tour member, Nick Hardy, missed his fifth consecutive cut at the Bay Hill Invitational earlier this year. The promising 27-year-old, with two PGA Tour top-10s on his resume, was in the midst of the longest missed-cut streak of his young career. Hardy embraced the struggle and discussed the learning process with Ryan French on Any Given Monday.

“Golf is funny. I appreciate you reaching out to me to talk during this time,” Hardy says. “Many reporters don’t reach out to players who aren’t playing great. I envy times like this more than most because you learn so much more about yourself.”

He remembered coming back from a wrist injury in 2022, and arriving at The Glen Club in Chicago for a Korn Ferry Tour event. Hardy hadn’t touched a club in a month while recovering, so when he arrived on-site, the very idea that he could compete being so unprepared seemed preposterous.

“I showed up to the golf course at The Glen Club on that Sunday or Monday, and hadn’t touched a club in a month, and I’m like, am I really going to play this week?” Hardy says. “I played and I shot 23-under and lost in a playoff, and it was probably the best golf I’ve played. It showed me a lot.”

Hardy remained confident through the struggles – no small feat for a pro golfer – and six weeks later, teamed up with friend Davis Riley to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. The duo knew each other’s games well and the chemistry proved inspirational.

“With these tour courses, and how hard the setups are, it’s hard to get momentum going sometimes,” says Hardy. “All it takes is a little spark.”

The two shot 30-under over four rounds, and saved their best for the final round’s alternate shot format: a sizzling 65, closing with birdies on four of the final six holes. The clutch duo bested the Canadian team of Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin by two strokes, to capture the title.

Now Riley and Hardy are PGA Tour winners and have the perks that come with it.

8. A Rap That Makes The Cut

For months, Mike Sweeney was sleeping in the reclined front seat of his 2014 Hyundai Elantra in Walmart parking lots. Sweeney had turned pro at 23, and in his first two years, had only broken 70 twice in competition. He also made a couple of music videos, rapping around the beaches of South Florida under the stage name MikeyD860 (two full albums can be found on YouTube). Neither the golf nor rhymes, however, was paying the bills.

To pay for his entry fees, Sweeney was working at a Subway inside a Shell gas station. He’d save money, enter a tournament and if he failed to cash a check – which was too common – he’d go back to Subway and start rebuilding. Sweeney felt like he had to choose between renting an apartment or paying the $200 entry fees on the Minor League Tour.

In April, Sweeney put the $500 entry fee for the Korn Ferry Tour’s Huntsville Open Monday qualifier on his credit card, eagled the last hole to shoot 65, and won a playoff. He was in his first PGA Tour-sanctioned event, but had maxed out his credit card.

Ryan French heard a longer version of this story that night and wrote it. Soon, the donations to Sweeney’s Venmo came flooding in from inspired golf fans, and Sweeney accumulated around $40,000.

Sweeney would go on to Monday qualify for one more KFT event and add 10 PGA Tour Canada events to his season, gaining a wealth of tournament experience.

7. The Doctor Is In

After graduating from Mercer University in 2019, Brennan Bogdanovich had plans to apply to medical school. The biochemistry and molecular biology double-major earned the Presidential Scholarship and graduated with a 3.87 GPA, and hoped to become a surgeon. But Bogdanovich needed to satisfy his curiosity for professional golf first, so he and his Dad, Ron – the owner of an RV restoration company – hitched up a 1973 Airstream and made the trek from Georgia to the Dakotas. Brennan played five professional events on the Dakotas Tour, with Ron caddying, making three cuts for $1822.08 in total earnings.

COVID came and Brennan worked as an EMT before being accepted to the Medical College of Georgia in 2021. His schedule didn’t allow for much golf even though he still loved to play, so Ron began planning a surprise: he’d enter Brennan in one final professional tournament.

In May, Ron ordered a new golf bag for Brennan, paid a $390 entry fee to the Rolling Rock Tour, and packed matching player/caddie outfits. Ron didn't spoil the surprise even after picking Brennan up to drive to the tournament. When he and Brennan arrived at a hotel near the tournament site, Ron revealed his master plan: one final trip around a professional golf tournament for old-time’s sake. Brennan hadn’t played an event in four years and they agreed results wouldn’t matter, they’d simply enjoy the experience.

"I just wanted to spend some quality time with my son and reminisce about the great times we spent together in this game,” Ron says. “From age 5 to the Dakotas Tour, golf was special to us."

Brennan played with nothing to lose and birdied the last for a 3-under 68. Brennan signed his scorecard and Ron waited for the results. He asked Brennan how they had done when Brennan came back from the scoring area. "We won, Dad!" They started laughing and hugging. Brennan had earned one final check in professional golf for $2,000.

"We were ecstatic,” Ron says. “I told him it was on my bucket list to be on the bag for a win of his. It didn't matter how we did. I just wanted to spend time with my son, but this was icing on the cake."

6. Gabriela Ruffles Wins Three Events on Epson Tour

Q-school had been an afterthought for Australian Gabi Ruffles in 2022, while she was competing on the Epson Tour. Ruffles, 23, finished 15th on the Epson money list that season, falling just shy of earning her LPGA Tour card. With just three weeks to go before the LPGA Q-series, Ruffles realized she missed the registration deadline for Q-school and missed her chance to advance to the LPGA Tour for the year.

Missing out on the opportunity added fuel to Gabi’s fire this season as she focused on her improvement, choosing to see the oversight as a blessing. 2023 taught Ruffles how to win at the professional level. The 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion dominated the Epson Tour, winning three times and collecting $159,020.26 in 13 events. Ruffles added six top-10 finishes to her impressive summer and is LPGA-bound in 2024.

She’ll be a player to watch next year.

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