Open to the possibilities

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. --- The reinvention of Brian Gay faces a major hurdle this week.

The former 0-for-292 golfer has won two of his past five PGA Tour starts. Now the one-time Louisville, Ga., resident has a chance to improve his 0-for-5 cut performance at the U.S. Open, which begins today at Bethpage State Park.

Mr. Gay is perhaps the hottest golfer not named Tiger Woods after his last-minute invitation for winning the St. Jude Classic four days ago. But he would be satisfied with just reaching the weekend in his first U.S. Open appearance since 2004 on the rain-soaked Bethpage Black course.

"I always thought I'd do better in them," said Mr. Gay, who is annually among the most accurate drivers on the PGA Tour. "That being said, this golf course couldn't be any further from suiting my game, even for an Open."

The new Mr. Gay would seemingly be perfect for a U.S. Open. He ranks third on the PGA Tour in driving accuracy (72.35 percent) and ninth in putting average (1.725). He is the only player who has won twice on the PGA Tour since the last major championship, including a 10-shot blowout the week after the Masters Tournament at Hilton Head Island, S.C. His past five tournament rounds are 64-64-66-66-66.

But Mr. Gay came to Bethpage on short notice to find a golf course that is longer than the one he shot 75-76 on seven years ago. It will play even longer with rain in the forecast for the rest of the week.

But it doesn't seem to bother him.

"Going forward I definitely think I'll be able to play a lot better, I think," he said.

Brian and Kimberly Gay have been on quite a ride since they went out on a first date to the Georgia-Florida football game in 1992. Mr. Gay was the most accomplished Gators golfer in history with a pair of Southeastern Conference titles. He led Florida to a national title in 1993 and embarked on his pro career the next year.

A family affair

On the eve of his PGA Tour debut as a qualifier in the 1996 U.S. Open at Oakland Hills, Mr. Gay got down on one knee in his hotel room and proposed to Kimberly. He'd already called her father for permission and was a little surprised by the response.

"Sure, but don't you think you ought to get your mind on the game?" her father said.

Mr. Gay popped the question anyway.

"I just thought it was a special occasion and would be fun to do," he said.

Mrs. Gay calls it a "beautiful memory" that wasn't the least bit tarnished when they returned to the hotel last year before the PGA Championship and took their daughters, Makinley and Brantley.

"It was under renovation and looked like a bomb had gone off in there," Mrs. Gay said. "Our daughters were looking at us like 'You really got engaged here? This is gross.' So we took a picture in front of it and left."

The Gays have been the ultimate journeyman golf family, with the children attending just about every event. They were all there in Mexico when Mr. Gay had his breakthrough victory in 2008.

But nothing could have prepared them for the past two months. Thanks to a swing change after a skiing injury in 2005, Mr. Gay blossomed into one of the most consistent golfers on tour at age 37.

His victory not only propelled him into this week's U.S. Open but also to 35th in the Official World Golf Ranking.

"Dare I say it's unexpected," said Mrs. Gay. "You wait so long and you grind it out and you believe you belong there no matter what and you accept your reality. And then our reality changes. Then it's a matter of learning to deal with that and everything that goes along with that."

A new world

Mr. Gay got to New York late Tuesday afternoon and has been accepting congratulations from his peers since. He has earned a reputation as a closer after two wire-to-wire romps.

"I think the hardest part is believing when you're out there that you can do it, and it's hard to believe that until you actually do it," he said. "So, the more you get in that position, I think it becomes easier to handle and easier to play well in those situations."

Now he's ready to prove himself on the major stage. This will be only his 11th major start, and the best he has done is four made cuts in the PGA Championship, including a tie for 20th at Oakland Hills last year. But it can be argued that this more confident and seasoned Mr. Gay is practically making his major debut this week.

"I would say that," Mr. Gay admitted. "I've had a couple of big wins. I felt that way at Hilton Head and definitely felt different the last five weeks. Now that I've won a few times I feel like I'm not doing anything different than I was before. I think to myself that I should have done this several years ago."

Mr. Gay thought he'd missed his chance to play this week after missing out in sectional qualifying last week. It was a bitter pill, considering his best career form was interrupted by some health issues after the victory at Hilton Head.

"I felt bad for him because he didn't get to enjoy that window that you get when you're playing good," Mrs. Gay said.

The only avenue left into Bethpage was getting the second win in Memphis, Tenn. -- a criterion that he didn't let distract him as he pulled away from a one-shot lead.

"It's there in the back of my mind, but it wasn't something that I was concerned with," he said. "I qualified for the Masters at Harbour Town. I will say that was on my mind more than going to Bethpage. As far as me growing up in Georgia, Augusta National (Golf Club) is a little more special than Bethpage. Not to say anything bad about Bethpage but the U.S. Open moves around, it's a little different. I just felt like I had to go out and play golf. If I won, obviously I would get a chance to go play."

Another chance to reinvent himself begins today at 2:20 p.m. on the 10th hole.

"We're here and whatever happens, happens," Mrs. Gay said.

Reach Scott Michaux at (706) 823-3219 or scott.michaux@augustachronicle.com.