Alistair Docherty had a professional breakthrough on Sunday.
Playing in his second PGA Tour event, the Union High School graduate shot a final-round 64 to finish tied for second at the inaugural Myrtle Beach Classic in South Carolina.
The ramifications go far beyond his $356,000 paycheck, which more than doubled the $152,978 he had earned in eight years since turning pro.
The top-10 finish gained him entry into the RBC Canadian Open May 28 to June 2 in Hamilton, Ontario, where a $9.4 million purse will be at stake.
To make Docherty’s day even better, his parents were in attendance after traveling from Vancouver. It was quite a Mother’s Day gift for his mom, Andrea Docherty.
“Life Changing Week!,” Docherty wrote on his Instagram page.
Since graduating from Chico State in 2016, Docherty has been chasing his PGA Tour dream on lower-level tours. After playing on the Mackenzie Tour in Canada, he debuted on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2020.
Success for Docherty has been hard to come by on the Korn Ferry Tour, where he has just one top-10 finish in 39 starts. This year he has made just three of seven cuts, earning $21,631.
When money has been tight, Docherty has funded his pro golf dream by caddying during off weeks or sleeping at friends’ houses instead of hotels.
Two months ago on his 30th birthday, Docherty got news he would play the Myrtle Beach Classic on a sponsor’s excemption.
With most of the PGA Tour’s top players at the larger Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, N.C., last weekend’s event was a great opportunity for up-and-coming players to break through.
Docherty did just that. After a third-round 71 left him outside the top 20, he started Sunday with four birdies on a bogey-free front nine.
After bogeying the 14th hole, Docherty birdied three of the last four holes to finish the tournament 16-under par, six shots behind winner Chris Gotterup.
“This is what we always want, just a chance,” Docherty told reporters after finishing his final round. “Just a chance and take advantage, and I did it. There’s been times where who knows if I was going to keep playing, who knows if I was going to be able to financially be able to do it, let alone get status in order to do it, and to receive the sponsor exemption and take advantage is unbelievable. It’s awesome.”
