WINTER GARDEN, Fla. – Tommy Gainey is teeing it up at the final stage of Korn Ferry Tour Q-School just days removed from an arrest in nearby Polk County, Florida, for his alleged involvement in a prostitution and human-trafficking sting.
Gainey, who was in the next-to-last group to come off Orange County National’s Crooked Cat course in Thursday’s opening round, is part of a nine-way tie for sixth at 6-under 66.
According to Polk County jail records, Gainey was arrested for soliciting a prostitute and charged with a first-degree misdemeanor. He was booked Dec. 8 and later released after posting the $500 bail.
In a Wednesday news conference, Polk County Sherriff Grady Judd said Gainey, who lives in South Carolina, told the sheriff’s office Gainey was in Florida for a charity golf event.
“He didn’t make it,” Judd said. “He was a scratch.”
Known as Tommy “Two Gloves,” the 44-year-old was one of 124 arrested as part of the investigation titled “Operation Santa’s Naughty List” which closed over the weekend.
After his round on Thursday, Gainey declined to comment to Golfweek about either his arrest or the charity outing that he allegedly missed.
KORN FERRY TOUR: Q-school leaderboard
Gainey’s position on the leaderboard after the first round of Q-School is promising. His card included three front-nine birdies. He had three more on the back nine, plus two bogeys and an eagle at No. 14. He said he was able to get a read from playing competitor Spencer Levin on that hole.
Gainey’s late-morning tee time meant he caught the brunt of the wind and rain that moved through the area mid-afternoon.
“The conditions sucked for the most part,” he said after the round. “We had a lot of wind, we had a lot of rain actually. I think we maybe played four, five holes the whole day without rain so it made it that much tougher especially with the wind blowing 10 to 15 or maybe a little more than that.”
Leader Tag Ridings is 8 under and four players are tied for second at 7 under. After three more rounds, the top 40 finishers and ties will receive a number of guaranteed Korn Ferry Tour starts in 2020 relative to their position on the leaderboard. The medalist (and ties) receives fully exempt status for the upcoming season.
Gainey turned pro in 1997 and joined the PGA Tour in 2008. He gained popularity among fans for wearing gloves on both hands. He also was a notable character on Golf Channel’s “Big Break” in 2005.
Gainey has played four PGA Tour events this season, missing three cuts and finishing T-36 at the Sanderson Farms Championship. He competed in five PGA Tour events last season, missing three cuts with his best finish a T-39 at the Barbasol Championship. He also played eight events on last season’s Korn Ferry Tour, making three cuts with no top-10s.
Gainey has more than $6.2 million in career earnings, according to his profile page on the PGA Tour’s website.