Colonial rookies from Fort Worth seek to maximize this week’s opportunity
For professional golfers seeking sponsor’s exemptions to compete in PGA Tour events, all incoming phone calls are not the same.
That rings especially true for a pair of Fort Worth residents who will be competing for the first time at this week’s Dean & DeLuca Invitational at Colonial Country Club.
Martin Piller, a former Texas A&M golfer, and Tom Hoge (rhymes with bogey), a former TCU standout, vividly recall where they were when they received the news from tournament chairman Bobby Patton that they would be making their debuts as Colonial competitors in Thursday’s opening round.
Piller, 30, was waiting out a four-hour rain delay at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans.
“I was sitting on a couch, almost dozing off. And I got a call from an 817 number. I thought, ‘Oh, that’s interesting,’ ” Piller said. “I picked it up and it was Bobby Patton at Colonial asking me if I wanted to come play in the tournament. It didn’t take me long to say, ‘Yeah, I think I can do that.’ ”
Hoge, who celebrates his 27th birthday Wednesday, recalled getting the news while taking part in a practice round at Quail Hollow Country Club, site of the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, N.C. He characterized the news as an immediate day-brightener.
I was sitting on a couch, almost dozing off. And I got a call from an 817 number. I thought, ‘Oh, that’s interesting.’
Martin Piller
on receiving his Colonial invitation while sitting out a rain delay at a tournament in New Orleans.“Absolutely,” said Hoge, who still lives near the TCU campus and within a mile of the club. “This is my first time and it’s pretty cool. Going to TCU and being right there, I remember walking to the tournament in college. I always played the course in practice with the expectation that, one day, I might be playing in the tournament. So it’s pretty cool that the opportunity is here.”
Both golfers participated in Monday’s pro-am. For Piller, a Shady Oaks Country Club member and husband of LPGA Tour participant Gerina Piller, it marked his first look at the Colonial venue in two years. Hoge, who practices primarily at Mira Vista Country Club, still mixes in regular rounds at Colonial with former TCU teammate Franklin Corpening, another participant with local ties in this week’s field.
Heading into Thursday’s opening round, seven golfers with Tarrant County connections are slated to participate. The list of Fort Worth residents includes Piller, Hoge, Corpening, J.J. Henry and Brian Stuard. Also in the mix are Colleyville residents Ryan Palmer and Chad Campbell.
Among that group, Piller and Hoge are the only Colonial rookies. Palmer, a Colonial member, probably plays the most practice rounds at the course when the venue is not the site of a PGA Tour event.
But that is the case this week, with Piller and Hoge hoping to feed off good vibes provided by friends and family members in their galleries as they seek to make headway toward extending their playing privileges on the PGA Tour to the 2017 season.
Piller, the No. 200 player in the world golf rankings, is No. 155 in the FedEx Cup standings. He posted his lone top-10 finish of the season last month at the Texas Open, where he tied for fourth and earned $233,740. Hoge, the No. 262 player in the rankings, is No. 135 in the FedEx Cup standings and has two top-10 finishes this season. The most recent was his tie for ninth at the Texas Open, where he collected $161,200.
For Hoge, who grew up in Fargo, N.D., the Colonial fascination began during his college days while playing the course with teammates. He also has two siblings who are TCU graduates (older brother, younger sister), so Hoge was excited when TCU golf coach Bill Montigel noticed him after he was added to the field as an alternate at the 2006 U.S. Amateur in Chaska, Minn. Hoge already was on property at Hazeltine National Golf Club when a vacancy arose and he wound up impressing his future college coach.
I wasn’t even on his radar at all. He just happened to be out there watching. I got in as about the 10th alternate. He saw me play there and I played well. Luckily, it worked out because I really wanted to go to TCU.
Tom Hoge
on how he caught the attention of TCU golf coach Bill Montigel with his play at the 2006 U.S. Amateur.“I wasn’t even on his radar at all,” Hoge said. “He just happened to be out there watching. I got in as about the 10th alternate. He saw me play there and I played well. Luckily, it worked out because I really wanted to go to TCU.”
Piller, who grew up in Duncanville, got his first taste of Colonial as a junior golfer who regularly attended both Dallas-Fort Worth tour stops with friends and family members.
“I remember going to the Colonial as a kid. It’s such a great spectator course,” Piller said. “It has a very intimate feel to it, which is really cool. I think it’s quintessential Fort Worth and quintessential Texas.”
But this week, for both Fort Worth golfers, it’s a work place. Even better, it’s a work week without travel costs.
“It would stink to be home and have a tournament 20 minutes from your house and you can’t play,” Piller said. “I was trying my darnedest to get in. That’s motivation to get in. I’m looking forward to getting out there.”
Hoge said his parents, who still live in North Dakota, will be part of his gallery this week. So will lots of former TCU classmates.
“I’ve had so many people tell me they’re looking forward to coming and watching me play,” Hoge said. “It’s going to be fun, sleeping in my own bed and being a mile from the course. I’m looking forward to it a lot.”
Jimmy Burch: 817-390-7760, @Jimmy_Burch
Dean & DeLuca Invitational
Through Sunday (Tournament rounds Thursday-Sunday)
at Colonial Country Club (7,204 yards, par 70)
This story was originally published May 24, 2016 at 6:52 PM with the headline "Colonial rookies from Fort Worth seek to maximize this week’s opportunity."