While there are a handful of players who finished second to both Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth over the last two decades, there is just one who ended their PGA Tour career without a victory.
Although he is not playing at the Cognizant Classic, PGA National holds some significance in the career of Rory McIlroy. His win at the 2012 Honda Classic saw the Northern Irishman move to world number one.
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It proved to be a fascinating week in Florida. Tiger Woods posted a 62 on Sunday to move into a tie for second. It was the lowest final round score of Woods’ illustrious career.
It remains the only time that McIlroy and Woods have been first and second in a PGA Tour event. But Woods was joined on 10 under par by journeyman Tom Gillis.
An unlikely name joins Rory McIlroy in the final group at the 2012 Honda Classic
Gillis played in 188 PGA Tour events during his career. While he did not win on the PGA Tour – he did secure a victory on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2009 – he finished second on two occasions.
Gillis made a poor start to the 2012 season, missing three cuts in a row. He also withdrew from the Northern Trust Open. So his expectations were likely to be fairly low heading into the Honda Classic.
Remarkably, the 43-year-old led at the halfway mark. He tied the course record with a 64 on Friday. Cruelly, Brian Harman would post a 61 later that same day.
He was in the last group on Sunday alongside McIlroy. However, his hopes of victory were largely dashed with three bogeys in the first 10 holes.
With that, he had to settle for finishing tied for second with Woods.
Playoff heartbreak for Tom Gillis as Jordan Spieth wins the 2015 John Deere Classic
Fast forward more than three years, and Gillis set the clubhouse lead with a 64 in the final round of the 2015 John Deere Classic.
A victory looked to be within his grasp at TPC Deere Run. However, four birdies in his last six holes earned Jordan Spieth a place in a playoff at the event which also saw his first PGA Tour win in 2013.
Gillis found the water on the second playoff hole to leave the door open for Spieth. Incredibly, that was his fourth victory of the season with The Masters and the US Open already in the bag.
Gillis’ final season on the PGA Tour would come the following year. The John Deere Classic would again provide his best finish of the campaign, though he found himself in a tie for 34th.
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