Tommy Gainey, a k a 'Tommy Two Gloves'

Gainey's unorthodox swing and quiet but pronounced Southern drawl endeared him to Golf Channel viewers. And he went on from those experiences to forge a successful golf career.

Below is information about golfer Tommy Gainey, some from the biographies that the Golf Channel distributed during his Big Break appearances, and more from About.com about Gainey's PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour successes.

Why is he called 'Two Gloves'?
Because he wears two golf gloves, of course. Gainey wears black, wet-weather golf gloves, one on each hand, at all times when playing golf - even while putting. Gainey's first sport was baseball, where wearing two batting gloves is common. He simply transferred that practice to golf when he picked up this sport.

• "A small-town golfer hailing from small-town USA, the South Carolina drawl hangs on Tommy Gainey's lips like Spanish moss on a live oak. His approach is straightforward, a philosophy about life that mirrors his take on golf that tells him to just trust it and hit it."

• "This self-made golfer has got game ... having once shot a 59 during a friendly round with some Nationwide Tour buddies. He missed a 12-footer for birdie that would have given him a score of 58, but he was more concerned about not making birdie."

• "Having lived in Bishopville (S.C.) all his life, Tommy had to find ways to keep playing the game he loves while also trying to make a living. He wasn't recruited out of high school because he had no connections of his own and, as he says, 'Small towns get overlooked.' "

• "He spent years working as an assembly line worker in a water heater factory and a furniture mover to keep money in his pocket and earn enough to play a round of golf when he could. Finances always were an obstacle. It finally took a friend willing to risk $750 so Tommy could play in his first professional event. Fortunately, Tommy was able to make that money back, and then some, by winning the event and $15,000."

See also: Top 5 Big Break Alums

About.com Headlines about Tommy Two Gloves
Over the years, since his first Big Break appearance, we've noted some of Gainey's breakthroughs. Some of those About.com headlines include (in chronologic order, starting with the earliest):

• A win for Tommy Two Gloves
• Two Gloves plays his way into Wachovia
• Tommy Two Gloves wins Big Break VII
• Gainey chooses family over Tour stop
• Tommy Two Gloves headlines Q-School grads
• Good breaks for Nitties, Gainey
• Tommy Two Gloves wins on Nationwide Tour
• Another Nationwide win for Tommy Two Gloves
• Tommy Two Gloves shoots 60 to win on PGA Tour