SC’s Bryson Nimmer validates decision to keep his pro golf dream alive
About this time last year, Bryson Nimmer considered giving up on his ambition of playing professional golf at the highest level.
Wednesday, the Bluffton native and former Clemson All-American took dead aim on his second Korn Ferry Tour tournament triumph.
His opportunity to win the Bahamas Golf Classic disappeared in the twinkling of an eye, thanks in part to what he called “a wrong decision,” and in part to bad fortune.
Despite slipping into a tie for sixth place, he called the experience “awesome, being in contention” to win, and the tourney validated his decision to keep his dream alive.
He called the 2025 season “crazy” in a post-tournament interview with the Golf Channel. Yes, he “was ready to hang it up.”
And then he won.
That victory, last May in the Tulum Championship, highlighted an up-and-down season that saw him make the cut in only seven of 20 starts. But the win also told him, “I’m good enough to do it.”
And for most of the round Wednesday in the Korn Ferry season opener, he sparkled. He started fast, steadily climbed the leaderboard and rolled home an eagle putt on No. 15. At 8-under-par for the day and 26-under for the tourney, he owned a one-shot lead.
Then ... golf’s version of what the pros call a “train wreck” unfolded and ended his championship chances. A tugged drive led to a risky second shot that landed in the water. After a penalty, a poor chip left him in green-side rough, and his ball moved during a practice swing. Another penalty shot and a triple-bogey 7 went on the scorecard.
“Obviously, I hit a bad tee shot (on the par-4 16th),” he said. The second, into the water, “is just golf. You make the wrong decision on the golf course sometimes.”
The second penalty stroke for his ball moving during his practice swing occurred without his club touching the ball.
Disappointed no doubt, but Nimmer still posted a final-round, 4-under 68 despite the triple-bogey on 16 and a bogey on the finishing hole. He posted 22-under 266 for the tournament.
The doubt “was last year,” he said on the Golf Channel. “Winning changed everything. I did a lot of work over the winter.”
The PGA Tour remains the goal, of course, and his performance in the Korn Ferry season opener is a step in that direction.
Inman’s Trent Phillips, who played at Georgia, tied for third at 23-under-par 265 to lead the South Carolina contingent. The others: Nimmer T6, Ben Martin (Greenville/Clemson) T13, Matt Atkins (USC Aiken) T22, Doc Redman (Clemson) T44 and Carson Young (Pendleton/Clemson) T70. Matt NeSmith (Aiken/USC) and Christian Salzer (Sumter) missed the cut.
Chip shots. Columbia native Dustin Johnson, a two-time major champion and former top-ranked golfer in the world before joining LIV Golf in 2022, has signed a multi-year extension with LIV, the league announced. ... USC senior golfer Frankie Harris tied for second in the Jones Cup, a prestigious amateur tourney in Sea Island, Georgia. ... Daniel Island Club’s Ralston Course will play host to the U.S. Women’s Four-Ball, the only USGA Championship set for South Carolina this year, beginning May 2. The club previously staged the 2023 U.S. Junior Amateur. ... Yancey Johnson (Simpsonville) and Todd Whitehead (Spartanburg) won the SCGA’s Forty Plus series tourney at Dataw Island Club, edging David Gibson (Lexington) and Lee Gronkiewicz (Columbia) in a scorecard playoff.
This story was originally published January 15, 2026 at 2:24 PM with the headline "SC’s Bryson Nimmer validates decision to keep his pro golf dream alive."