Chicago Kid Nick Hardy Qualifies for PGA Tour

Nick Hardy made 33 of 38 cuts this season on the Korn Ferry Tour, placed in ten Top 10's, and ended the season 20th overall in points and has secured his PGA Tour card for the 2021-2022 PGA Tour season. Nick went to Glenbrook North HS in Northbrook, IL. He graduated from there in 2014. He then went on to play for Mike Small at the University of Illinois.

I believe I met Nick for the first time when he was just a sophomore in HS. We got paired together in a qualifier at Northmoor CC. I learned very quickly that he could play. We had a 30 minute wait on 3 tee box and I asked if he saw KW for putting. He said he had a few times. I could tell from watching his putting routine on the first two holes that he was a potential KW student. KW stands for Kevin Weeks. He teaches out of the red barn at Cog Hill. Anyways, he told me he was already committed to playing at U of I and at that time he was just a sophomore in HS. So that said a lot at the time. I knew of Nick’s name as a player on the leaderboard at IJGA’s but I had never met him until that round. We didn’t get to talk much the rest of that round either. I was stuck in my own war. I had been playing really good golf and it didn’t show up to the north side. I think I shot like 80 or 82. Nick battled back and shot 70 or 72. I believe 68 got out that day. I recall playing a practice round with a 20mph south wind and the course had a 25mph north wind the day of the event and it mentally got me.

Nick and I got paired up again in a qualifier at Kankakee Elks. I am unsure of this timeframe. Andy Mickelson also joined that pairing. I recall Andy saying if he can just keep it up with Nick he’ll be good. Andy was referring to qualifying for the event. I think it was for the IL State Am or CDGA Am or maybe the IL Open (Andy is a pro). Anyways, they both shot 70 that day and qualified. I, on the other hand, blew it on the back and shot like 74 or 75. I recall making the turn with a 34 on the front.

So in 2015 Nick got through the US Open qualifiers and got to play at Chambers Bay. Another one of Dustin’s lost majors but a part of Jordan Spieth’s memorable year. Dustin missed a four footer on the 72nd to lose to Spieth by one. Nick fired a 68, 66 in the sectional at Springfield CC in Ohio. He made the cut at Chambers shooting a 70,75 followed up with a 77, 68 on Sat/Sun.

In 2016, Nick qualified for the US Open again, getting out from the same sectional course, Springfield CC. He was 6 under in the sectional and got into Oakmont. Dustin Johnson redeemed himself that year and won by three strokes.

In 2019, Nick qualified for his third US Open. This one at Pebble Beach. He went on to miss the cut that week. Anyways, I could go on and on about other tournaments he won or did this or that but I'm more excited to see what he is going to do in the future. He tees off today at 2:14pm in the Utah Championship for the Korn Ferry. He'll be playing on the PGA Tour full time next season which starts this calendar year in California. Sept 16-19 is the first event.