ST ANDREWS, Scotland (Reuters) - Tom Gillis departed the British Open $15,000 lighter the day after his 47th birthday on Friday having enjoyed a short "vacation" from his day-job as the classic golf journeyman.
A Tour pro since 1990, three years before new American sensation Jordan Spieth was born, Gillis qualified for only the fifth major of his career last weekend when losing out to Spieth in a playoff at the John Deere Classic.
He was even thinking of declining the spot, but an hour after picking a $500,000 pay check, the biggest of a career spent criss-crossing the globe with his golf bag, he was sat on a chartered jet with Spieth headed for Scotland.