Finally, Spencer Ralston appears to be living the dream.
Or, at least he’s in the early stages of what he hopes will be a long-lasting R.E.M. experience.
“Yea, I kinda am living it right now,” the former Gainesville High and University of Georgia golfer said on Wednesday from somewhere in Colorado as he prepared to play in the latest Korn Ferry Tour event in Berthoud, Colo., The Ascendant at the TPC Colorado course.
On Thursday, he tees off at 7:47 a.m. local time (9:47 a.m. Georgia time) to open his first round.
But Ralston also said it could be a matter of perspective depending on the week. He has made three straight cuts on the ultra-competitive tour, and The Ascendant event will mark his seventh consecutive week of competition.
“I’m having some success right now, so it definitely feels more like living out the dream I wanted. But it’s tough when I don’t make the cut or get in the event itself,” he said.
Since getting an exemption into the Savannah event in March, Ralston has made seven of the past nine cuts, with three top 10 finishes. The recent success had put him in range to make the September Korn Ferry finals event in Newburgh, Ind. The top 75 make the field. The top 25 will earn their PGA Tour card at the season's end.
He sits 72nd coming into this week, playing just half the season’s schedule.
“Right now, I’m pretty happy with how I’ve played overall,” he said. “But I’m a long way from where I need to be or where I want to be to be competitive every single week. I’m just trying to keep things going in a positive direction.
“It’s been more fun for sure the last couple of months. I’m playing the tour with a group of friends I’ve had since college and played with for years. It’s becoming a little more of what I had hoped it would be.”
However, his nearly two-month run of being in the hunt is a far cry from last season or even early in the 2022 season.
After his time in Athens was up, Ralston turned pro in the summer of 2021. He played in six professional events over the season's final third, making the cut just once. His disappointing showing did not land him any exemptions or tour cards of any kind, putting him on the long road of qualifying for a card.
His Q-school attempt after the season also did not fare well, leaving him at the mercy of weekly qualifying attempts, consisting of one round on Mondays. He failed to qualify six more times early in the 2022 season.
“It was a frustrating time,” he admitted. “I didn’t play well at Q-school, so that set me back some. The competition is so, so good that you really can’t have a bad round and expect to be near the top.
“But after Q-school, I decided I needed to be in a place where I could play against the best competition every day. I love Gainesville, but I felt like I needed to move.”
On Dec. 1, Ralston packed his bags for St. Simons, where he currently shares a house with former UGA teammate Davis Thompson, and immersed himself in one of the best competitive golf locales in the country.
“I just felt like that was the best thing for me to help me get better,” he said. “There are a bunch of ex-UGA guys down here and a lot of professional players that play here year-round. Just playing with that kind of competition every day, and the facilities that are down here, just made it almost a necessity.”
He also discovered that he didn’t need a complete overhaul of his game but something more important.
“After I started playing with those guys in St. Simons regularly, I realized I really just needed to get some confidence back and take a more holistic approach to what I was doing,” Ralston said. “I started watching what those guys were doing and how they were handling certain situations. That really helped.”
The confidence boost paid off as he won three mini-tour events in January and February.
His Korn Ferry travels have taken him across the country, where the 24-year-old also is on his own for the first time without the benefit of parents, coaches, and programs helping shape his schedule and daily routines. His best finish so far is a tie for fifth at the NV5 Invitational in Glenview, Ill., last month.
The Ascendant will mark his 10th overall event. He has not been home going on three months now.
“It’s been tough being on the road for three straight months. That’s the longest stretch I’ve ever done this,” he said. “It’s difficult being out here by myself, but I’m also enjoying it. The travel stuff and trying to prepare for each tournament is a big challenge. But that’s all part of it.
“I’m still trying to learn out here, not just golf but also how to structure my time and keep myself motivated without a big support system. I’m just trying to learn as much as I can from the other guys out here.”
However, he already knows one aspect he will change.
“I won’t play seven weeks in a row again, that’s for sure,” he said. “It’s really hard to stay sharp mentally with that much travel and the time zone changes.”
In the last three weeks, the tour has been in Kansas, Maine, and now back to Colorado. But there is no time for the weary. There are only five more events for Ralston and the rest of the Korn Ferry players to try and grab spots for the season-ending event, or a PGA Tour card, or perhaps both.
“There’s still an opportunity for me to get a PGA Tour card, which is the goal,” he said. “Five events left to try and earn points. Three times so far, I have been in a position to try and win a tournament. Hopefully, I can do that again with these last few (tournaments).
“Once the season is over, I will sit down with the people I need to and discuss and try to figure out what my strengths are and how best to take advantage of those things.”
Turning that dream into a reality is the final step.
“I still love the game and love to play. That’s the dream part of it,” he said. “The goal is to get to the PGA Tour. Hopefully, I can make that happen.”
