"I don’t want to look back knowing that I had the chance to do it and not doing it, and hating myself for it."

Doug Ferguson tells us that Brett Waldman is giving up his looping duties to play on the Nationwide Tour next year after earning his way in through a miraculous Q-school run.

The hardest part of his journey was the final decision – give up financial security by working for Villegas, or grind it out on a tour with no guaranteed pay from smaller purses.

"It’s just a dream," Waldman said. "I don’t want to look back knowing that I had the chance to do it and not doing it, and hating myself for it. I would always look back and say, ‘What if?’ There’s a reason I got to where I am. I might as well chase the dream."

Waldman, who played college golf at Kansas State and Central Florida, had not played competitively since he was eliminated from the second stage of Q-school in 2002. He went to work as a caddie for his cousin, Tom Pernice Jr., for Ben Crane and eventually Villegas.

On a whim – and with prodding from his wife, Angel – he decided to try PGA Tour qualifying this year and was one of only nine players who made it through a pre-qualifier (four rounds) and the next two stages of four-round tournaments. While trying to advance, he continued to work for Villegas as the Tour Championship and tournaments in China and Australia.

Waldman might want to think about keeping the bag (if allowed) until late February since, as Sean Martin reports, the Nationwide tour is down to 26 events from 29 and doesn't start play domestically until mid-March.