Rozner: Vince Covello one of hundreds chasing PGA Tour dream

In one threesome was 39-year-old Steve Marino, a PGA Tour veteran with $10 million in career earnings, and 30-year-old Vince India from Deerfield, with 22-year-old Scottie Scheffler, a young gun from Texas who came from a mile back to shoot 63 and win in a playoff Sunday at the Glen Club.

In the final group was 29-year-old Colombia native Marcelo Rozo, who lost in the playoff, 29-year-old Canadian Michael Gligic and 36-year-old Philadelphian Vince Covello, sporting his city's green on Sunday.

Also on hand in Glenview was 49-year-old Angel Cabrera, the two-time major winner using one of the Web's three spots held open for PGA Tour members age 48 or 49 without status, trying to stay sharp until he's Champions Tour eligible in September.

That's the essence of the Web.com Tour, players of all ages from all backgrounds fighting to get to - or get back to - the PGA Tour.

Covello turned pro at 21 and has been battling for 15 years on just about any mini tour you can name, from the Challenge Tour in Europe - where Brooks Koepka earned his stripes, and brother Chase still plays - the Tour de las Americas, the Mackenzie Tour in Canada and now the Web.

Basically, he's played everywhere in the world and this is his best season as a pro, now eighth on the Web rankings and in a very good spot as he tries to finish in the Top 25 and gain his PGA Tour card for next season.

What seems remarkable to anyone watching these players is that they can make a putt or survive a weekend on the Web knowing only everything is at stake, from their financial survival to their future in golf.

"It's harder to not do that before you start a round," Covello said with a smile, after going 70-70 on the weekend at the Evans Scholars Invitational, finishing T-4 and 2 shots out of a playoff. "Once I start, I've been pretty diligent with staying in the moment, sticking to my routine and controlling the things I can control.

"That's made a big difference in how I've played the last couple years."

In 2012, Covello missed his card by a single shot at Q-School. He finished 79th on the Web in 2017, previously his best, but this year he's got a win at Louisiana, holding off Justin Lower by a shot, and with the high finish Sunday, he's almost certain to graduate in a few months.

"All you can do is your best. Things are gonna fall how they're gonna fall," Covello said. "The more you pay attention to doing your best and not worry about all the outcomes and all the possible results - and there's so many - that's how you progress."

There are so many players on the Web in their 30s with families at home as they drive hundreds of miles every Sunday night to the next town, looking for a host family or a cheap hotel.

Some simply can't give up the dream, knowing four good days could elevate them to the PGA Tour, knowing a Steve Stricker career could await them in their 40s, and a win in the fall happens every year for PGA rookies who earn a trip to Hawaii to celebrate New Year's in the Tournament of Champions at Kapalua.

As they hit the road there are plenty of hours to ponder the future, but on the course they must somehow keep their thoughts on the next shot.

"You have plenty of time out there to let your mind wander, but I choose not to think about those things. There's too many other things," Covello said "We're outside on a beautiful golf course, and we're pretty busy working.

"There's so many other things you can pay attention to rather than the future, or things that make you nervous.

"As I've gotten older, that's the discipline that's made me a little bit better, probably. You're in control of you at all times, so you have the choice to choose what you think about."

In that regard, they all become their own sports psychologist, since many don't have the funds to hire a head coach full time, as do the players on the big tour.

"Those thoughts creep into your head when you lay in bed at night, or maybe first thing in the morning," Covello admitted. "But when you're out there, you're really into the golf, reading the situation the whole time.

"You're reading weather conditions, the wind, the course, the hole, the greens. We're busy. Even though we have a lot of walking between shots, we only have 45 seconds to hit a shot, so that's part of what you're thinking about while you're walking.

"There's too many other things to control and to handle that you don't think about what happens if you play well or don't play well."

And there's always next week and another chance.

"Even if you mess up a week badly, next week you start again," Covello said. "I've been the tale of two players this year. Everyone pretty much lives and dies with their putters in professional golf.

"I've been close to the lead a few times. I've missed some cuts, usually by a shot or two, when I didn't putt well. But the weeks I've putted well, I'm up in contention.

"That's golf, right?"

Covello departed Chicago for North Carolina Sunday night, feeling pretty good about the week ahead, and knowing next Monday he'll play in a U.S. Open qualifier in Maryland.

"I have a couple more weeks in a row, then I get week off, and maybe sneak in the U.S. Open there," Covello said. "I'd love a trip to Pebble Beach. That would be my first time out there.

"I love where I stand right now (on the Web). I love the state of my game. I think it's in a good place. Certainly, my head's in a good place."

For any golfer on any tour, nothing matters more than that.