Profile: Brandon Crick, 2020 Ambassador
For Dormie Network ambassador Brandon Crick, the most immediate impact of the coronavirus pandemic was felt away from the golf course.
On April 4, Brandon and his fiancée were scheduled to be married in their hometown of McCook, Nebraska — a sleepy town in the southwestern part of the state with a population of about 7,000. When the country went on lockdown in mid-March, however, the couple scrambled to make new plans for their big day.
“We realized that if we adhered to the safety guidelines, it wouldn’t have been the wedding we wanted. So, with a few good days of calls upon calls to reschedule, thankfully we were able to get it moved,” Brandon said of the event, which has been postponed to September 12.
“That’s the nice thing about living in a small town like McCook. They are very good at working with you under a circumstance like this. All the venues have treated us well.”
Humble beginnings, collegiate success, and a celebrity connection:
Brandon resumed play this summer in impressive fashion. He finished tied for 10th at the Korn Ferry Challenge at TPC Sawgrass, including a second-round 66. Through the TPC Colorado Championship in early July, he had not missed a cut since returning to play.
The 31-year-old has been competing full time on the Korn Ferry Tour since 2016. Brandon enjoyed his best season in 2019, highlighted by a runner-up at the Ellie Mae Classic in early August — when he finished one shot short of his playing partner and fellow Dormie Network Ambassador, Zac Blair. “It was pretty crazy that I was playing with Zac Blair, because I see another Dormie guy, ‘Gooch’ [Scott Gutschewski] was in the group behind us,” Brandon said. “We had three Dormie bags in the final two groups, so that was exciting.”
Growing up in McCook, Brandon would regularly make a half-hour drive with his father for a round of golf at a nine-hole course in Oberlin, Kansas. During the summer of his senior year of high school, Brandon finished second at the Nebraska state amateur and won the state junior amateur.
He played two years of Division I golf at Gonzaga University, where he was the 2007 West Coast Conference Freshman Golfer of the Year and set the school stroke average record. After his sophomore season, to be closer to home, he transferred to the University of Nebraska to finish his college career.
Brandon won five times as a collegian. In 2009, he was the Nebraska Men's Amateur Champion and a semifinalist at the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. He turned professional in 2010, first in a variety of mini-tours around the country. In 2013, he survived the local qualifier, then the sectional, and made the field for the most rugged tournament in golf: the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion.
After five years he decided to return to school to finish his degree, when he received a serendipitous phone call from comedian Larry the Cable Guy [Nebraska native Dan Whitney], who was interested in sponsoring him. The two had a connection through Firethorn Golf Club, where Brandon had worked while playing golf part-time and Whitney was a member.
“[Larry the Cable Guy] is the one who helped me get back out there and keep playing professional golf,” Brandon said. “He's a quality guy and he’s got a quality family. He’s a good friend of mine now, and I enjoy getting out and playing with him.” The duo has paired up to play the BMW Charity Event Pro-Am three times.
Looking ahead:
Brandon feels well-poised to do big things this year, potentially making the leap from the Korn Ferry Tour to the PGA Tour.
“I’m confident about my game,” Brandon said. “Every time I step on the course, I feel like I learn something. I feel like that’s important. As competitive as our tour is, it’s important that you're not taking steps backwards. It’s easy to get in ruts out here, and I’ve definitely been in some. Every week you’ve got to learn from whatever happens and move forward.
“The depth of the tour is pretty incredible,” he said. “Already this year, you’ve got guys like Lanto [Griffin] that were on our tour last year and all of a sudden, they’re taking off on the PGA Tour, and they’re winning on the PGA Tour. There have been at least two or three winners on the PGA Tour from the Korn Ferry Tour. It shows how competitive our tour is—there’s a lot of guys who come out of the Top 25 and make a lot of money on the PGA Tour.”
Representing Dormie Network with pride:
“Dormie Network has provided me with top-notch courses to play throughout the United States,” Brandon said. “To be able to play six courses across of different regions is a great opportunity with as much as I travel, along with having the feel of ‘having the course to yourself’ in each of clubs within the network.”
He’s played half the network’s courses, and looks forward to visiting the rest. “ArborLinks is one of my favorite courses in Nebraska. The design is great, and I have had success in tournaments there.
Briggs Ranch was an enjoyable track as well. This year was the first time I visited, and with their additions of cottages right off the first tee, it’ll be a great place to go down and spend a few days and play 36 or more a day.
The third I played was Victoria National in Evansville—it absolutely ate my lunch when I was there three years ago for a then-Web.com Tour event. It’s a difficult test with great hole designs, and one of the hardest closing stretches that I’ve ever played.”
