PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Considering the Glock-wielding teddy bear tattoo on John Greco’s left forearm, it’s probably not surprising that the mustachioed 30-year-old from Cupertino, California, has enjoyed the torture chamber that has been PGA Tour Q-School’s final stage.
Through two days, scores ballooned in chilly winds, with the scoring average for Friday’s second round checking in at more than four shots over par at Sawgrass Country Club, one of two host courses and where the top half of the leaderboard played Saturday.
“I think a lot of people probably were stressing yesterday,” Greco said, “but you know, you’re playing final stage, and it’s blowing 40, and everybody’s falling apart, that sounds like fun to me.”
Greco and his peers got a break on Saturday, as Sawgrass Country Club played over four shots easier than the day prior – and nearly at level par. Matthew Riedel and Alistair Docherty each fired 3-under 67s to grab a share of the 54-hole lead at 6 under as the leaders turn their attention to the Dye’s Valley Course at nearby TPC Sawgrass for Sunday’s finish, where PGA Tour cards will be doled out to the top five and ties.
Japan’s Takumi Kanaya (68), the second highest-ranked player in the 170-man field, sits solo third at 4 under, while four players are currently inside the number in a share of fourth at 3 under – Korn Ferry Tour veteran Grant Hirschman (66), who unfortunately, at least for him, is best known as Scottie Scheffler’s former roommate; recent PGA Tour pro Hayden Buckley (67), who lost his card this season after recovering from a torn rib muscle the summer prior; Corey Shaun (70), who earned his DP World Tour card at that Q-School last month and opened this week with a course-record 61 on the Valley; and Greco (67), who birdied four of his final eight holes on Saturday and at No. 2,397 in the world – barely enough to be ranked – is arguably the most surprising name currently in position to change his life.
Greco was born in Rochester, New York, but he’s a Bay Area kid at heart. He fondly recalls those afternoons in high school when his dad would drop him and his brother, Henry, off at Pruneridge, a nine-hole executive layout in Santa Clara, where rounds were $2 apiece thanks to Youth on Course, a national initiative to provide affordable rounds to juniors.
The Greco family appreciated the savings. Greco gamed a beginner set, where half the irons were hybrids, through freshman year of high school. Finally, when he was 15, he worked a summer job as a camp counselor, and with his paychecks he purchased his first proper set of irons.
For Greco, there was no debating which sticks he’d buy. That same summer, he watched Tiger Woods compete in the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, so for next handful of years, Greco’s bag featured the Nike Victory Red TW blades with the TW logo stamped on them, though Greco could only take a few to the range at a time, bungee-cording them together because carrying his whole bag would be dangerous on bike.
Greco started his college career at San Jose City College before transferring to William Jessup University, an NAIA program (NCAA D-II these days) in Rocklin, California. He turned pro in 2017, and while he’s competed on five different PGA Tour-sanctioned circuits, he’s logged more than six starts on just one, the now-defunct PGA Tour Latinoamerica, where he notched only one top-25 finish in 11 events in 2022-23.
He’s lost count of how many trips to Q-School he’s taken, but Greco can say that this week marks his first at final stage.
“I don’t have the pedigree that plenty of other guys have,” Greco said. “But like we start from the same tee box, nobody gets any help because they played really good last year. That’s like super freeing because it’s just hitting golf shots.”
Though the ultimate underdog, Greco exudes a veteran mindset. He knows what’s on the line on Sunday at TPC Sawgrass, but @champagnejohnnie, as he’s known on Insta, won’t allow himself to go there – not yet.
“Obviously you want to play against the best players for the biggest amount of money, and that’s definitely a part of it,” Greco said. “But none of that affects the next shot. Any time I spend thinking about that is probably a waste of time.”
As for the tattoo, Greco has a few others, but the teddy bear certainly stands out. He got it for his fiancée, Karianne, whom he nicknamed the “Dangerous Kar-Bear” and proposed to last month on Laguna Beach after they both ran a half marathon. Karianne owns a couple Glocks, too.
Expect Greco to come out firing on Sunday, whether it’s playing hard or not.
