Sterling native Michael Gellerman back for another crack at Air Capital Classic

Michael Gellerman took his time Tuesday sizing up Crestview Country Club with caddie Tyler Bayless during a practice round for Thursday’s Air Capital Classic.

The pair strolled the fairways alone, while Gellerman hit multiple balls from various spots on and around the greens.

A return to Wichita already has a different feeling for Gellerman, a 23-year-old Sterling native. Gellerman, who now resides in Edmond, Okla., made his professional and Web.com Tour debut last June as a Monday qualifier for the Air Capital Classic.

Gellerman will make his third Web.com start – and second in three weeks – as one of the 156-player field’s sponsor exemptions.

“It was a little hectic last year,” said Gellerman, who missed the cut by two shots at Crestview after posting scores of 75 and 66. “When I (Monday qualified), I didn’t really have my finances in order, and I was trying to find a caddie. I didn’t get to play a practice round.

“It’s nice now. It definitely loosens you up a little bit.”

Since finishing his college career at Oklahoma, Gellerman has tried to gain a foothold on the Web.com Tour through Monday qualifiers. He has also played in eight Adams Tour events in the last 11 months, including the Buffalo Run Casino Classic in Miami, Okla., where he tied for 15th on Sunday.

Two weeks ago, he played his way into the Web.com’s Rust-Oleum Championship in suburban Chicago, again missing the cut by two shots after rounds of 76 and 69.

“You have to manage your bad rounds, which I’m learning to do,” Gellerman said. “You have to stay patient, especially in those bad rounds.

“Then in your good rounds, when you’ve got it going, you really have to take advantage of it.”

Gellerman is no stranger to good golf. His junior achievements included two state individual titles at Sterling High, and he was named the 2009 Kansas Golf Association Junior Player of the Year.

His biggest splash on the amateur stage came two years ago in the final U.S. Public Links Championship at Newton’s Sand Creek Station. Gellerman reached the semifinals before falling to eventual runner-up Doug Ghim.

A year into his pro career, Gellerman’s learning curve has been fairly basic.

“Your bad has to be better and your good has to be better,” he said. “All in all, you just have to be better. Make some more birdies, make some more putts.”

Gellerman and Bayless are making a 75-mile daily commute to Crestview from Sterling, where they are staying with Gellerman’s parents, Jerry and Julie. They will be in his gallery when he tees off in the first round at 8:50 a.m. Thursday.

“This is my third (Web.com) start and I haven’t made a cut yet, so obviously making a cut would be nice,” Gellerman said. “But when you try to think about making a cut, it makes it harder.

“We’re just going to go have fun. My game feels good, so we’ll see what happens.”

This story was originally published June 21, 2016 at 6:28 PM with the headline "Sterling native Michael Gellerman back for another crack at Air Capital Classic."