Nationwide Insider: Gates' post-win whirlwind

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Robert "Bobby" Gates said it's been a whirlwind since his victorious Nationwide Tour debut in New Zealand.

Robert "Bobby" Gates didn't know quite what to expect after his final putt dropped on Sunday and he won the Michael Hill New Zealand Open in his Nationwide Tour debut.

"It's been a whirlwind," Gates acknowledged in a long-distance phone call about 36 hours after the win.

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While most of the United States was sleeping last week, Gates was in Queenstown on the South Island, shooting 14 under over four rounds to win a career-best $108,000. Not bad for the 24-year-old former star at Texas A&M.

While the other Robert Gates, who is the U.S. Secretary of Defense, has the bigger and more recognizable name, this Gates hopes a victory will get him a bit more attention.

"I'm in the process of getting everything changed so that it's Bobby," Gates said. "I was known as Robert for a long time. ... I don't mind sharing the name, as long as it's a good headline."

Gates grabbed the front page on the Nationwide Tour by making all the right moves and becoming the 13th player in the 21-year history of the Tour to win on his first try. He didn't worry about the 25 mph winds in the final round. After all, in Texas, the wind is always blowing.

"When we played at Texas A&M it was windy in the fall and the spring so you really have to learn how to cope," Gates said.

What made the win even more satisfying was that his girlfriend, Lauren Johnson, whom he met in college, was his caddy. It didn't hurt when Johnson, a former player on the women's team at Texas A&M, helped Gates read some putts during the tournament.

"She kind of helps me with everything out there," Gates said of Johnson, who will go back to her day job as an instructor at the Massengale Golf School in Houston later this month.

Johnson will caddy again this week as the Tour moves to Victoria, Australia, for the Moonah Classic, and Gates hopes the momentum will carry over.

"We're just hoping for another good week and the confidence level is pretty high right now," he said.

Since the victory Gates hasn't had much time to make many phone calls back to the United States. Upon arriving in Victoria, however, he checked e-mails and had nearly 150 messages from friends and family.

"It's kind of different winning over here because there's no text messaging or a lot of phone calls," Gates said.

Gates did hear from Ryan Palmer, a friend of his who won the PGA TOUR's Sony Open in Hawaii last month, and TOUR veteran Paul Stankowski.

"Both of those guys have been mentors to me through the years so it was neat," Gates said.

Greeting Gates when he came off the 18th green after clinching the win was another friend, Martin Piller, a former Texas A&M teammate who had a solid rookie season last year on the Nationwide Tour, even threatening to win a couple of times.

"Martin's a great guy," Gates said. "He's helped me tremendously with travel arrangements and how things go out here."

So far "things" are going well for Gates, who along with Johnson got a bonus ride in a helicopter earlier this week. The ride was part a benefit from the sponsor of the Michael Hill New Zealand Open.

"It was tremendous and we were able to get a bunch of photos up in the helicopter," Gates said. "The scenery here in New Zealand is just unbelievable."

The victory gives Gates a two-year exemption on the Nationwide Tour but he can't help but think about one day getting to the PGA TOUR. He's only played in one TOUR event, Monday-qualifying for last year's Valero Texas Open and going on to tie for 47th.

Gates spent most of last season on the Canadian Tour with a best finish of ninth, but he did win on the Gateway Tour in Dallas. He gained Nationwide Tour status with a tie for 42nd at the final stage of q-school, surviving all three stages.

"The ultimate goal is the PGA TOUR and the Nationwide Tour can help me achieve that goal," Gates said. "As for the rest of the season I just want to play as well as I can and keep it going. I'm enjoying this week because of the win, but I'm ready to get back to business."

John Dell has covered golf for the Winston-Salem Journal in North Carolina for the last 15 years. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.