BENDIGO-born Rhein Gibson will play on the world’s richest golf tour next year.
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Gibson, who holds the Guinness World Record for the lowest round of golf after a 16-under-55 with pro and amateur mates in 2012, confirmed his spot on the US PGA Tour by finishing fourth at the web.com Tour Championship in Florida.
The 29-year-old lived in Epsom and went to primary school at Camp Hill up until grade three before leaving Bendigo for Lismore.
Gibson joined Rod Pampling as the only Australians to earn promotion from the secondary tour while Aaron Baddeley became the highest profile casualty, losing his US PGA Tour card.
Gibson finished 10th on the secondary tour's four-week finals series money list where the top 25 earned tour cards.
"It's very gratifying. I have worked my butt off, I've never been given anything," he said.
"I have grinded my way through the mini tours, onto the web tour, and it is finally starting to sink in that I finally have a PGA Tour card.
"It is where everyone wants to be and it is a pretty exciting to be playing for a couple of extra zeros on the end of cheques."
Gibson is now focused on blazing a new trail, and putting something other than his epic 55 on his resume.
Gibson's strength has always been his tendency to put up low scores, evidenced by an opening 63 and two closing 65s this week.
"Hopefully, I have ended doubts from anyone out there that thought it (the 55) might have been falsified.
"I feel like I am a good player and I think I am starting to prove that," he said.
"I feel my game has progressed every year so we will see what the big tour brings.
"I'm not afraid to go deep. I don't really think about my scores I just try to get the ball in play, get it on the green and give myself good looks at birdie."
Jason Day, Adam Scott, Marc Leishman, Matt Jones, Steven Bowditch, Geoff Ogilvy, John Senden and Cameron Smith are other Aussies exempt into the main tour next season, while Jarrod Lyle will also attempt to return on a medical exemption.