3 years after almost quitting, Gillis joins golf’s big stars in chase for $10 million

Gillis takes the long way to the BMW Championship

LEMONT, Ill. — Living off fast food and pocket change as you chase a dream from one small tour stop to another is easy when you’re young and have no responsibilities. At 39, with one small child and another on the way, Tom Gillis wasn’t sure he had it in him again.

Three years after nearly quitting, Gillis is enjoying a resurgence that seems more suited for Hollywood than the PGA Tour. The guy who couldn’t keep his card still has a shot at a $10 million payoff along with Tiger, Phil and the rest of the game’s biggest names. Gillis is at this week’s BMW Championship thanks to a fifth-place finish at the Deutsche Bank Championship, his third top 10 of the season. He has earned $1.07 million this year — more than his career earnings on the PGA Tour coming into the season.