Kevin Streelman’s career on course

It will never top the list of his achievements, not when he just won his first PGA Tour event on Sunday.

But Kevin Streelman is also a member at an exclusive golf club in Arizona where just a few years ago he worked as a caddie.

Much like the tour event he won Sunday — the Tampa Bay Championship is without a title sponsor and in danger of not being on the 2013-14 schedule — Streelman has fought to remain part of the scene, never quite having enough success to be secure.

In 2002, a year after graduating from Duke, Streelman caddied there on the weekends as well as another course during the week, trying to make ends meet and keep his golf dream alive.

At one point, he led the money lists on both the Hooters Tour and the Gateway Tours at the same time, which isn’t exactly the same as leading the money list on the PGA Tour and European Tour at the same time — as Rory McIlroy did last year and Luke Donald in 2011.

Streelman made it to the PGA Tour in 2008, having survived all three stages of Q-school.

It is a testament to the PGA Tour that such sponsorship issues are not more prevalent, especially in a difficult economy the past few years.

Despite great weather and a well-regarded golf course, the Tampa Bay event finds itself in a precarious place on the schedule — as do a handful of other events throughout the year.

Streelman, playing in his 153rd PGA Tour event, had his first win and an invitation to the Masters.

“Ten years ago I was in a car driving to mini tours and the Hooters Tour and Gateway Tour and U.S.