If you don’t know who Jake Knapp is, you aren’t alone. The 29-year-old professional golfer isn’t a household name or even that well-known within his own sport. Ranked No. 101 before the Mexican Open at Vidanta Vallarta last weekend, Knapp stunned the field and took home the trophy, watching his world ranking skyrocket to No. 52 in the process.
Knapp’s road to victory has had a few detours, to say the least. Unless you come from money or are a Tiger Woods-level phenom, most professional golfers have had to supplement their income in order to play on the tour. Golfers only earn a paycheck if they make the cut, so practice, lodging, food, travel, and other expenses come out of the player’s pocket. If a player flames out during the week and misses the cut, it becomes a very costly profession.
Knapp, who has struggled to make cuts for much of his career yet wasn’t about to give up on his dream, worked numerous jobs in order to fund his golf habit. In 2021, after losing his Korn Ferry Tour card, he was faced with the need to supplement his income until he could get back on the tour, so he took a job as a nightclub bouncer for nine months.
Knapp took advantage of his free daytime hours to practice and work on his game while earning at night. He also sprinkled in mini-tour events and some PGA Canada tournaments. It wasn’t his ideal scenario, but it was necessary to sharpen his game, support himself, and eventually get his tour card back so he could continue pursuing his dream.
On a recent podcast, Knapp talked about the experience. He said, “I was the one standing at the front door checking IDs and doing all that kind of stuff. And it was like, ‘Man, what am I doing here?’ This isn’t what I’m supposed to be doing, but I had somebody give me a good piece of advice. ‘You are where you are for a reason. If you don’t want to be there, work your way out of it.’”
Knapp indeed worked his way out of it and got back on the Korn Ferry Tour last year before securing his PGA tour card this year. Now, at the not-so-young age of 29, Knapp has staked his claim to his first-ever PGA Tour victory. He shot a blistering 19-under at Vidanta Vallarta in just his ninth PGA start. Knapp will need to stay in the Top 60 to secure a spot at this year’s U.S. Open, but for now, he is savoring his first victory and a hefty $1.5 million payday.
Knapp blistered the third round of the tourney, taking the lead after shooting 28 on the front nine, propelling him into the lead going into Sunday’s final round. The last round saw Knapp struggle to shoot par for the day, but it was good enough to hold off Finland’s Sami Valimaki, who finished 17-under and secure the win. The rookie said about the last round that he was “Just grinding it out” as he held on for the life-changing victory.
It is a feel-good story for Jake Knapp. It is also proof that you should never give up on your dreams. Knapp exhibited what America is about by grinding, sacrificing, and continuing to improve instead of giving up. Congratulations to the 29-year-old rookie on the first of hopefully many wins.
Featured image screen grab from embedded video
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