30-year-old PGA Tour winner says he ‘turned pro early’, reveals being ‘impatient’ to take regular path
Jake Knapp is in his rookie year on the PGA Tour but turned professional eight years ago. Reflecting on his decision to turn professional at a young age, he admitted that it was too early and that he had been impatient to follow the conventional path.
Knapp earned his Tour card for this season after finishing 13th in the Korn Ferry Tour 2023 season. He didn’t take long to claim his first win, securing the Mexico Open by beating Sami Välimäki by two strokes.
The 30-year-old golfer opened up about his life and career journey to Golf Digest. In the write-up, he admitted that his impatience led to the decision to turn pro in 2016. Notably, he had earned a berth in the 2015 US Open after finishing third in the US Amateur.
"I didn’t have status anywhere, but I felt ready," he told Golf Difgest. "So I left college with one semester to go. My parents, who were helping to pay my tuition, were OK with my decision, especially after I argued, 'You can stop paying, and I can start earning.'
"I thought everything would fall into place. I know now that I was too impatient," he added.
However, it didn't happen, and he had to grind hard on the PGA Tour Canada and Korn Ferry Tour for over eight years. He won three times on the PGA Tour Canada and played three seasons on KFT before getting the PGA Tour card.
"I needed a side hustle": Jake Knapp opens up about his struggle before getting the PGA Tour card
Jake Knapp's journey to the PGA Tour wasn't easy, as he went through several ups and downs. He lost his PGA Tour Canada card, then won it back before COVID struck. He revealed that during the phase when he didn’t have a card, he struggled with his finances, to the point where he started looking for side hustles.
"I struggled that year," he said. "I spent the last of my money on Q school and didn’t get through. I had opened up a lot of credit cards, so I needed a side hustle."
He applied for a barback position at the Country Club in Costa Mesa, where they offered him a security position instead.
"It wasn’t a rowdy place, so I wasn’t too worried about getting hurt. Most of the time you’re just checking IDs. Once in a while, you’re dealing with drunk guys who need to go home. I enjoyed it," he added.
The 30-year-old American golfer earned his Tour card for this season and had an incredible breakthrough. He made the cut in 17 of 22 starts and registered four top-10finishes, including a win at the Mexico Open. Moreover, he earned $3,086,813 this year and finished 59th in the FedEx Cup standings.