“‘Living the dream’ has always been the motto.” – said Jake Knapp after finishing T3 at the 2024 Farmers Insurance Open a while back. Well, that is exactly what he seems to be doing, as he “walks over to the course and plays golf every day.” But then again, many wouldn’t know the golfer who has managed to showcase his remarkable skills on the course, making him a top rookie to play on the PGA Tour this year.

The professional managed to pull off a scintillating performance at the Mexico Open at the Vidanta Vallarta. Although he hasn’t managed to rake in a single win yet on the men’s circuit, his story off the course is something that shouldn’t be left unheard!

Jake Knapp, the 29-year-old PGA Tour Pro

Jacob Richard Knapp was born on May 31, 1994, to Jennifer and Robert Knapp in California. His love for golf started when he was very young, as he spent his growing years across the street from Costa Mesa Country Club, which sported two 18-hole courses, a normal one called Los Lagos and a shorter Mesa Linda. Interestingly, the golfer had shot a 12-under 58 on the latter greens when he was just a high school junior using the head pro’s putter, an original TaylorMade Itsy Bitsy Spider.

Fast forward to 2024, and the athlete’s lowest score in his professional life came at the Mexico Open. During the third round of the event, he registered an 8-under 63 on the par-71 Vidanta Vallarta course, which propelled the pro to the top of the leaderboard after moving day. What’s more, he was able to dish out the same by scoring a total of 11 birdies on the same day. But the question naturally arises: how was he able to get into the Jay Monahan-led circuit?

Knapp’s journey to the PGA Tour

Although he boasts such stats on the Tour, how he got here is another story altogether. Out of the 22 starts he made in 2023, Knapp was able to make 20 cuts, out of which he logged 10 top-10 finishes, the most on the Korn Ferry Tour in the particular season. Thus, he was able to finish inside the top 30 at T13 on the KFT Points List, which helped him earn his first PGA Tour card.

Coming down to his professional victories, the golfer has a total of three as of now, all of which he clinched on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada. He was able to emerge as the champion in the Canada Life Open and the GolfBC Championship, both in 2019, followed by a lone win in 2022 at the CRMC Championship presented by Gertens. Well, even Knapp wouldn’t have imagined that a nightclub bouncer such as himself would have made it this far in golf!

Knapp’s non-golfing past

After experiencing some bad luck in 2021, the athlete lost his status and missed out at Q-school during the year. As a result, he felt as if he needed a break from the sport, leading him to look for a job, more specifically as a barback, at The Country Club, a restaurant in his hometown. However, what surprised him was that the restaurant had turned into a nightclub, which, coincidentally, needed a security guy at the moment.

Knapp took the job and stayed at it for around 8 months. “It was crazier than I thought,” said the golfer before recalling how Halloween was the second weekend on the job, followed by New Year’s Eve and the holidays, alluding to the time when people were going nuts. Nevertheless, he was able to work Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights along with special events, which, in turn, helped him practice golf during his free time.

When asked about the same, the American was extremely grateful for the fact that he was able to realize the importance of the sport in his life through his non-golfing career. “I was thankful I wasn’t living off that job,” added Knapp before continuing, “it helped fund mini-tour stuff and Canada that summer. It made me work a little bit harder and not take golf for granted.”

Well, the rest is plain for everyone to see. He has made it onto the PGA Tour and is in contention to win a big event against a powerful field. The golf world can be sure of one thing: with the amount of determination and skill that he has managed to display on the course, Knapp would surely be able to make it big on the men’s circuit while rising through the golfing ranks. Be sure to keep an eye on the talented golfer!

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