The wait is finally over! The Black Desert Championship has teed off into action today at the breathtaking Black Desert Golf Course. Golf fans from around the world are abuzz with excitement, and well they have a good reason to be. From the 10th of October to the 13th, the world’s top golfers will battle it out on the Black Desert Golf Course and each of them is determined to claim the coveted title. The competition is going to be cutthroat with talented players like Kevin Streelman, Kevin Chappell, Roger Sloan, and Jacob Bridgeman already locked in.

Currently, Streelman is leading the leaderboard after teeing off in round 1 and has a score of 7 under par. Well, it doesn’t come as a surprise to many considering the golfer’s phenomenal career in the sport.

Kevin Streelman’s professional career

Born on November 4, 1978 in Winfield, Illinois, U.S., Kevin Streelman was born to parents, Mary and Lou Streelman. The couple was supportive of their son’s golfing career ever since they were made aware of it. So much so that, after graduating from Duke University in 2001, Streelman was not afraid of choosing a unique path. Instead of following his friends to Wall Street or law school, he pursued his golfing dreams and had his parent’s support throughout his journey. He started by driving his mom’s Nissan Altima to the 2001 Dakotas Tour in South Dakota and competed in various tours as he traveled across the country.

Sooner than he realized he had truly started to have a golfing career. Who would have thought that finishing 14th in PGA Tour qualifying school back in 2007 would lead to Streelman being one of the best golfers out there? Well, it happened and the golfer’s career took off in 2013 when he won the Tampa Bay Championship which followed another phenomenal win at the Travelers Championship the very next year. Other than these big wins he had also earlier in his career won the Masters Par-3 Contest in 2015 and the $1 million Kodak Challenge in early 2009.

Streelman has done well in some of the major tournaments too. In 2008, he tied for the T1 position in the U.S. Open’s first round, and his hard work paid off when in 2009 he entered OWGR for top 100 men’s golfers. Now, that’s a feat most golfers strive for! Additionally, he also finished 25th in the FedEx Cup in 2010. Sure, this success doesn’t come overnight, but the golfer got what he worked hard for! If his golfing career wasn’t enough of a success, Streelman also managed to succeed in life. Yes, Streelman is married and he couldn’t have asked for a better life partner.

Kevin Streelman and his wife Courtney Streelman

Streelman is known to be a popular PGA Tour golfer and while the fans do say they know everything about the golfer, they may not that he credits his family completely for guiding him throughout his career. And that credit especially goes to his wife, Courtney who has been a strong pillar for him.  The two supposedly met at a breakfast counter in scorching Las Vegas and dated for four years, before tying the knot in Marco Beach, Florida, in 2008. Courtney was a collegiate swimmer back when the couple met. She was competing under Alabama, the University of Miami, and Arizona State University. The latter was also the place where she earned her degree in finance and an MBA.

The couple is also blessed with two children, Sophia and Rhett. However, they have shared their fair share of struggles during the birth of their firstborn. Sophia’s birth was a challenging one due to Courtney’s liver disease called cholestasis. This devastating disease required a planned C-section. But thankfully, Sophia had a safe delivery and was healthy when she arrived. “Nothing else could ever compare to holding my daughter. That is the ultimate experience. That’s a memory that I will hold onto forever,” Streelman said, referring to the moment he held Sophia for the first time, per Golf Digest.

Rhett’s arrival was an easier one compared to that of Sophia’s and the golfer said he won’t be competing in the 2016 Masters until Courtney had given birth to their son. “My family is more important than any silly thing we do on grass, I’ll always be there for my wife”, he said, and surprisingly Rhett arrived early which allowed Streelman to compete. The Streelmans are the epitome of what it means to be there for each other. So do you think Streelman has what it takes to lift the trophy in the Black Desert Golf Course? Let us know in the comment section below!