Golf: Jake Knapp turns pro
There have been many dreams and goals that Jake Knapp has had throughout his amateur golf career. The main move he’s always wanted was, obviously, to turn pro. Recently, Knapp, the former Estancia High standout, made that move, leaving what would’ve been his final season at UCLA.
Knapp gave several reasons for turning pro during an interview with the Daily Pilot on Friday. Mainly he wanted to dedicate more time and attention to playing on the next level.
After a successful summer, Knapp believed he was ready to turn pro. He said he told his coach, Derek Freeman, just as November ended, his aspirations and relayed to him his plan.
Originally, Knapp said he thought about returning to UCLA after not making it to at least the third stage of the Web.com Tour Qualifying School. He fell two strokes short. But Knapp’s desire remained strong.
He leaves Saturday for Mexico to compete in the PGA Tour Latinoamerica Q-School.
Many of Knapp’s friends, call him, “Biggie.” He definitely went big this past summer.
He qualified for the U.S. Open, he reached the semifinals of the Western Amateur and a made a run into the Round of 16 at the U.S. Amateur.
“That just really made me feel like I was ready, even though I didn’t really win anything,” Knapp said. “I feel like I was ready to compete and test my game at the next level.”
Knapp said Freeman was disappointed to hear the news most likely because Knapp was an impactful senior on a young Bruins squad.
“I think we were surprised,” Freeman told Golfweek.
Knapp said he didn’t want to have a school schedule restrict him from devoting more time to his game. Yes, he’s always wanted to be a pro, but being a student at UCLA became important to him. He said he was just two quarters from graduating with a degree in History.
“Leaving early to me it kind of made sense,” Knapp said. “I feel like I’m going to learn a lot more playing at the next level. I just felt ready to play and I just really wanted to compete at that next stage. Playing as a professional has always been a dream of mine.”
He said he wants to finish up his degree. After he establishes himself on a tour, he wants to take the necessary steps to attain that.
For now, Knapp will solely concentrate on his pro career. He is well aware of the challenge ahead.
“I think the important thing for me is knowing that it’s a process,” Knapp said. “Jordan Spieth is the 1% of the 1% that is you get into the PGA Tour event and you win. A lot of people who don’t know golf they’ll say, ‘Why aren’t you on the PGA Tour now?’ It’s important for me to understand this is the path I’ve chosen and it’s not a straight line to success. It’s a windy road.”
That road includes attempting to qualify for PGA Tour events on the West Coast. He’ll try to make a repeat of qualifying at the Farmers Insurance Open on Jan. 24, followed by qualifiers for the Waste Management Phoenix Open, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Northern Trust Open.
Knapp said he gained confidence from reaching the second stage at the Web.com Tour Q-School. Many believe his game is pro ready.
While Knapp remains hopeful of gaining sponsors, he said he is on the verge of signing an equipment deal with TaylorMade.
Overall, Knapp said he is excited to compete among pros and to take his game to the next level.
“I think one of the mistakes a lot of guys make is that they do get on a tour or they turn pro and they feel like they want to change things because they see guys doing other stuff,” he said. “For me, I’m not changing anything. But I’m able to do everything I’ve wanted to. But in the past I wasn’t able to do because of time restrictions. Now every day is my day.”
