Jake Knapp’s career so far: From a nightclub guard to PGA Tour winner

Modified Feb 26, 2024 07:48 GMT

Mexico Open at Vidanta - Final Round — Jake Knapp (Image via Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)

Jake Knapp won his first PGA Tour event at last week's Mexico Open in Vidanta. It was the American golfer's fifth start on the circuit after earning his Tour card for the 2024 season last year.

He played on the Canada Tour and Korn Ferry Tour before ultimately earning an opportunity to join the PGA Tour. Knapp turned professional in 2016 after completing his graduation from the University of California in Los Angeles. Initially, he competed on the PGA Tour Canada, where he won three tournaments.

His first professional victory came in 2019 at the Canada Life Open where he registered an incredible two-stroke victory over James Allenby and Brian Carlson.

In 2019, Jake Knapp also won the GolfBC Championship by one stroke over Jonathan Clark. The 2022 CRMC Championship marked his third professional victory which he earned after playing four rounds of 64-65-61-64. The 29-year-old won the tournament by two strokes over Will Bateman.

After spending two seasons (2022 and 2023) on the Korn Ferry Tour, Knapp's outstanding play resulted in a 13th-place finish in the 2023 season-ending point standings, which helped him to join the PGA Tour in 2024.

Jake Knapp made his Tour debut earlier this year at the Sony Open and within a month, he has won his first Tour event.

He tried to earn the PGA Tour card in 2021 by Q-School but failed. That year, he was struggling with the financial crisis and to support his golfing career, he worked as a bouncer in a nightclub named The Country Club.

In one of his interviews with the PGA Tour earlier this month, Knapp revealed that he worked at the club during the night and practiced golf during the day. Jake Knapp said:

"After losing status and missing at Q-School in 2021, out of funds, I needed to be away from golf. I needed some responsibility and some perspective on things. I wasn’t aware that (The Country Club, a restaurant in Costa Mesa) turned into a nightclub; I went there to be a barback. They needed a security guy, and I was like, 'I don’t know if I’m big enough, but I can stand there and look tough.'"

"I was there for eight months or so; it was crazier than I thought … Halloween was my second weekend, and then it’s New Year’s Eve and the holidays, so people are going nuts," he added.

Jake Knapp's dedication paid off with his dreamy PGA Tour victory at the Mexico Open on Sunday, February 25.

A look into Jake Knapp's best performances

Here some of the best performances of Jake Knapp recorded in his professional career:

2024 Mexico Open at Vidanta: 1 (PGA Tour)
2024 Farmers Insurance Open: T3 (PGA Tour)
2019 Canada Life Open: 1 (Canada Tour)
2019 GolfBC Championship: 1 (Canada Tour)
2022 CRMC Championship presented by Gertens: 1 (Canada Tour)
2022 Royal Beach Victoria Open presented by Times Colonist: 2 (Canada Tour)
2019 HFX Pro-Am presented by Steele Jaguar: 2 (Canada Tour)
2023 Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship: 5 (Korn Ferry Tour)
2023 Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Aetna: T5 (Korn Ferry Tour)
2023 LECOM Suncoast Classic: T5 (Korn Ferry Tour)
2019 Osprey Valley Open: 3 (Canada Tour)
2024 WM Phoenix Open: T28 (PGA Tour)
2023 Veritex Bank Championship: T7 (Korn Ferry Tour)
2023 Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper: T7 (Korn Ferry Tour)
2023 Compliance Solutions Championship: T8 (Korn Ferry Tour)
2020 El Bosque Mexico Championship by Innova: T9 (Korn Ferry Tour)
2022 Quebec Open: T3 (Canada Tour)
2023 Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard: T7 (Korn Ferry Tour)
2023 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open: T7 (Korn Ferry Tour)
2021 Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper: T11 (Korn Ferry Tour)
2023 AdventHealth Championship: T9 (Korn Ferry Tour)
2023 Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron: T13 (Korn Ferry Tour)
2017 Freedom 55 Financial Open: T4 (Canada Tour)
2023 Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance: T10 (Korn Ferry Tour)
2023 The Ascendant presented by Blue: T21 (Korn Ferry Tour)
2023 The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club: T17 (Korn Ferry Tour)
2022 GolfBC Championship: T8 (Canada Tour)
2023 NV5 Invitational presented by Old National Bank: T21 (Korn Ferry Tour)
2023 UNC Health Championship presented by Stitch: T27 (Korn Ferry Tour)
2023 The Panama Championship: T24 (Korn Ferry Tour)
2024 Sony Open in Hawaii: T70 (PGA Tour)

Edited by Parag Jain