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Michigan native, Kneen, finally lives out PGA Tour dream
Jake Kneen has been a standout golfer in the state of Michigan for several years. This summer, he finally got to live out his PGA Tour dream after qualifying for the 3M Open held at TPC Twin Cities. (Photo: Wendy Kneen)

Michigan native, Kneen, finally lives out PGA Tour dream

WHITE LAKE, Mich. (BVM) — Jake Kneen has been a well-known name on the Michigan golf scene for many years. The Lakeland High School and Oakland University graduate had strong golf careers at both the prep and collegiate levels, and has competed at the top levels of amateur golf. But this summer, Kneen finally earned his shot on the sport’s biggest stage.

Kneen has been around golf his entire life, first picking up a set of plastic clubs when he was 2 years old. Growing up, Kneen played baseball and basketball as well, but his best sport was always golf, and that is where his true passion lied.

“What really attracted me to the game from a young age is that you and only you are responsible for everything that you do,” Kneen said. “I just like the individual part of it and the atmosphere of golf. Anybody can play it and it’s just different from other sports.”

The 24-year-old golfer won his first tournament when he was just 5 years old. The tournament was held at Mystic Creek Golf Course, which would end up being his home course in high school. It was during his prep career at Lakeland High School that Kneen would become more dedicated to the game, turning into an all-state player. Kneen was also a four-year letter winner for the Eagles, and won conference player of the year in his senior season.

Early in his high school career, Kneen was not even considering college golf. But as a sophomore, he began playing in American Junior Golf Association events, and college coaches began taking notice of his skills. In 2014, Kneen also picked up one of the most impressive victories in his career at the Michigan Junior Amateur Championship.

While he had a few different offers, Kneen was sold on playing golf at Oakland University after a campus visit in which he got to see the golf facilities and courses they have on campus.

“I definitely thought to myself that this is pretty unbeatable in the state of Michigan,” Kneen said. “They have an awesome facility there and they checked all the boxes for me.”

At Oakland, Kneen adjusted to his new level of competition right away. As a freshman, the Lakeland grad had a Horizon League freshman best 75.30 scoring average, and was named Horizon League Freshman of the Year.

“I had a pretty solid year as a freshman and winning the Horizon League Freshman of the Year was kind of another stepping stone in my playing career,” Kneen noted.

As a sophomore, Kneen would make the All-Horizon League second team, reducing his scoring average to 73.43 — a topfive scoring average in the conference. Kneen would remain consistent as a junior, again being awarded a second team honor in the conference. But by his senior year, the golfer began to breakout even further.

The Golden Grizzlies’ star averaged a score of 72.76 as a senior, good for first in the Horizon League. He ended up being an all-conference first team selection, and was also named Horizon League Golfer of the Year. But perhaps most impressive was picking up his first collegiate victory at the CSU Invitational.

“I contended in many events my senior year so it was nice to win one,” Kneen said. “Getting Horizon League Player of the Year was my goal at the beginning of the season and my coach, Nick Pumford, really helped drive me to that.”

While he wasn’t golfing at Oakland during his college years, Kneen was busy competing on the national stage. In 2015, the golfer qualified for the U.S. Amateur held at Olympia Fields. There, he would play in the same tournament with the likes of some now popular names in golf like John Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau.

In 2017, Kneen attempted to qualify for a major championship — the U.S. Open held at Erin Hills. In the qualifier, Kneen played behind Tony Finau, and also got to meet PGA Tour winner and fellow Oakland University alum Brian Stuard.

“Playing in that qualifier was similar to the U.S. Amateur,” Kneen said. “I just kept thinking I could hang with these guys if I play well and if I do play well I could play in the U.S. Open which is a big deal. I didn’t end up making it but it was really cool to be there.”

After winning the 2018 Michigan Open, Jake Kneen had the opportunity to play in the U.S. Amateur Championship held at Pebble Beach later that summer. (Photo: Wendy Kneen)

After graduating from Oakland, Kneen would add another significant career win to his resume after proving victorious in the 2018 Michigan Open. 

“After college, I decided to stay amateur because I wanted to try and qualify for the U.S. Amateur once again since it was being held at Pebble Beach,” Kneen said. “But before I did that, I won the Michigan Open and that was something I didn’t even believe I was capable of doing. I was playing well going in and just somehow went out there and played some good golf. The amount of recognition you get after winning the Michigan Open is pretty great and it was another level of honor to win that.”

Coming off that win, Kneen got to go play at Pebble Beach, a course that is on the bucket list of any competitive golfer. Kneen also had the opportunity to meet golf legend, Jack Nickalaus, at the tournament. 

“It was pretty amazing going out there,” Kneen said. “I got to meet Jack Nickalaus there and he was so kind to me so that was really cool. But the experience of playing Pebble was amazing and being among that competition was beneficial again.”

This season, Kneen gained status on both PGA Tour Latinoamerica and PGA Tour Canada — both of which are a level below the Korn Ferry Tour. Although he had plans to travel back and forth for tournaments most of the year, Kneen’s season was taken away by COVID-19. He went back home to Michigan to be with his family during the unprecedented times.

But eventually, golf came back, and Kneen began seeking opportunities to play in a PGA Tour event. The 24-year-old played in qualifiers for the Rocket Mortgage Classic and the Workday Charity Open, both of which he failed to reach. But in late July, Kneen decided to give the Tour one more shot. 

He decided to drive up to Minnesota to try and qualify for the 3M Open held at TPC Twin Cities. At the pre-qualifier for the tournament, Kneen shot a 65. He then advanced to the Monday qualifier, bettering his score with a 63. Just two players make the tournament from the Monday qualifier, and Kneen was one of them, tying for the win with another player who also shot 63.

After a couple failed attempts, Jake Kneen finally earned the chance to play in a PGA Tour event after winning the Monday qualifier for the 3M Open at Victory Links. (Photo: Wendy Kneen)

By Thursday, Kneen was ready to tee off in his first PGA Tour event. The golfer set out to play as well as he could, filled with excitement and nerves.

“I was glad when that first tee shot was over,” Kneen said with a laugh. “I was very anxious and excited to get going and after getting it in play off the tee I was really pretty calm.”

With a few bad swings and penalty strokes, Kneen would card a 7-over 78 in round one of the tournament. However, he would fight back in round two with an even-par 71.

“The first day was a good learning experience,” Kneen said. “But the next day I had a pretty good round and just tried to keep fighting the whole time. I just kept thinking that I’m playing on the PGA Tour and this is a dream so I’m not giving up.”

Kneen had his college coach, Nick Pumford, on the bag during the tournament, which helped keep things light and calm, and reduced any nerves the golfer had. He also notes that the atmosphere in the COVID-19 era was unique without any spectators on the course. But ultimately, playing in a PGA Tour event could not have been a better experience for Kneen.

“Playing in a PGA Tour event is incredible,” the 24-year-old said. “You will meet a lot of really good players who go their entire careers without ever playing in a PGA Tour event. So for me to already get into that at this point of my playing career was pretty awesome and I definitely believe I can get back out there again and be better.”

Kneen’s next golf event will come at the Michigan Open at the end of August. From there, he will look to play fall golf on the recently created LocaliQ Series. Kneen will also look to qualify for more PGA Tour events. And ultimately, he hopes his dream of becoming a regular on the Tour can be accomplished in the near future.

“I look back at how my game has progressed since high school and college and see how much I’ve improved,” Kneen said. “I still think I can improve but it’s hard to make it to the PGA Tour. You just have to have the attitude that you can always get better and I truly believe that I can play on the PGA Tour and be successful out there. It’s going to take some time but I believe that I can do it and I know I’m surrounded by some good people to help get me there too.”