DADE CITY, Fla. – Adam Schenk may be playing to reach the PGA Tour one day, but he’s not doing it alone.
The standout Purdue golfer was followed by a contingent of friends and family as he continued his exceptional play at the USF Invitational Tournament held at Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club on Tuesday, finishing in a tie for second place at an incredible 15-under par.
Among the crowd were Schenk’s father Scott, his great-aunt Bernice, and great-uncle Roy, who sponsored American Golfer Orville Moody during his time on the PGA Tour. It’s a close-knit family, with deep ties to both golf and Purdue University, which all three family members attended.
“It’s nice my family can get to come down from the farm and get away from work,” said the 22-year-old Vincennes, Indiana native. “There’s not a whole lot to do in the winter time with the ground frozen in Southern Indiana. It’s definitely nice having them around, it’s a comfort thing.”
So what does Schenk need to do to make that top 50?
“Score well,” chuckled Scott Schenk. “No, really, nothing. Just plug away and not have any bad rounds. If you don’t have it that day and you shoot somewhere around par, that’s okay. But you don’t want to shoot any 76 or 77s. The world ranking committee doesn’t like that.”
With his sights set on becoming a top-50 amateur golfer before he completes his Business Management degree in December, Adam Schenk looks poised to dramatically improve his ranking based on his recent play.
“Adam is where he needs to be, he’s going in the right direction,” said Rob Bradley, head coach of the Purdue golf men’s team. “His ball striking is getting better all the time. I think he has great things ahead of him.”
After finishing in fourth place at the New Years Invitational in January and third in Puerto Rico last week, Schenk continued his incredible play by closing the final day of the tournament with a score of 66 to guarantee his second-place finish, one stroke behind winner Jack Maguire of Florida State.
“I have to keep playing well in every tournament, and keep being consistent,” said Schenk.
He has certainly done that lately.
Just one week removed from winning the Big 10 Golfer of the Week honours for the second time in his career, Schenk has four top-4 finishes in his last five scoring tournaments, dating back to the Crooked Stick Intercollegiate last October. His family has been there every step of the way.
“We probably go to most of [Adam’s] tournaments,” said Uncle Roy. “We don’t go to all of them, but anything in a reasonable distance we go to.”
Schenk currently leads the Purdue squad both on and off the course. As the only senior on the team this season, he has become a mentor for the three junior players.
“Definitely being the only senior now I have to step up, be a leader in the gym and on the course and just try to do the right things and lead by example,” he said.
Needless to say, after another incredible tournament at the USF Invitational, Adam Schenk has been doing exactly that
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