Jake Knapp captures his first victory on the PGA TOUR, winning the 2024 Mexico Open at Vidanta in just his fifth start as a member, Chris Kirk and other TOUR players share a house to overcome loneliness, Tony Finau returns to Mexico and Eric Cole reflects on his journey to the PGA TOUR, all on this week’s episode of The CUT.
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welcome to the Mexico open at V I always
say that I like coming back to Mexico
people’s super super nice to make you
feel at home so I mean there’s no reason
why not to always come back here it’s
awesome we love this place the people
the food Vidant is a pretty magical
spot viant Vara the longest par 71 on
tour this season it’s a tournament that
dates back to the
1940s coming back to the Mexico open as
a p tour member means a lot to me it is
very exciting to be back in PTO varda
and vidanta and definitely in front of
the home
crowd welcome to PGA Tour the cut
presented by serf
[Music]
Pro Tony Outlast number one and it’s a
phenow family Fiesta in
Mexico I think every win is special in
its own
way here they come to help celebrate
career win number six on the PGA
tour viant has turned into my family’s
favorite spot so that’s always going to
be a special one anytime I have my wife
and my kids there to greet me on the
18th green I think is just the greatest
thing for me ever they were there and
that’s always going to be a special one
because my kids are young they’re there
to experience that with me and it’s kind
of turned into our family’s favorite
spot for Tony Fen now to step up and get
this win here
this is going to be huge for
him early in my career I was always so
focused
on winning and I think winning is always
the result you want every time you play
but I I seem to be making more daily
goals than anything else these
days right around 30 ft gives it a
pretty good wrap and oh yes why
not I’m a lot more free over the putter
than I’ve ever been which is nice I’ve
made a lot lot of big putts to win golf
tournaments and be in contention and
over the last couple years I basically
told myself why don’t we stick to one
putting style ride it out for a season
and see how it goes and that seems to
have helped a lot simplify my cting you
keep grinding that out you’ll learn more
and not searching as much the next
question for Tony Fen now is when is he
going to win a major I think I’m still
trying to find the formula the good
thing is for me is like I’m going to
have many opportunities ahead of me to
and to win major championships you truly
have to gear up for how you’re feeling
and how the week goes and that it is
just a bigger week than any other week
as I’ve aged it seems like I’m just
trying to push myself every day to be a
little bit better and keep growing and
learning I think that Focus has helped
me achieve the goals of
winning the stage is reserved for Jake
knap and it is indeed nap time in
Mexico it’s hilarious to think two years
ago I was working security to bar and it
was a much different scenario in my life
so I’m very appreciative of being out
here being able to play golf
professionally and just this entire
atmosphere I mean it’s what I practice
and work for every single day the best
part of his game fell apart in this
Final Round And what had been really the
most difficult part for him he shined
this afternoon up and downs chip shots
putts we knew that maybe if the ball
striking was off our short game is going
to have to be a little bit more dialed
in I feel like a lot of those chips
coming down the stretch I think all
those played a big role we talked about
changing your trajectory you are in all
the remaining Signature Events the
players the Masters PGA Championship
everybody wants to win out here you know
there’s a lot of guys who played out
here for a long time who have never won
and it’s just one of those things where
now all of a sudden there’s a lot of
doors open with his first PGA Tour
Victory Jake BS up to eighth in the
Comcast business tour top 10 this is
going to be a really popular win on the
PGA tour this win for Jake Napp and I
think he’s going to feel better about
himself that he won without his best
stuff he had to dig deep and he did it
I’ll never forget this for the rest of
my life this will be my first win on the
PGA tour whether it’s my first one that
and only one that I ever have or it’s
the first of many this will always be
one that I’ll
[Music]
remember
someone told me that was a l
Bloomer in one way it’s a
compliment no it just it shows you the
resilience that hard work because many
other people would have quit after
couple years of not seeing any
results when things really sting and
they tell you you’re not going to do it
it really makes you want to do it
more but I think I do it for myself
look at this kid this is his first PJ
Tour
event about it hit are you kidding me
are you kidding
me there you go he’s headed of the PJ
[Music]
tour I always have this as a
hobby I won some National Junior events
and some Regional Junior events in
Mexico when I was 17 I won a
professional event as an amateur that’s
when I told my mom I want to turn
professional so this one right
here I was athlete of the year on 2018
for
University not until my senior year of
college that’s when I played my very
best that’s when I really thought I was
going to do good in professional golf
and I played my first professional event
in the Mexican professional tour I
finished 11th and then just just in my
second start I
won that greedy and arrogant thought of
like this is going to be so easy I’m
going to be on the tour like in you know
blink an eye I thought it was going to
be so good and it was just going to be a
straight line to
success went to PJ tour Latin America Q
school I got my card I played Four
events and I missed four Cuts I think I
really need to make a cut to get into
reshuffle and play the next events but
I’ll do my best and we’ll see I went
back to K School in
Argentina I finished birdie birdie
birdie last three holes to get full
first half after that I think I gained
the confidence to know that the game was
there it was just a discipline about
sticking to
it my psychologist told me once I
promise you just be patient when you get
there you’re going to do it so good so
just be calm keep getting ready and when
your opportunity comes you will grab the
bull by the horns and sure I did
another chip in might need to start
missing greens he is pumped up he knows
what that
means into fourth
position it was just a big sigh when you
were able to just finally breathe and
after four long rounds it’s emotional
because J represent an entire country
the biggest Stitch of gold and for me to
just get there have one chance on the PJ
tour how would you feel when you are the
only player of one entire country
achieving a dream a great week PJ tour
cards stamped for their names on
him we’re heading out to
Valencia um going to try to catch up
with Jeff it’ll be good to spend some
time on the wrench with him talking
trying to
sh how the past couple weeks have
been I met him and I knew he was he’s
such a great guy B you know first class
individual we just connected then and
then I’ll be darn he started coming out
here and practicing I’d here plen feel
like I’ve tried to take him under my
wing and give him the knowledge that
I’ve had Through The
Years nothing’s better than helping this
guy spending time with
him my epilepsy started in 2006 when I
had my first seizure and then we got
those under control and then I was able
to graduate to the PJ tour in 2008
through the corn faery to then had a
great rookie year from St Augustine
Florida please welcome Jeff
clout I had I developed another type of
seizure a complex
partial seizure after my rookie year I
wasn’t able to get them under
control well I know
sh Jeff knows what it takes he’s been
there and he was doing so good he was
just forced to
quit and as much as he wants to get back
he can’t it’s hard to describe those
things
because you can tell he’s living his
dream back in through
me he’s just got a he’s got a big hard
for the
game being around those guys and
watching him play it keeps me like
feeling like
I’m visualizing myself out there playing
in a way and I’m not doing this for him
I’m doing it for myself but but I’m just
[Music]
so glad that someone in my inner circle
um of
people it’s appreciating and following
what I’m doing more than anybody else
yeah we still I’m so proud of him being
such a great kid great guy
and it’s just awesome he’s just a great
human being and he’s just showed me that
everything can be taken away from you in
a blink of an
[Music]
eye rapid recovery presented by surfpro
the number one choice in cleanup and
restoration at the 2023 Mexico open at
pedant Tony feno entered the final round
with a two- shot lead found trouble on
the eighth hole that wasn’t good a bad
mistake
sort of compounded or iron shot or
bunker
shot hit in the left bunker and I just
chunked the bunker shot and it barely
got out and I had about you know 20 22
ft far off The
Fringe and it was just huge for my
momentum at that time what a save for Fe
now at the eight he remains 22 under to
keep the momentum going C that was huge
I was able to convert the birdie putts
that I really needed to and also some of
the par saves that were momentum
swingers for me I was really put to the
test and came out on top which feels
[Applause]
[Music]
great now tiger not gain anything by
going at that
green come close with that terrible
sound it is right at it here is mroy in
his
second that far for Eagle to post 10
under
Roy for an eagle intestinal fortitude to
finish it up first time in almost eight
years is a winner again Fowler closes
the deal well for Adam Scott yes Keith
Mitchell is done it with Cory
pin you’re kidding me that was good huh
i’
birdie it is never really safe until you
get through that treacherous spot
Chris Kirk he had a dark spot in his
life where he battled alcoholism and
depression now he wants to be known as
the guy that can win again for the first
time in almost eight years is a winner
again on the PGA
tour didn’t really feel like I was going
to play golf again much less to have won
again on the tour to a lot of my peers
and my close friends back there I
appreciate the camaraderie and the
friendship that I’ve had on and off the
golf course with you
guys a lot of these guys I’m the house
Dad that rents a four or five bedroom
house every week and those guys stay
with me and you know we hang around and
uh Play yatsi and play cards that was
definitely something that I I made a
point to do when I decided to come back
and play purely because I had all those
bad memories of of sitting by myself in
a hotel room I just said I’m not willing
to do that
[Music]
anymore isn’t charging
dishes the housekeepers when we leave
yeah the sink the sink always ends up
pretty full by the end of the
week just kind of realized how much more
fun how much better our quality of life
was staying in these houses versus
staying in a hotel sep is definitely
been uh my most frequent roommate I
would say got armm this week but B stays
with us a lot JT Poston Patton kazy
Grayson Sig dny McCarthy Harris English
uh will’ll jump in there for sure we’ve
always kind of had a kind of a bond out
here with a bunch of guys you know
playing practice rounds together eating
together going to dinner together and
then the house thing just kind of made
it a little more official I guess cuz we
just started staying together week in
week out and it’s just a better way to
to spend time off the golf course yeah
it just went from us all texting each
other saying where are we meeting for
dinner to sitting on the couch and
looking every say where are we going
today that is such a
dagger a dagger get
excited I’m highly competitive and I
would say they would all say I’m one of
the most competitive we’re back battling
it whatever it is whether it’s ping pong
whether there’s a little puttinger in
the backyard or you know we’re doing
something in the backyard we’re throwing
baseballs who can throw it the hardest I
mean it’s yatsi Jin all those things I
mean we we love to go back and compete
it’s kind of cool cuz we could play this
for 20 bucks a game if we wanted to
there’s no need to it’s purely like the
the pride of winning or the pain of
losing is plenty
enough if you’re just going out here by
yourself you go back to the hotel by
yourself it’s just that that could wear
on you and I’ve been very fortunate
since I’ve gotten out here a lot of
friends that I’ve had over the years
that uh we kind of hang out together
play practice around together and make
it fun and make it to where you really
want to get out on the road and go play
tournaments when we’ve stayed together
when we’ve rented houses guys seem to
play great uh we had a year at the Sony
Open a couple years ago where Chris Kirk
finished second I think locked back up
his tour card and the house was 50 or 60
under par all six guys finished in the
top 30 or something I mean it was just
an incredible week for everybody
it’s nice to kind of go back and have a
couple of your best friends there to
just spend time with because does get a
little lonely on the road and that’s
been it’s been a lot of fun the
tradition is when you if somebody wins
that week then they pay for the entire
house and we’ve had gosh probably six of
those or something like that in the last
last few
years it’s been a huge huge change as
far as quality of life on the road it’s
a really great environment I feel like
that we’ve
created we’re down here in Jupiter at
Abacoa golf club and today was the first
round of the minor league TOUR
Championship good to see you dude how
are you thanks yeah good to see you yeah
thanks thanks played a bunch of events
over the last I don’t know maybe 12
years what’s going on brother good to
see you
man it’s been a place where I’ve kind of
worked on my game and you know tried to
keep my career
going it’s a tournament I’ve played for
a long time I don’t know when the last
time I missed TOUR Championship on this
tour
was and it’s always at this course at
Abacoa so I uh try not to miss
it I went to School the first time in
probably
2009 I think I missed that first stage
and uh that was kind of a common theme
for the next like maybe four or five
years it was a struggle for
me 2017 was my first year at corn fairy
played eight events and then uh came
home and got a MRI and CT scan and had a
stress fracture in my back so that was a
little bit of a blow for Sher to finally
get through and then have to deal with
that
there is a very fine line and you know
golf can beat you up pretty bad you
start to think you know what am I doing
wrong should I be doing this the
self-doubt is there you know I worked so
hard to get there and then got hurt and
it seemed very far away getting to the
PJ tour
did one thing that both my parents said
because they know professional golf so
well is sometimes it feels like you’re
really far from where you want to be
keep going keep going they were both
very positive keep going got the the
traits that help someone
persevere cuz so many people work so
hard and Eric has just stayed the
course when you have a lot of people
telling you that you are good enough and
that you can do it it kind of just helps
take away a little bit of that
self-doubt morning how are you gentlemen
now our next group in the 2023 Minor
League Golf Tour
Championship from Orlando Florida Eric
Cole this is a tournament I’ve always
played I like to play tournaments I like
to compete it’s almost like part of my
DNA I just like
it also will probably show how good a
lot of these guys out here are that
people haven’t heard of if they end up
beating me or whatever it is you know
maybe they realize how close they are to
having
success I think him playing is great
this week because as a competitor like I
want to be in the field and compete
against the best guys and to see someone
who’s obviously like been on this tour
for a while but then over the last few
years really just skyrocketed I think
invigorates a lot of players like in my
position were trying to get to that
level second place finish that has
vaulted him up there into the top of the
minds of the golf
world he’s got two second plays finishes
this year three top sixes six top 15s
he’s in all the Signature Events three
top four finishes this fall just keeps
adding to that great resume it’s been a
career defining year for Eric Cole he
wants to just win everything whether
here or on in the Masters in 5 months he
wants to win and he’s going to try his
darnest to
win what do you most proud of about your
your journey perseverance
probably it would have been I’d say
easier to not try and come back like I
did I’m proud of that but I’m thankful
for all the people that have helped me
to get to this point too on thanks I was
[Music]
trying thanks for watching the PJ Tour
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