Driving for Success

As a rookie on the PGA Tour, Georgia Southern alumnus Blake Adams has been savoring each of the tournaments he’s played this season – particularly April’s Verizon Heritage on Hilton Head Island, S.C., just about a two-hour drive from his home in Swainsboro, Ga.

“I had gone to the tournament several times as a spectator, but that was my first time as a player,” Adams said. “It was exciting to play so close to home.”

While the tournament was close to home, Adams’ road to get there has been a long one, as he has battled injuries throughout his career since turning pro in 2001.

“It’s a long time coming. I feel like the injuries have held me back, so I’m certainly glad to be out here,” Adams said.

A big crowd of family and friends made the short trip to watch Adams play the Heritage, and he didn’t disappoint. He shot the low round of the tournament with an eight-under-par 63 in the second round before finishing at three-over-par 287.

It was the type of tournament Adams enjoyed often at Georgia Southern, earning All-Southern Conference honors as a senior. But injuries sidetracked his pro career before he joined the Nationwide Tour in 2007.

Adams had a breakout year in 2009 with eight top-10 finishes, including two second places and two thirds. He earned nearly $400,000 to finish third on the Nationwide Tour money list, securing his PGA Tour card for the 2010 season. In May, Adams followed up his Heritage finish with a three-way tie for second at the HP Byron Nelson Championship earning a career-best payday of $485,333.

“Last year I was healthy for the first time in my entire career and it definitely showed,” Adams said. “I played like I was capable of playing.”

Through the ups and downs, he has remained close to Georgia Southern and Statesboro. Living just 40 miles away, Adams said he often practices at Forest Heights Country Club and plays rounds with members of the Georgia Southern golf team. Adams jokes that he and his family “are in Statesboro more than we’re in our town.”

“I’m a small-town guy, and the ‘Boro is a special town. The folks there are so genuine,” Adams said.

In fact, that sense of community, more so than any individual accomplishment, is what Adams remembers most about his time at Georgia Southern. He said the fondest memory of his college career was playing in Georgia Southern’s Schenkel Invitational in 1999, the year the tournament returned after a 10-year absence.

“I don’t remember where I finished – 8th, 10th, somewhere in there – I personally just liked the experience of having the Schenkel back,” he said. “It was obviously special for the community, and the crowds were great. Even now, my friends from other schools rave about how much they enjoyed playing the Schenkel.”

Now that he has his long-awaited PGA Tour status, Adams has no intention of looking back.

“I always set really high goals for myself,” he said. “I mean, every week, if your goal is not to win, then you need to do something else.”

–Paul Floeckher