Adam Schenk got sick and lost his wallet.
That made his first trip to the Masters memorable for all the wrong reasons when he attended a Monday practice round as a fan several years ago.
“I had a terrible time,” Schenk said.
That’s about to change. Schenk will be on the other side of the ropes at Augusta National in April.
Schenk, the self-proclaimed little-known golfer, qualified for the Masters by making the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup playoff finale. And what a week it was at East Lake Golf Club.
Schenk started the week 23rd in the 30-man field in the FedEx Cup point standings. He ended the week tied for ninth. Schenk was 10-under par for the staggered scoring tournament after starting 1 under. At one point in Sunday’s final round he was 5 under for day and 14 under for the tournament and was alone in third place behind winner Viktor Hovland and his primary chaser Xander Schauffele.
The Masters is the only golf major that Schenk has not played. He competed at the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open last year and the British Open in 2023. He will play in all four majors next year thanks to his impressive season. He also earned a PGA Tour two-year exemption.
Schenk had six top-10 finishes this season, including as runner-up in the Valspar Championship and the Charles Schwab Challenge. He tied for sixth at the St. Jude Championship playoff event two weeks ago to secure his spot in the Tour Championship. He was one of five Tour Championship first-timers (Tommy Fleetwood, Tom Kim, Taylor Moore and Nick Taylor.)
“It was a life-changing year,” Schenk said.
Schenk’s wife, Kourtney, started the day by letting everyone know she was wearing waterproof mascara.
It wasn’t because she needed to find cover from the thunderstorm that rocked East Lake and caused a near two-hour delay. Although it certainly would have helped. (For the record, Kourtney found cover.)
Kourtney posted on social media that Sunday was the sixth anniversary of Adam obtaining his PGA Tour card.
“I have a slew of words to share but I’ll spare you all: I’m wearing waterproof mascara today,” Kourtney posted.
At the end of the week, Schenk earned $990,000 for the five-way tie for ninth. That’s a $410,000 bump from the slotted spot at 23rd. It brings his season earnings to almost $6 million and his career earnings to almost $11 million.
“It was really cool being here,” Schenk said. “I fell in love with the course. I wish I could say I show up every week and think I can win. I love this golf course. I thought I could come out here and compete and have a chance. I kind of got somewhat close.
“I had a lot of things go my way. It just stings that I didn’t close it out.”
Schenk made five birdies on the day – all with lengthy putts. He made a 44-footer on No. 1, a 32-footer on No. 4, a 19-footer on No. 6, a 22-footer on No. 13 and an 18-footer on No. 15. That’s a lot of distance covered on the greens. Oh, and let’s not forget the holed-out sand wedge from 132 yards for eagle at No. 3. There were blemishes too, including two double-bogeys, but a closing 69 is reason to be happy.
Schenk said he tried not to look at the leaderboard, but he knew he was up near the top. The proof came when he accidentally saw a board when he was solo third.
Coming close is nice. Schenk admitted it stings some, but he knows that he will appreciate all he has done this year. His schedule next year can be set. He will play in all the majors. He has a goal to keep moving up leaderboards until his name becomes a little more well known.
“I could have finished second this week and nobody would still know who I am,” Schenk said. “I kinda like it that way.”
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