Richy Werenski after his Web.com Tour BMW Charity Pro-Am victory
(Web.com Tour Photo)
(December 14, 2016) -- With nine holes remaining in
the Web.com Tour's BMW Charity Pro-Am this past
May
former AmateurGolf.com member Richy Werenski
was
closing in on his dream, a victory and full status on
the
PGA Tour. As Werenski made the turn on that
Sunday in
May he was in a three-way tie for the lead, but some
back nine heroics, including back-to-back birdies on
the
15th and 16th holes pushed Werenski to the finish
line
and his first career win on the Web.com Tour.
The victory, which followed two second place
finishes earlier in the season moved Werenski to No.
2
on the Web.com Tour money list and it ensured him
a
spot in the all important PGA Tour card earning top
25.
"The win at the (BMW Charity) definitely freed
me
up," Werenski said. "Before that win I had finished
second twice so before that win I had already locked
up
my Web.com Tour card for the following year. I got
to
the point where I knew I was good enough to win
and I
felt like it was a matter before I would win."
Originally from South Hadley, Massachusetts but
now living in Jupiter, Florida,
Werenski has taken that same confidence to the PGA
Tour and with his rookie season already underway
the
kid from New England has made three made cuts in
the
five 2016-2017 wrap around season events.
"It's pretty cool when your on the range and you
see Phil (Mickelson) and big name guys out there
and
then your on the putting green with hundreds of
people
watching the practice green watching, that is pretty
cool," said Werenski, whose best finish came in his
first
start at the Safeway Open where he shared 35th.
Heading into the 2016 Web.com Tour season
Werenski wasn't necessarily a favorite to earn his
PGA
Tour card after putting together a debut season that
saw him finish no better then the top-25 four-times
in
20 events. However, besides learning to adjust to
the
travel, the biggest improvement in Werenski's game
came thanks to a training program at the West Palm
Beach, Florida located Every Ball Counts. Werenski
was
able to sharpen his game and push himself into the
upper echelons of the Web.com Tour by learning how
to
have more focused practices that worked on
improving
the areas of his game that needed the most work.
Werenski, the son of PGA professional, started
to
dream of playing on the PGA Tour as a high schooler
at
South Hadley High School and then after transferring
during his sophomore year to the International
Junior
Golf Academy in Hilton Head, South Carolina he
made it
his goal. Following a successful junior career
Werenski
signed with Georgia Tech and just as he was about
to
begin his third year with the Yellow Jackets his
breakout
moment arrived.
Playing in the prestigious Porter Cup Werenski was lights out
shooting
four subpar rounds to finish 17-under-par and as the
winner by two. His week was highlighted by a second
round 8-under-par 62.
"After I won the Porter Cup I thought, man I am
beating really good players who are definitely going
to
go to the PGA Tour one day and I am in that same
category," Werenski said. The impact of the win
however wasn't immediate for Werenski as he
struggled
during his junior year at Georgia Tech and was even
suspended for a time due to anger management
problems. However, following the suspension
Werenski
returned refocused and as a senior be twice finished
inside the top-5.
Immediately after graduating Werenski entered
the
professional ranks and he made an instant splash
winning three of his first five events while losing
another in a playoff. The hot start helped Werenski
earn
a spot on the Golf Channel's widely popular Big
Break where he produced his professional
breakthrough moment by winning the
competition and earning an exemption into the
2015 PGA
Tour's Barbasol Championship, an event that he
made
the cut in.
"My confidence is through the roof right now,"
Werenski told Golf Channel after winning Big
Break:
The Palm Beaches. "I thought I was good
enough
to win this and I knew that if I played my game that
I
would have a really good chance and now I just feel
that much better about my game."
That confidence hasn't left Werenski and as the
soon to be 25-year-old stated he believes he is on
the
track to bigger and better things, "The biggest thing
is
to just keep doing what I was doing on the Web.com
Tour, its not that much different on the PGA Tour.
Whatever I was doing to get me out here is good
enough to win out here. I think that is the big thing,
believing in that and trusting in that."
Werenski is hoping to restart his season in
Hawaii
but he is waiting to see if he automatically qualifies
or if
he will have to play in a Monday qualifier. After
Hawaii
he plans on playing in the first three events of the
California swing.
"My number one goal is to keep my card and
finish
top 125," Werenski said of his 2017 objectives. "But
another goal is to win. I know I am good enough, I
think it is just a matter of time until it happens."
As for us at AmateurGolf.com we have know
doubt
that the matter of time will come sooner rather than
later and our whole staff wishes him continued luck
and
success!
Additional Notes about Richy Werenski
-His younger brother Mickey is a senior on the
Texas
A&M golf team
-Both his parents played golf, his mother Susan
played at Rollins College while his father Michael
played
at American International College
-Werenski is excited to be a member of the
New
England fraternity of golfers on the PGA Tour, "It is
awesome, just to be in the same category as some
of
the guys who have come out of New England. I feel
like
I have a pretty good fan base, you get areas where
there are a lot of tour pros like in the south and
there
are a
lot of different people to root for but being from New
England I feel like I have a huge fan base and it is
just
awesome. I have always gotten the support from
them
and there are always younger kids that are in the
game
messaging me and asking for advice. It is awesome."