Adam Schenk: ‘Winning is something I need to check off my list’

The John Deere Classic has been a life-changing tournament for previous players who won. This year’s field has some of the top golfers on tour looking to be part of that same history.

The JDC has produced 23 first-time winners. Cameron Young, Adam Schenk and Denny McCarthy are all still looking for their first wins. All three coming in with lots of success – either in the top 30 in the world rankings or the FedEx Cup standings. 

“If I take care of my business and handle my situations and my talent level and the shots I can hit and how I get by my inconsistencies is how I give myself the best chance to win,” Schenk said. “Rather than I played great and finished seventh and need to change everything. it is hard to win out here and think people lose sight of that – how tough it is to finish top 20. They give away a lot of money for 20th place, too. It’s not all bad. Winning is great but it’s not all I’m about but it’s something I need to check off my list. That’s next for me. So I would not have regret if I don’t win, but it’s something I really, really want to do.” 

“I think having some time to separate all the good things that happened to me last year, i got to sit on that for a month or two and then come back,” Young said. “By the time I came back, I was just much more comfortable than when I left, even just this second year on tour. The stops are the same and there isn’t somewhere I haven’t been before. I’m not saying, ‘Man, I don’t know where the locker room is.’ Overall, getting to play in all the big events and experience all of that last year has helped make it all comfortable. It’s just experience – part of being on the tour. As you get more of it, things start to feel like home.” 

Young and Schenk have runner-up finishes, while McCarthy has the lowest round on tour this year, shooting a 60 at the Travelers Championship in Connecticut two weeks ago.