Adams finally reaches TOUR after long battle with injuries
By Stan Awtrey, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent
There was a time when Blake Adams wasn't sure if he was going to ever realize his dream of making it to the PGA TOUR. No matter how hard he worked, there was always some physical frailty nagging at him.
"It seems like I've always had to battle injuries," Adams said.
While the statement sounds more like something you'd hear from a football player, Adams has earned the right to speak the words. But he prevailed over the injuries, and he's one of 16 rookies who will make their TOUR debuts this week at the Sony Open in Hawaii.
"It's definitely been a long road," Adams said.
Adams was born and raised in the middle Georgia town of Eatonton, which is best known as the birthplace of Joel Chandler Harris, author of the Uncle Remus books, and Alice Walker, who wrote "The Color Purple." He remains a small-town guy; he lives on a dirt road in tiny Nunez, a hamlet located on the outskirts of Swainsboro. (Go ahead, it's there on Wikipedia.)
Adams played three years of golf at the University of Georgia, and then transferred to Georgia Southern, where he graduated in 2001 with a degree in sociology. That's when he turned pro and began his trek to the PGA TOUR by playing a variety of mini-tours and eventually joining the Nationwide Tour in 2007.
His progress was stopped by a hip injury he suffered during the first stage of q-school in 2008, which prevented him from turning his left hip. "I woke up the next day and couldn't even touch my kneecap," he said.
There was even talk that Adams, who had previously overcome a bulging disc in his back, needed a hip replacement. He opted for the non-surgical route, settling for nearly three months of rehabilitation. Through hard work and commitment, he returned in time to play 11 events.
Having finally regained his strength to start 2009, Adams enjoyed a career season. Although he finished third on the Nationwide Tour money list, Adams was arguably the second-best player on the circuit all year behind the unworldly Michael Sim. Adams didn't win, but he finished second twice, third twice and had 12 top-10s.
Observers quickly realize that the 6-foot-3, 200-pound Adams can bomb it off the tee; he was second on the Nationwide Tour in driving distance (311.9 yards). But he showed a great touch on the greens, too, and was sixth in putting average.
"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."
Adams couldn't wait to get to Hawaii, a place he'd never been, for this week's Sony Open. He spent last week in Palm Springs, prepping on the courses he'll see next week at the Bob Hope Classic and playing some of the famous courses he'd seen on television for years.
In December he got the chance to spend three days with veteran Kenny Perry at TaylorMade headquarters in Carlsbad, Calif. Perry, who also has a history of overcoming a serious injury, made himself available to answer any question Adams had about making it on the TOUR.
"It was really neat to be able to pick his brain and see how he does things," Adams said. "It was great to meet him and I really gained some knowledge from those three days."
The two county boys did a little talking about fishing and hunting, too.
This week Adams will catch up with some of his old buddies and start to soak in the magnitude of his achievement of making it to the big time. He'll learn the galleries are bigger, the courses a shade better manicured and the locker rooms a bit nicer.
And, as Adams will learn after graduating from the Nationwide Tour, there's no need to stop by the car rental counter at the airport. PGA TOUR players get courtesy cars each week. And there's not a Yugo in the bunch.
Stan Awtrey is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily reflect the views of the PGA TOUR.
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