Svensson hangs on to his superstitions
VANCOUVER There’s one thing you won’t see Canadian Adam Svensson do on the PGA Tour next year — hit a ball marked with the number four.
The Surrey, B.C.-native doesn’t know how the superstition started but he simply won’t jinx his game by playing a four, especially on the tour he’s been dreaming of playing his entire life.
While some pros use specially designed balls painted with a lucky numeral, others stick to the factory-produced version, marked with the numbers one through four to help golfers keep track of their shot on the course.
Svensson said he’s never had a bad experience with a four, but he’s not about to risk that changing at this crucial point in his career.
Last month the 24-year-old earned his card for next season’s PGA Tour when he finished the Web.com Tour’s regular season in 14th place on the money list with earnings of US $190,825.
A PGA Tour card has been a “life-long dream” for Svensson.
“Being able to play out there with the guys I grew up watching on TV is pretty special,” he said from Jupiter, Fla., where he now lives and trains. “It’s just an exciting time for me.”
But Svensson has work to finish on the Web.com Tour first. He goes in to this week’s Albertsons Boise Open in 15th place on the tour’s earnings board after posting four top10 finishes this season and winning The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic in January.
The success follows an offseason full of tough workouts, Svensson said.
“Pretty much grinding it out,” he said. “It pretty much just comes down to working harder than I ever have before.”
Working hard at golf has been a major part of Svensson’s life since childhood. He remembers being at the range with his dad when he was about three, and begging to hit balls.
“I would just sit there for hours and watch him hit golf balls,” Svensson said.
By eight he was entering tournaments and at 16, he joined Golf Canada’s development team.
He spent two years playing at Barry University in Miami, where he helped the team win two NCAA national championships. He took home freshman golfer of the year honours in 2013 and the collegiate golfer of the year award in 2014.
By 2015, Svensson was ready to turn pro. He won Web.com’s 2015 qualifying tournament by a record seven shots.