Luck wants repeat at Nationwide event
For every young Jack Nicklaus there are dozens of Jack Squats, promising amateur golfers who show flashes but ultimately fizzle out as professionals. Curtis Luck insists he never worried about becoming that second guy, but the 2016 United States Amateur winner still is glad he no longer has to answer when he will win as a professional. The Australian finally broke through last year by winning the 2020 Nationwide Children’s Championship.
Winning the Korn Ferry Tour event at the Ohio State Scarlet Course confirmed what Luck knew all along — that he belonged among the best players in the world.
“It’s good confirmation,” he said of the one-stroke win. “I didn’t feel like my game was in position to win the golf tournament last year, but it leaves me with positive thoughts that if I can win when I’m not where I want to be, then I can definitely win when my game is where I want it to be.”
Entering Thursday’s first round of the 2021 Nationwide Children’s Championship, Luck’s game is not where he wants it. The 25-year-old ranks 67th on the season points list and could use a strong finish at Scarlet to move him into position to earn a PGA Tour card for next season.
The Nationwide Children’s Championship is the second leg of the three-part Korn Ferry Finals. The top 25 players at the end of the finals receive a PGA Tour card, joining the top 25 points leaders during the completed Korn Ferry regular season who already received their PGA Tour “call-up.”
Luck is buoyant about his chances to play well at Scarlet, given his past finishes. Before collecting the $180,000 winner’s check last year, he tied for seventh in 2019, tied for fifth in 2018 and tied for 19th in 2017.
“The results haven’t been there this season but I feel a lot better about my golf than when I won last year,” he said. “The golf course itself doesn’t remind me of Australian golf courses, but the way it plays does. During the week it always gets firm and by the end of the week it is concrete. You have to be smart and make appropriate decisions at the right times.”
Luck takes his recent struggles somewhat in stride, comparing golf to business.
“I’ve always looked at it as in any form of business it takes a lot of hard work to get somewhere at a high level,” he said. “Like most office jobs, we’re talking 10 to 15 years. In golf, I’m trying to speed that process and make it here and now. So winning (the U.S. Amateur) is kind of irrelevant. I’ve looked at this as a journey during which I’ve had some successes and some failures.” roller@dispatch.com
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