Islander makes his move on pro golf tour

Jay (Jake) Card III is working hard at every golfer’s dream, including mine. The big difference is that very few actually try to make the dream happen.

But, not Jake. He knew it would be tough, but he made the commitment to someday be on the U.S. pro golf tour, and is working daily on every part of his physical and mental game and struggling to win enough money to keep him out there.

I was writing on a consistent basis about Jake’s professional journey, and  thought it was getting boring for my readers to report Jake putting together one great round after another and missing by one stroke, so I stopped my weekly columns.

But Jake decided that he was as good as anyone and continues to improve. This past year he qualified and played all season on the Korn Ferry Tour — one of the most prestigious tours in the world  — and finished in the top 100. By finishing in the top 100 he doesn’t have to qualify again.

He starts at the second stage, and if he qualifies, moves on to the final stage, which will give him more chances to play on the PGA tour.

This week, Jay and his caddy from Shelter Island, Tony Wong, spent the week at Plantation, Fla. qualifying for the second stage. In a field of 300 players, Jake was 8th, playing his four rounds in 15 under par, guaranteeing he will be in the top 18 players to move on to the final stage.

Jake and Tony will head for Savannah, Ga. in early November for the final stage.

While writing, I remembered a statement his dad, Jay Card Jr., made to me when he and Frank Adipietro, Gary Blados and Barry Walz walked 117 holes in one day to raise money for junior golfers.

When I asked him to quit, Jay said, “There is no quit in this guy.”

Looks like the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Good luck, Jake!