Wilkinson making a name for himself on West Florida Golf Tour

Rochelle alum earned two top-6 finishes in March

Russell Hodges
Posted 3/30/17

Former Rochelle golfer Andrew Wilkinson wrapped up one of his most successful runs on the West Florida Golf Tour this past month, averaging a score of 73.5 over six 18-hole rounds in four events and earning two top-6 finishes along with nearly $600 in pri

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Wilkinson making a name for himself on West Florida Golf Tour

Rochelle alum earned two top-6 finishes in March

Posted

TAMPA, Fla. — Former Rochelle golfer Andrew Wilkinson wrapped up one of his most successful runs on the West Florida Golf Tour this past month, averaging a score of 73.5 over six 18-hole rounds in four events and earning two top-6 finishes along with nearly $600 in prize money.

After finishing tied for seventh place and winning $164 at the Tampa Palms Country Club on Jan. 11, Wilkinson landed in a tie for sixth with Cyril Suk at the Ritz-Carlton Series event at the Ritz-Carlton Members Club on Monday, March 6. The former Hub shot a 71 en route to $345.56 in earnings, and he scored a 74 in the most recent event at Tampa Palms on Wednesday, March 15 to finish tied for fourth with Kevin Roy for $213.

“It definitely lifted my spirits up even though I came up a little short,” Wilkinson said. “I had a couple rounds I put together that showed I can play at a high level… Getting back into familiar territory helped me even more and right now I’m striking the ball the best I can. It’s been all about the short game and making putts to get the ball in the hole.”

Wilkinson has earned almost $3,000 in the 42 tournaments he’s played on tour, and the 26-year-old is relishing the experience of playing professional golf in Florida. He’s even crossed paths with some big-time athletes including Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson, and Wilkinson said the two are looking to pursue business ventures together.

“I’ve gotten really lucky on meeting people down here and meeting other athletes who have made this experience even more pleasurable,” Wilkinson said. “I couldn’t ask for a better situation in my life right now… [Josh] and I have become pretty good friends and we’ve been working together on some business things. He wants to do some branding and he loves golf so he wants to do some stuff with that, and he’s helped me out a lot with the mental side of succeeding at a professional level.”

The former Hub standout may be long removed from his days at Rochelle Township High School, but he still remembers logging hundreds of hours of practice time at Fairways Golf Course (then called the Rochelle Country Club). He said his parents used to drop him off at 9 a.m. and he wouldn’t be ready for them to pick him up until nearly 3 p.m. in the afternoon.

“Growing up out of Fairways, it’s an iron course and it’s all about precision,” he said. “My father is a big reason why I am where I am today, and the coaches who came along are as well. Coach [Glen] Mehrings is a great guy and coach Jared Johnson, who was my basketball coach, he helped me with a lot of things… They weren’t OK with just being good, it was always time to work on something else, and that’s what all the coaches out at Rochelle taught us… to never be content on being OK and to always strive for the next level.”

Wilkinson also credits the childhood battles he had with his neighbors as a reason for his success on tour. He grew up alongside former Hub golfer Jon Woeppel, who has earned several top finishes at events held in Rochelle including the 2014 Fairways Golf Championship, which Wilkinson took first in. The two have competed against each other in recent years, but the battles they had as kids are the ones Wilkinson said he’ll never forget.

“Jon Woeppel was my golf role model going into high school,” Wilkinson said. “He was the No. 1 player on the team and that’s always a great place to be since you always feel like you’re the leader. Going into high school I wanted to beat Jon and he would laugh if he heard that now.”

While the current Rochelle golf roster may not have the firepower that Wilkinson’s group had, every player is eligible to come back next year since the Hubs did not field a single senior this season. And for all the returning players, Wilkinson offered up some useful advice to help improve their games.

“Get out to the course,” he said. “I know schedules are different and they may have other sports, but having a golf club in your hand everyday and learning the process of golf would be my No. 1 thing. Get out and practice and grind through the tough times… You won’t be able to succeed in the game of golf if you’re only going out there 1-2 times a week to play.”