Koppenberg tees off on a long journey

Published 10:48 pm Tuesday, October 12, 2010

EVERETT — When Jake Koppenberg stands on the tee, driver in hand, there’s a good chance his golf ball is going a long ways.

And with a swing that is equal parts power and grace, the same could be said for Koppenberg’s future in the game.

The 22-year-old Koppenberg, a 2005 graduate of Everett High School, turned pro recently and is going through the PGA Tour’s Qualifying Tournament, known as Q-School. He tied for fourth out of 83 golfers at a recent pre-qualifier in Seaside, Calif., and later this month he will participate in a first-stage event in Hollister, Calif.

If Koppenberg plays well — roughly, a top 25 finish out of some 100 golfers — he will advance to a second stage. A similar finish there would move him on to a final stage in early December, where the top 25 placers plus ties receive PGA Tour cards. Most of the other finalists will qualify for the Nationwide Tour.

Koppenberg, who ended very successful college and amateur careers in recent months, is excited about the opportunity and encouraged about his chances.

“Right now, I’m hitting the ball as well as I ever have,” he said. “If I get a few things going my way and get some confidence in my putter, there’s a real possibility I could be in the top 25 at the third stage.”

Imagine, rubbing shoulders next year with Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and other golfing greats on the PGA Tour.

“I try not to let myself think about it too much,” he said, “but that’d be pretty awesome. And if I’m good enough to make it through Q-School and get on the PGA Tour, then I’m good enough to play on the PGA Tour.”

Of course, the odds — or at least the numbers — are against him. Upwards of 1,000 golfers are going through this year’s Q-School and they’re all outstanding players. The hardest part of being on the PGA Tour, it seems, is getting there.

“It’s a long road and it’s incredibly tough,” Koppenberg acknowledged. “I have to constantly remind myself not to look too far ahead because then it almost overwhelms me. I have to tell myself just to practice today, to get better today.”

Koppenberg played two years of college golf at Idaho before transferring to Western Washington, where he was twice named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference’s player of the year. As a senior, he was a Division II All-American and was chosen to the 20-man All-Nicklaus team for college golfers in all divisions.

Although it’s been a while since he established a handicap — and now that he’s a pro he doesn’t need one — Koppenberg estimates he’s playing close to a +5.0. His drives routinely exceed 300 yards, although he’s lost distance after changing from a draw to a more precise fade.

Off the tee, he said, “I think I can hit it almost as well as anybody out there. … Everyone has always said, ‘Your swing is great. Don’t change it.’”

One of those admirers is Craig Welty, a teaching pro at Mount Vernon’s Skagit Golf and Country Club who has worked with Koppenberg in recent years.

“If you watch him hit the golf ball and hear the sound of the ball coming off the club, you know immediately that it’s something special,” Welty said. “The way the ball comes off the club when he hits it, it sounds better than most good amateurs and even a lot of pros on tour.”

Koppenberg already “has the skills and the mindset to win,” Welty went on, but now he must learn “how to handle adversity. … In golf, you’re going to fail more times than you’re going to win. Even Tiger Woods doesn’t win most of the time. So Jake’s next step to succeeding as a professional is to learn how to fail by getting back up, dusting himself off, and then going on to do what he knows how to do.”

But the bottom line, Welty said, is “his potential is limitless.”

As he prepares for his next stage of Q-School, Koppenberg continues to hone his short game. The idea, he said, is to find ways “to save shots around the green. … If you’re a good putter, you can hit the ball crummy, you can chip crummy, and you’re still going to save shots all day long.

“I still hit balls on the range,” he said, “but basically 90 percent of my practice now is on my short game.”

Another assignment is to find the financial support he’ll need for a pro career. Getting into Q-School has already cost him $5,300, and he still has to pay for travel, housing, food and caddies.

And if he gets out on tour, a year’s worth of expenses could reach six figures, though that figure will hopefully be offset by earnings.

“In the next month and a half,” he said, “I’d love to seal down some investors so I’ll have enough money to travel around the country without worrying, ‘I need this putt so I can go play next week.’”

There is, Koppenberg knows, no timetable for getting out on tour. Some golfers make it right out of college and then stay there. Others labor for years on the smaller tours, getting by on paltry paychecks until finally getting their big break.

“If I have success early in my career, that’s awesome,” he said. “But if I don’t, I know I’ll keep working at it. I just have to have peace of mind and be patient that I’m going to get my chance.

“I’m not even close to being at the point where I’m satisfied with my golf game. I know I have a long ways to go. But I don’t have any doubt that I’ll get better as the road continues. I know it’s going to be hard, but I feel like I possess every strength and skill I need to be successful.”