VanDerLaan makes his push toward PGA card

BY STEVE BARLOW

REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

When John VanDerLaan turned pro following his All-America collegiate golfing career, his agent advised him against getting a place of his own. In fact, he told the Southbury native it might be a good idea to book temporary housing via Airbnb and save on rent.

“I remember thinking he was crazy,” said VanDerLaan, who is in his second full season on the Korn Ferry Tour. “But now you’re on the road 30 weeks of the year, more than you’re home really.

“It’s tough when you’re living out of a suitcase. It was definitely an adjustment, but it’s something I wouldn’t trade for anything. I’m getting to live my dream.”

On the Korn Ferry Tour, golf’s equivalent of Triple-A baseball, VanDerLaan bounces all over the Western hemisphere, from the Bahamas to Panama to Idaho to Maine and everywhere in between.

It’s an adventure. It’s a grind. And it’s starting to pay off for the 26-year-old former Pomperaug High star.

VanDerLaan is currently 35th in the Korn Ferry rankings, putting him within shooting distance of the top 25, which would automatically earn him his PGA Tour card for 2023.

He joined the tour during the COVIDinterrupted 2020-21 season, playing in 44 events, posting three top-10 finishes and winding up 62nd in the rankings with $180,489 in earnings.

This year, VanDerLaan has kicked it up a notch. In 17 events, he has two top-10 finishes, seven top-20 finishes, is ranked 35th and has already won $134,462.

June and July have been especially fruitful. He tied for seventh at the Rex Hospital Open in North Carolina, tied for eighth at the Live and Work in Maine Open two weeks ago and tied for 13th at The Ascendant tournament in Colorado last weekend.

“This year, I’ve really stepped up my ball striking. I’m hitting a lot of greens, keeping the ball in front of me and giving myself a lot of birdie opportunities,” VanDerLaan said.

There has been one other big change. His fiancée (and sometime caddie), Hannah Whisman, whom he met while at Florida Southern College, left her accounting job a year ago to join him on the golf circuit.

As far as a place to call home goes, they solved that by putting some of their stuff in a spare bedroom at the house in Naples, Fla., where his parents, John and Maria, reside, and the rest went into a storage unit. Then they hit the road.

“It’s nice to have her along and experience all of these new places together,” VanDerLaan said.

He still has plenty of family in Connecticut, including a sister and grand-

See VANDERLAAN , Page 9A

John VanDerLaan hits his approach shot on the 17th hole during the third round of the Huntsville Championship at The Ledges on April 30 in Huntsville, Ala.

MIKE MULHOLLAND GETTY IMAGES

Continued from Page 10A

parents. His brother, Michael, another former Pomperaug standout, is playing events in Florida and awaiting Q school, when he will shoot for a spot on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Pro golf is definitely a step up from the college game.

“The competition is obviously harder. The golf courses aren’t too much harder, but they’re set up tougher. The fields are deeper,” VanDerLaan said. “You’ve really got to put four good rounds together.”

There are two months left on the Korn Ferry schedule. VanDerLaan will play in four more tournaments with an eye on moving into the Top 25.

“I’ve got four events to try to do some damage and try to get that (PGA Tour) card for next season,” he said. “That’s the No. 1 goal for now.”