Wichita golfer Sam Stevens makes weekend cut in PGA Tour debut at Honda Classic
This could be the breakthrough week in the professional golf career for Sam Stevens, a 25-year-old Wichita native who just made the weekend cut at the Honda Classic in his PGA Tour debut.
Since graduating from Oklahoma State in 2018, the former Kapaun Mt. Carmel standout and three-time Kansas high school state champion has been grinding to much success on the mini-tours. He just earned full-time status on the Korn Ferry Tour, recently finishing in a tie for 35th place at the Suncoast Classic in Lakewood Ranch, Fla. this past Sunday.
But Stevens’ week — and career — took a turn when he drove three hours coast-to-coast that night to Palm Beach Gardens to play in the PGA Tour Monday qualifier the following day. Not only did Stevens punch his ticket to his first PGA Tour event, he did so in emphatic fashion by chipping in on the par-5 18th to card a 7-under round of 65 for the lowest score on the day.
“I didn’t know exactly what I needed, but I thought 6-under would be good enough,” Stevens told reporters after the round. “It came off great and looked like it was going to stop close, so it was just icing on the cake when it dropped.”
Little did Stevens know there would be another layer to that cake and more icing to come.
After giving himself a chance by shooting an even-par 70 on Thursday, Stevens was automatic on the greens and once again produced magic on the par-5 18th by chipping in for eagle yet again to cap off a 2-under round of 68 on Friday.
Stevens didn’t just make the cut, which ended up at 2-over, he finds himself in a tie for 12th place, eight shots back from the top of the Honda Classic leaderboard but only one shot back from cracking the top-10.
Interested fans can follow along the PGA leaderboard for updates on Stevens this weekend or perhaps catch a glimpse of him during weekend coverage on NBC from 2-5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Full coverage is also available on the Golf Channel or with an ESPN+ subscription.
Stevens comes from Wichita golfing royalty in a family who has three generations of Kansas Amateur winners: Sam won in 2015, then his father, Charlie, won in 2010 and his grandfather, Johnny, won in 1960 and 1961. His cousin, Kate Tilma, was the youngest winner of the Kansas Women’s Amateur when she won at age 16 in 2020, while his aunt, Cathy Tilma (formerly Stevens), is a 4-time Kansas Am champion.
This story was originally published February 26, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
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