207: Adam Long | Securing a Spot on the PGA Tour

This week we’re talking to my buddy, Adam Long, who is recently one of the top 25 money-earners on the Web.com Tour in the year 2017-2018, and is therefor PGA Tour bound in 2018-2019. I can honestly say this is an episode I’ve been looking forward to doing for the last couple years. I first met Adam when we had him on the show (Episode 60) and since then have been working with him remotely with programs for him to continue to do on the road. I’m so excited to see how far he has come and where he is going. In this episode, we talk about the ups and downs of this past year; the emotions of finally earning his tour card and the trials and tribulations that he faced on the way to getting to the PGA Tour. Adam Long’s Background Adam Long grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and from a young age knew that golf was the game he was destined to play. He attended Francis Howell High School in St. Charles, Missouri, where he was a four-time all-state All-Metro selection and ranked 8th in the Golfweek Junior Golf Rankings. From high school, Adam decided to start his collegiate golf career on the Men’s Golf Team at Duke University. He was an All-ACC and Academic All-ACC team selection, and played 11 out of the 12 tournaments his first season, he was a PING All-East Region Selection as well as tying for third at the Big 4 Challenge and ranked 6th nationally and 22nd among all US Amateurs in the Golfweek Amateur Rankings while at Duke. Adam quickly turned pro after graduating from Duke in 2010 with his bachelor’s degree in Sociology. Shortly after he turned pro, Adam played his first PGA TOUR event in 2011 the U.S. Open. In 2012, he joined the Web.com Tour where he played a total of 17 events, and landed in the top 10 for one and top 25 for two tournaments that season. In 2014, Adam played on both the Lationoamérica and Mackenzie Tour’s in 2014, where he played 23 events. In 2015, Adam rejoined the Web.com Tour where he played 21 events, and made top 10 for two and top 25 for five that season. Outside of loving golf, Adam is a huge St. Louis Cardinals fan, and loves to watch his alma mater, Duke University, play basketball. When not playing golf, Adam loves to vacation in Northern Michigan and loves to spend to spend time with his family at their cottage there. Adam is engaged to his long-time girlfriend, Emily. Highlights from this Episode Adam gives us a recap of the past year as far as the mental game, where he feels he has excelled, and what he has learned over years of playing in the Web.com tour that helped him really step it up this year and earn his tour card. He explains that one of the differences in his game this past year was feeling more comfortable and confident in the later rounds, and keeping the pedal down throughout. We discuss what the process is looking like for him moving forward as he is gearing up for the upcoming season. He talks about his representation and sponsor, and why he has made the decision to not change much.  He appreciates the people and sponsors that have helped him get where he is, so he doesn’t feel the need to really do anything different in these areas. Adam shares his plan for the last few Web.com tour events shares some insight into the way the final 50 golfers are seeded regarding status based on the finish of the Web.com season and the Tour Finals. Lastly, we touch on what he does to stay fresh when he is playing 11 or 12 straight weeks, and the keys to keeping his peak performance up each week. Parting Questions What’s one thing you are most looking forward to on the PGA tour? I’ve heard you can’t find a bad meal so I’m excited for the food. Anything you’ll miss from the Web.com tour?  The family feel from the players to the caddies, to the management. If you could pick a walk up song to the first tee box, what would it be?  St. Louie by Nelly If in 1 year we are back together, what would success look like to you for this tour? Keeping my card, finishing on the top 125. Follow Adam Long on Social Media: Website Twitter  Instagram Episode Sponsor: Rad Roller What To Do Next: 1.) Subscribe (Click the blue button below) and Leave a Rating/Review (Click this link) for the Podcast: window.podcastData={"title":"18STRONG Podcast","subtitle":"The ultimate resource to training harder, practicing smarter, and playing better golf. Learn the tactics and secrets that the best coaches and players in the world use in their golf fitness programs, mental game approach, and nutrition habits.","description":"Jeff Pelizzaro from 18STRONG takes you inside the ropes with golf top fitness professionals, mental game coaches, swing coaches, players and more. 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