Jason Kokrak’s first PGA Tour Victory came late last year at The CJ Cup in Las Vegas after 223 starts. His luck had begun to change as his next win came only 16 starts later at the Charles Schwab Challenge in the spring.
Now that the 2020 – 21 season has wrapped up, we see just how far the golfer has come. He landed those two wins, scored a dozen top 25 finishes, tied for 11th at the Tour Championship, and pocketed $5.1 million in earnings.
At Shadow Creek, one of the most expensive public courses in the world, Kokrak finished 1st in Strokes Gained: Putting, gaining 10.291 strokes on the field. (That was also the key to his season; he ranked 6th in SG: Putting on the year after ranking 151st in that category the previous season.)
Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz, hosts of GOLF’s Subpar Podcast, recently sat down with Kokrak. They discussed his successful season and some of the improvements he has been focusing on.
Big Improvements
Kokrak said his caddie deserved much of the credit as he really helped him learn how to read the greens more effectively. He also added that adjusting his putter length made a big difference. His win at The CJ Cup was a little less nerve-wrecking because greens were in optimal condition and as a result, sinking putts was a whole lot easier.
“Honestly, I’ve never played Shadow Creek that firm and fast before,” Kokrak said. “Normally it’s pristine, but kind of soft.”
“It’s immaculate,” Stoltz said. “Like Augusta Vegas.”
“Yeah, I would put them up against Augusta, that week, all day long, cause they were extremely fast,” Kokrak said. “I mean, they are always fast, but that week it was really fast.
“They were unbelievable,” he continued. “I mean, there wasn’t one spot on any part of the green that was a little bit bumpy. If you hit a good putt it would go in the hole.”
