Jack Trent's Path Is "Like Following A Dream"
9/30/2019 12:18:00 PM | Men's Golf
UNLV men’s golf junior to play in PGA Tour’s Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas this week thanks to amateur exemption.
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - In March, UNLV men's golfer Jack Trent defeated the top-ranked amateur player in the world in a three-hole playoff to capture the individual title at the Southern Highlands Collegiate in Las Vegas.Â
For any college player, winning one of the most prestigious college tournaments with one of the toughest fields of the year would be and should be enough. But this one was a little different. Coming with the trophy was also a ticket into the PGA Tour's Shriners Hospitals for Childrens Open by way of an amateur exemption.
And if that isn't exciting enough, what makes it even more special for Trent is that this Tour event occurs right in his own backyard (Trent was a member at TPC Summerlin during his high school years.Â
And to top it all off, he will play alongside his childhood hero - fellow Australian and former UNLV All-American Adam Scott.
The Shriners Hospitals for Children Open is scheduled for Oct. 3-6. Trent will play a practice round with Scott on Tuesday, Oct. 1.
UNLVRebels.com recently interviewed Trent along with UNLV men's golf head coach Dwaine Knight before the team's flight to Albuquerque for the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate (played Sept. 27-28).Â
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UNLVRebels.com: Being just 20 years old and getting a chance to play in a PGA Tour event, how special is this?
Jack Trent: It means a lot to me. When I first moved here from Australia, I was a member at TPC Summerlin and I used to go out and watch the Shriners event. Our home tournament actually gave us an exemption if we won it to get in and play the Shriners, so it has become a full loop. I will be inside the ropes this time instead of outside. It means the world to me. I have been practicing for a very long time for this. I am really excited.
U: Do you realize what has happened, has it hit you that you are going to play a PGA Tour even?
J: It took a while. When I first won the tournament to get into this it was back in March. But about a month ago I realized that I was only about four weeks out from this. Then it started really hitting me that this is real. I was recently out to the course and the grandstands and everything is set up. So I think I have it in my head now that this is real and I'm ready.
U: What influence has Adam Scott had on your path given all of your similarities?
J: He has had a massive influence. He was born in Adelaide but he moved to the same area that I'm from. We went to the same high school, played the same home course and I am at the same college that he went to. He has one of the prettiest swings in the world, I think everyone knows. He is the only Australian to win the green jacket. It is an honor to play with him. I'm looking forward to playing a practice round with him on Tuesday. I actually had a phone call with him the other day, which was really cool. He was my hero growing up so it is kind of surreal, but when I get to talk to him out on the course, I think it will start to sink in.
U: How cool is it that you are going to play a practice round for a PGA Tour event with your hero?
J: When I was 10 years old, he was playing in a tournament in Australia and I was there, even asked for his signature on a hat as he was getting ready for a tee time. It was pretty cool and now I'm going to be playing with him. It has come full circle. It's really an honor and something that I have been dreaming about for a long time.
U: What are you looking forward to the most about playing in the PGA Tour event?
J: Just trying to soak it all in. It is something that I have been dreaming about and practicing for, for a very long time. Also, my family and friends will be out there watching so it will be really cool. Honestly I am looking forward to everything that goes with it.
U: Were you expecting that phone call from Adam Scott the other day?
J: I was at the gym and I was working out when the call came. I normally would just dimiss it, but I answered and I was like, hey who is this? He said it was Adam Scott and I was like, oh wow! It was unexpected but really cool. He is a really cool guy.
UNLVRebels.com: How proud are you of Jack to be playing in a PGA Tour event?
Dwaine Knight: It is tremendous. Thanks to Patrick Lindsay in giving our Southern Highlands Collegiate tournament a spot for the winner in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. It really peaked the interest from kids from all over the country who were coming here to play. It was great to see Jack win it in a three-hole playoff over Cole Hammer, who is the No. 1 amateur in the world. This was Jack's dream to follow Adam Scott here and hopefully be able to play to the level that he has done and get out on the Tour. A lot of that dream is coming true this next week and we are just real proud for him.
U: How rewarding is it for you as a coach to have one of your current players playing in a PGA Tour event under your watch?
D: It is terrific. We have been very lucky here. We have had a lot of great players. A lot of them have followed this path to go on to get their Tour cards. For Jack to do this while he is still in school and have part of his dream come true is awesome. Adam Scott coming to UNLV from Australia, Jack wanted to follow that career path. The fact that Adam came here instead of going to those other schools meant a lot to him. Since Jack has joined our program he has really matured a lot and he is really becoming a very good player. His path is kind of like following a dream and sometimes those dreams come true. He is very excited and we are very excited for him.
U: What is it like to see the different generations of UNLV players here in town on the PGA Tour?
D: Our goal is to try to get these guys to the next level. We hope they can get a degree and have something to fall back on. It is very tough to get to the PGA Tour, not everyone can do it. But we want them to have that dream and try to pursue it and follow it as best they can. To have all these guys from UNLV out on Tour actually doing it is a great path for our players to look forward to and say, hey I can do the same thing. We want them to get that degree because there are a lot of things that can happen along the way.
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