Meet the rookies: Vincent Whaley

Each week during the fall, PGATOUR.COM will highlight one of the rookies playing on the PGA TOUR during the 2019-20 season. This week: Vincent Whaley, who is in the field at this week’s The RSM Classic.

Age: 24

Birthplace: Lexington, Kentucky

Resides: Atlanta, Georgia

College: Georgia Tech

TOUR card gained by: Finishing 25th in the Korn Ferry Tour regular season standings.

TOUR starts/Best finish: Four starts this season, with his best finish a T45 at the Sanderson Farms Championship.

Pro highlights: Gained promotion to the PGA TOUR after just one season on the Korn Ferry Tour. … Was runner up in just his second start in The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic and added a T7 at the LECOM Suncoast Classic and a T3 at the Lincoln Land Championship to set himself on a decent course towards the PGA TOUR. … Faced a nervous weekend after missing the cut in the final regular season event at the WinCo Foods Portland Open where he dropped from 22nd to 25th on the standings, but held on to the spot.

Amateur highlights: Three-time All-State in high school. All-ACC and Academic All-American in 2016 and 2017. … Won the 2015 Ohio State Invitational and the 2016 Clemson Invitational while at Georgia Tech. … His freshman year at Georgia Tech played with Ollie Schniederjans, Seth Reeves, Anders Albertson and Richard Werenski – all of whom have made the PGA TOUR.

Interesting tidbits: Played Augusta National while in college but threw up on the 16th and 17th holes with suspected food poisoning from fast food prior to arrival. ... Was the 2018 Rookie of the Year on the All Pro Tour (APT). … Future aspirations include starting a hedge fund. … Always marks ball with a quarter heads up. … Earliest golf memory is his grandpa caddying for him at a Starburst Junior Golf tournament at age 7. … Considers basketball his true love.

Whaley says (about the transition from college to pro golf): “When I got (to Georgia Tech), I really wasn’t that great of a player. I just hitched my wagon to Ollie Schniederjans because he was No. 1 (amateur) in the world at the time. Obviously this guy is doing something right, so I just latched on to him and did whatever he did. He taught me how to practice. Once I turned professional, it was Anders (Albertson) and Roberto Castro who have been the ones that have really helped me a bunch.”

For more on Vincent Whaley, click here.