Cam Davis spent his childhood in Sydney, Australia, forming plastic balls around trees in his backyard. It fostered an instinctive ingenuity that now, at the age of 28, as a PGA TOUR veteran, serves him well.
However, it was a simple task completed on Sunday in Memphis, Tennessee, that set his calendar for the upcoming year and possibly beyond.
To guarantee his place in the top 50, a seat at this week’s BMW Championship, and entry into the eight Signature Events of the next year, Davis required a par at the last hole of last week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship, the inaugural FedExCup Playoffs event (although, as it turned out, a bogey would have been acceptable). He was in the Playoffs despite some of the season not going as planned, having just come off back-to-back top-10 finishes.
He hit a straight iron from 170 yards to 12 feet, two-putted for par, and was on his way to Chicago as one of the 50 players scheduled to compete this week at the North Course of the Olympia Fields Country Club. He flushed his drive along the right side of the 18th fairway because the left side was blocked by water.
With that par, he gained the opportunity to choose his schedule for the upcoming season and kept his prospects of competing in his first TOUR Championship. All glory to a late-summer surge that turned around his situation.
“This year, I spent a lot of time worrying about whether or not I would keep my card or advance to the Playoffs. I’ve dug myself out of some pretty big holes this year, so to turn it around and finish strong like this is incredibly nice.” Davis said on Tuesday.
Lucas Glover’s quick rise in the FedExCup rankings over the past two weeks has drawn attention. He won back-to-back tournaments to jump from 112th to fourth, trailing only Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler, and Rory McIlroy.
Davis, a soft-spoken Australian man in similar physical shape, has advanced through the ranks. Though perhaps not as dramatic, his 2024 calendar underwent the same major overhaul.
With a T6 last week at TPC Southwind, Davis rose from No. 62 to No. 45 on the FedExCup, which was reinforced by that final par on a hole that has witnessed numerous mishaps over the years. That came after a T10 at the 3M Open just to get into the top 70, and after a T7 at the Wyndham Championship to lock down his spot in the top 70.
Davis has a chance to win the FedExCup rather than competing in the FedExCup Fall to ensure his PGA TOUR membership. To qualify for the TOUR Championship, he must shoot at least a solo sixth, however, he may need higher. The way his previous month has gone, no one can suggest he won’t be able to keep the train running even though he hasn’t yet advanced to East Lake Golf Club.
“Throughout my career, I’ve encountered this kind of circumstance quite a several times. Examples include losing my PGA TOUR card in my first year on the circuit and having to play a stellar final nine holes to win the Korn Ferry Tour Finals in order to regain it, as well as competing in a playoff.” Davis said.
When it comes to one-shot situations, I believe that some of the mental blockers are actually removed, and I feel as though I have played a lot of really solid golf to keep my career moving ahead.
Since the Korn Ferry Tour Q-School in 2017, Andrew Tschudin has been caddying for Davis, giving him a first-hand view of Davis’ journey from 160th in the FedExCup rankings as a rookie to his present status as a TOUR winner, part of the 2022 Presidents Cup team, and one of the top 50 players on the TOUR.
Tschudin has long been in awe of Davis’ natural imagination, which dates back to those childhood hours spent in his backyard coming up with shots on the spot.
“He’s fantastic if you throw him out here on the course,” Tschudin said.
On the 72nd hole at TPC Southwind, Davis wasn’t up against any trees, yet he still made par. This made it necessary to have a change in flight plans. He had already planned a travel home to Seattle (his adoptive abode with his wife Jonika Zapiorkowska, who is from the area), so he was more than pleased to accommodate the modification.
In terms of making things simpler. He had an excellent trip in mind, but he hadn’t yet made any preparations for this week. He achieved that by using a clutch gene that had been developed through time.
“He seems to me to carry himself a little more as he belongs. He was a little reserved when he first started; you’re just learning the ropes, seeing all these people that you probably grew up watching. He seems to be playing with everyone now, and I believe that this just comes with time and exposure to many different people.” Tschudin remarked.
Adam Scott, one of the athletes he grew up following, had a string of 16 straight FedExCup Playoff berths that ended this year. Davis, who admired Scott growing up, has now made it through five straight postseasons.
It’s unlikely the streak will stop soon.
