As Palmer Jackson was enjoying a stress-free round of golf at Oakmont Country Club on Oct. 1, he took time to watch some of the players putt on No. 18 during the WPIAL Class 3A boys golf championship.
Jackson, the 2018 PIAA champion, was playing with good friend Gregor Meyer and former Notre Dame teammate Rocco Salvitti’s dad.
“I played well,” Jackson said. “I’m trying to play as much golf as possible before I return to competitive golf later this month.”
The Murrysville native and 2019 Franklin Regional graduate will be competing in two Q-school qualifiers.
He said he likes some of the changes at Oakmont, especially the new pin placements. He said the bunkers are tougher and will penalize golfers.
Jackson will head to Henryville, Ind. for the next stage of the Korn Ferry Tour on Oct. 22. He’ll then hop a flight Oct. 27 and head to Spain for the second stage of the DP World Tour (European Tour), which begins Oct. 31.
He made it through the first stage of qualifying at Arlandastad Golf in Sweden. He shot a 2-under par for four rounds and tied for 13th.
The final stage begins Nov. 8.
The Korn Ferry Tour final stage is not until December.
Jackson said there is a chance he will be on the road for 10 weeks.
“The further you advance the better the player,” Jackson said. “It’s a deep field of golfers trying to get their card.
“I’m confident in my ability, and seeing the success Neal (Shipley) has had gives me confidence that I can do it too.”
Jackson said he plays around 18 holes of golf 25 of 30 days in a month.
“I’ve been good about taking time off,” Jackson said. “You don’t want to get burnt out. I try to balance my workload and be proactive about my health.”
Jackson has played a lot of golf since graduating from Notre Dame in the spring.
He placed ninth in the NCAA Division I Championship, third at the Sunnehanna Amateur, third in the Patriot All-American Invitational, third in the Johnnie-O at Sea Island, fourth at the Hoosier Collegiate Invitational and 33rd in the U.S. Amateur.
He reached the quarterfinals in the 2019 U.S. Amateur.