By Tim Hartin
Two birdies in a three-hole aggregate playoff secured Jay Card III the title in the 101st Long Island Open Championship Presented by Stifel on June 5. The victory at Rockaway Hunting Club was a fitting one for Card, who has played in the championship since he was 17 and was runner-up last year after an outstanding 63 in the final round at Piping Rock Club. But the win isn’t the only highlight of Card’s season, which also includes his first-ever professional win in the PGA Tour Americas’ Kia Open.
“You feel like your game is good enough to win, but to actually do it just helps give you that confidence that even when things aren’t great that you still can be like, ‘I've done this before, I know how to do it,’ and that just means so much,” says Card, looking back on the victory that came in Ecuador at the end of April.
That win – and backing it up in the Long Island Open during a gap between the Latin American and Canadian portions of the Americas schedule – have been a long time coming for the 31-year-old Shelter Island, N.Y., native. He has been grinding in the professional ranks since 2018, carrying many lessons with him from his Long Island roots.
Card grew up playing at Gardiner’s Bay and Shelter Island Country Club’s nine-holer and cut his teeth competitively in area events. He wasn’t recruited to play in college but received an academic scholarship to attend High Point University in North Carolina. Card walked on to the golf team, but it only lasted a semester as he filled in for an injured player. Though he wasn’t particularly enjoying school, it was then that he decided he wanted to pursue professional golf.
“I remember freshman year,” Card recalls. “I was talking to my parents. I wasn’t crazy about school. I thought I wanted to drop out. I thought I wanted to go to med school, and then I realized I hated going to class and that med school is probably not the right avenue for that. They said, ‘Stick it out, get a degree, and then you can chase golf or figure out if you want to play golf after school.’”
Having grown up singing and playing multiple instruments, Card ended up getting a music degree, calling it “one of the hardest and most beneficial things” he’s done.
As Card began to pursue golf professionally, he spent time as a caddie at National Golf Links and worked in Florida at clubs like Jupiter Hills, Dye Preserve, and the Bear’s Club. During that span, he met his coach, Jeff Leishman, and had the opportunity to play and practice with guys like Daniel Berger, Lucas Glover, and Matt Fitzpatrick, and see others like Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy, and Dustin Johnson practice.
“Just seeing what the best in the world do, that really kind of gave me confidence because I didn’t think they’re doing anything that I can’t do,” Card says. “Maybe they just do it at the right time, but I felt like I wasn’t that far off, or that was something that wasn’t attainable.”
Card spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons on the Korn Ferry Tour, logging five top 25 finishes over the two years. His driving distance and driving accuracy ranked high during those years, so he’s recently focused on dialing in his irons and putting. Having seen the results, Card has a rejuvenated excitement for the game and is excited for what’s ahead – including the potential to finish the year inside the PGA Tour Americas’ top 10 for a return to the Korn Ferry Tour.