Catching up with Watchung's Luke Graboyes, 2017 NJSGA Open Champion

October 1, 2020 - Even though he missed the cut by a single stroke in his first PGA Tour event last weekend, Luke Graboyes of Watchung Valley, the 2017 NJSGA Open Champion, has no regrets.

“You can only learn from experience. I just didn’t putt well, which usually is the strongest part of my game. I still made enough important putts to keep me around the cut line, but I didn’t make the 10-to-20-footers. On the other hand, I was happy that I didn’t have any three-putts on the second day.”

Graboyes, 25, shot 69-73-142 in the PGA Tour’s Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship in the Dominican Republic on Thursday and Friday, September 24-25. Hudson Swafford, who had not won a Tour event since 2017, shot 18-under-par 270 to claim his first title in three seasons.

It came down to the wire in the second round for Graboyes, who needed only to par his final hole on Friday, the par-3, 200-yard ninth hole. However, his downwind tee shot landed on a firm green and rolled over the back. His flop shot back onto the green left him a 30-foot putt for par, which he was unable to convert.

There were positives for Graboyes, namely his ball-striking and accuracy which provided an important lift.

“I hit a lot of fairways and greens this week. The fairways on the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour are very narrow and keeping it in the fairway is key since the pin placements are difficult. If you are not in the fairway, it’s pretty tough to get to the green,” said Graboyes.

A former NJSGA Caddie Scholar who won the state high school championship in 2013, Graboyes overcame a three-shot deficit to win the 2017 NJSGA Open Championsip at Metedeconk National as an amateur. At the time, it was only the ninth time in 97 years that an amateur won the Open championship. Since turning professional later that year, Graboyes has been playing in mini-tours in the Florida area. He qualified for the Corales Championship back in March when he shot 68 on a blustery day to claim qualifying medalist honors at the Preserve at Iron Horse in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Looking ahead, Graboyes has two more PGA Tour qualifiers lined up, including one on Oct. 12 at Orange County National in Winter Garden, Fla., for the PGA Tour’s Bermuda Championship that will take place at Port Royal Golf Course. On Nov. 12, Graboyes will travel to Brunswick, Ga., where he will play in a qualifier for the RSM Classic at Sea Island Golf Club.

As Graboyes continues practicing in advance of his next qualifier in two weeks, he remains confident in his ability – and committed to his goal of qualifying for either the PGA Tour or Korn Ferry Tour through Q-School or Monday qualifiers.

“My game is pretty comparable to the guys playing out here. I found out it doesn’t take a spectacular game to compete,” he said. “You just have to be consistent.”