Looking back helps us move forward. Moments of reflection and introspection offer an important opportunity for growth. For our ambassador Sam Stevens, this week’s PGA Tour event in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, provides him with such an opportunity.

Two years ago, Sam made his PGA Tour debut at this event. He was a Monday qualifier who had to earn one of the last spots in the field. Now Sam returns as an established PGA Tour professional. He finished 75th in last year’s FedEx Cup standings, a strong rookie season that saw him have multiple opportunities to win.

“This week was such a great learning experience, and was a turning point in the way I thought about my own game,” Sam said. “To be able to come back last year and again this year as a full member of the PGA Tour is way more than I would’ve expected two years ago. I’m grateful to be playing out here and to have the chance to be a great PGA Tour player.”

We’re proud that Sam wears Straight Down because he exhibits the perseverance and work ethic that we admire. Sam spent years on golf’s mini-tours, grinding out a living while pursuing his dream, before reaching golf’s highest level. He comes from a family of golfers, as his father Charlie competed on the Korn Ferry Tour and Sam’s grandfather, Johnny, played the PGA Tour in the late 1960s.

Sam’s college coach at Oklahoma State called Sam “a refreshing throw-back player.” He won six times on the mini-tours between 2018-22 before making his way to the Korn Ferry Tour. He needed just one year on that circuit to earn his first PGA Tour card. Sam has made the cut in all three major championships he has played and contended multiple times during his brief time on Tour.

Just a couple years ago, Sam was “just hoping I could get a chance to play the Tour,” he said. “I try and have that perspective. It’s hard, you know. And I think the longer that you’re out here, the easier it is to lose sight of the fact that this is a really cool place to be.”

Sam Stevens embodies grit and gratitude. That’s what makes him the perfect ambassador for Straight Down.