Jordan Gumberg is trying to ignore all the outside noise as he bids to become a Swing champion and earn a second Major Championship appearance at the Turkish Airlines Open.
The American has led the Asian Swing since the start thanks to his second DP World Tour victory at the Hainan Classic presented by MAEXTRO and a top 35 at the Hero Indian Open.
A missed cut at last week’s Volvo China Open did not dislodge him from top spot but the race is so wide open that any of the top 80 players in the Rankings teeing it up at National Golf Club could win the Swing and with it entry into all the Back 9 events and a US$200,000 bonus.
The top three players in the Swing at the end of this week will also earn a place at the US PGA Championship, with the standings so tight that Gumberg could yet see that taken away from him as well.
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But the 31-year-old - along with caddie Ethan Marcus – is looking to block all that out as he searches for a first appearance in one of golf’s big four events since the 2023 U.S. Open.
“I think you put it in the back of your mind as much as you can,” he said.
"The opportunity to play in any Major is a great opportunity and my caddie says we’re kind of in a bubble this week. We just worry about one shot at a time and if we focus on that everything will work out.”
Winner of the 2024 SDC Championship, Gumberg played every event he could barring one last season in his quest to keep his card, remarkably getting the job done with his final shot of the season as he holed out for eagle at the Genesis Championship.
With no such worries this campaign, he admits his schedule will not be as packed as he enjoys life as a two-time winner.
“The first win was very emotional for me,” he said. "The second win was more validating. It definitely gave me that bit more confidence and feeling of belonging and the confidence that I’m doing the right thing and that I'm playing well.”
