From Sharing a Home to Sharing Wins: Jake Knapp Reflects on a Friend’s PGA Tour Rise
LA JOLLA, CA - FEBRUARY 01: Jake Knapp USA watches his tee shot on 16 during the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open on February 1, 2026, at Torrey Pines Golf Course, La Jolla, California. Photo by Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire GOLF: FEB 01 PGA, Golf Herren Farmers Insurance Open EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2602010374
LA JOLLA, CA - FEBRUARY 01: Jake Knapp USA watches his tee shot on 16 during the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open on February 1, 2026, at Torrey Pines Golf Course, La Jolla, California. Photo by Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire GOLF: FEB 01 PGA, Golf Herren Farmers Insurance Open EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2602010374
Success looks different when you’ve seen the struggle up close and Jake Knapp understands that reality firsthand, having shared a home with Brian Campbell long before the wins followed.
Speaking on Feb. 6 at the WM Phoenix Open, Jake Knapp said it was meaningful to watch Brian Campbell win twice last season.
“Yeah, it was awesome seeing what he did last year, getting a couple of wins. I mean, especially in Mexico. Kind of going back to back for us was pretty neat. And then John Deere hit some unbelievable shots coming down the stretch.,” Knapp said.
Brian Campbell earned two PGA TOUR wins in 2025 after several years on the professional circuit.
He claimed his first title at the Mexico Open at Vidanta World on Feb. 23, finishing at 20-under 264 and winning a playoff against Aldrich Potgieter.
He later added a second playoff victory at the John Deere Classic on July 6, posting 18-under 266 to defeat Emiliano Grillo.
During the Mexico Open playoff, Campbell kept his tee shot in play on the second extra hole and later made birdie to close out the win.
PGA, Golf Herren Farmers Insurance Open - First Round Jan 29, 2026 San Diego, California, USA Jake Knapp lines up a putt on the 18th hole during the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament at Torrey Pines Municipal Golf Course - North Course. San Diego Torrey Pines Municipal Golf Course - South Course California USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xAbexArredondox 20260129_cec_bv8_033
PGA, Golf Herren Farmers Insurance Open - First Round Jan 29, 2026 San Diego, California, USA Jake Knapp lines up a putt on the 18th hole during the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament at Torrey Pines Municipal Golf Course - North Course. San Diego Torrey Pines Municipal Golf Course - South Course California USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xAbexArredondox 20260129_cec_bv8_033
As a result, he made his first appearances at The Masters, where he finished tied for 32nd, along with starts at the PGA Championship and THE PLAYERS Championship.
The Mexico Open win also followed a victory at the same event the previous year by his former roommate, Jake Knapp.
Knapp added that the success felt personal given their long history. “We’ve been friends for a really long time,” he said, explaining that they’ve known each other since childhood and previously lived together. “So it’s cool to see your buddies have success.”
All about Jake Knapp and Brian Campbell's friendship
Jake Knapp and Brian Campbell are longtime friends whose connection extends beyond competition and into shared experiences away from the course.
For nearly two years, ending around 2022, the two lived together in Costa Mesa, California.
Their house was located at the end of the driving range at Mesa Verde Country Club, the same club where both grew up playing junior golf. That overlap carried into their playing careers.
Growing up in Southern California, they competed against each other in Orange County junior events before taking separate collegiate paths, with Knapp attending the University of California, Los Angeles, and Campbell enrolling at the University of Illinois.
Their professional milestones have also aligned at key moments. Both recorded their first PGA TOUR victories at the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld, with Knapp winning in 2024 and Campbell following in 2025.
Earlier in their careers, the two also qualified for the U.S. Open through the same 2015 sectional qualifier in Newport Beach, a result that led to a shared send-off gathering at their home club.
You can read more at Daily Club Golf!
Written by
Aditi Singh
Edited by
Oajaswini Prabhu