‘Knapp Time’ T-shirts pop up around PGA National

The Jake Knapp experience continues to entertain at the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, where Knapp, fresh off his first PGA TOUR win, shot 66 Friday to get to 8-under overall.

There’s a new wrinkle, though, for fans of the Mexico Open at Vidanta champion: scripting.

Several of Knapp’s most dedicated fans have been conspicuous at PGA National for their white T-shirts with "KNAPP TIME ZZZ" in bold, black letters.

His girlfriend, Makena White, who watched Knapp win in Mexico and is following along at PGA National, explained how the specialty tees came to be.

“My dad and his buddies came down from Ottawa to watch Jake play,” said White, “and I did not know that these were going to be a thing, and I was looking for them in the crowd on 12, and then I saw a bunch of white T-shirts with beds on them. I couldn’t read it, and I was like, Oh, my, gosh, those are Knapp Time T-shirts, and so, that was them … pretty great.”

Knapp is coming off a two-stroke win in Mexico last weekend, when his unconventional story began to gain traction in the sports world. After six years of struggling to prove himself at the game’s lower levels, he took a job as a nightclub bouncer for nine months to supplement his income into the 2022 PGA TOUR Canada season.

A lifelong Anaheim Ducks fan, he partnered with the hockey team after a chance meeting with a club executive, and he connected with a mental coach whom he met while working security at a wedding. At the Cognizant Classic, Knapp has been paired with world No. 2 Rory McIlroy for the first two rounds, and McIlroy, like many, has been impressed.

“He could definitely be a star,” McIlroy said Thursday. “It looks like he's got the full package. He's obviously got the speed. He can control that speed pretty well. He hit some beautiful shots out there today. Looks like his short game is pretty good.

“He's got charisma and … if he keeps playing the way he is, he's the full package,” McIlroy continued. “He could be a superstar out here for sure.”

Added girlfriend White, wearing a KNAPP TIME tee, “Super proud. I mean, he deserves all of this. I know he was super giddy to play with Rory, which is awesome to see, and despite all the success that he’s had in the last week, he just keeps reiterating that he can’t believe that this is real life, he can’t believe this is happening to him.

“So he’s still kind of the Jake that we know and he’s so grateful for all of it.”

The cherry on top: Both Knapp and McIlroy (67) birdied the 18th hole Friday to reach 8-under, so the two new friends could find themselves paired together again for the third round of the Cognizant Classic on Saturday.