The Loop

Enjoying the journey into the winner's circle on the Web.com Tour

July 07, 2015

Editor's Note: This story originally ran in the July 6, 2015 issue of Golf World.

Reality set in for Rob Oppenheim last Monday morning. After taking it deep in a local Wichita bar celebrating his first Web.com Tour victory, Oppenheim awoke to a travel day that took him to Chicago, then Toronto, then Halifax. Just because he had won the Air Capital Classic didn't mean Oppenheim was exempt from his life as a journeyman.

"There's been a lot of ups and downs, but there's no question this has been the biggest win and the biggest step in my career," Oppenheim said when I reached him at the Web.com Tour's Nova Scotia Open. "To be that much closer to being a player on the PGA Tour is kind of like a dream."

At 35, with a 2-year-old daughter and a pregnant wife at home in Winter Park, Fla., Oppenheim earned his first title in 129 Web.com Tour starts and moved to 13th on the money list with $146,227 after winning $108,000 with his closing 64. With seven events left in the regular season, he is virtually assured of finishing among the tour's top 25 money winners and, for the first time, be exempt to play the big tour.