Joe Highsmith (born April 19, 2000) is an American

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

who plays on the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...

. He won the 2025 Cognizant Classic.

Amateur career

In 2017, Highsmith won the Washington State Amateur Championship and was a member of the victorious Junior Presidents Cup U.S. team. In 2019, he won the Sahalee Players Championship. Highsmith played college golf at

Pepperdine University Pepperdine University () is a private university, private Christianity, Christian research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ, with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Pepperdine's main campus consists ...

between 2018 and 2022, where he was

West Coast Conference The West Coast Conference (WCC) — known as the California Basketball Association from 1952 to 1956 and then as the West Coast Athletic Conference until 1989 — is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I consisting o ...

Freshman of the Year and a two-time

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

. He majored in communication studies and graduated with the golf program's fifth-best scoring average (71.45).

Professional career

Highsmith turned professional in 2022 and joined the

PGA Tour Canada PGA Tour Canada, commonly referred to as the Canadian Tour, was a men's professional golf tour headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. The United States–based PGA Tour took over operation of the tour on November 1, 2012, at which time it was renamed ...

, where he was runner-up at the 2022

ATB Classic The ATB Financial Classic is a golf tournament on PGA Tour Canada. It was first played in 2007, and was merged with the Edmonton Open in 2010. From 2007 to 2015, it was played at a different course in Alberta each year. From 2016 to 2021, it was p ...

. In 2023, he joined the

Korn Ferry Tour The Korn Ferry Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either not yet reached the PGA Tour, or who have done so but then failed to win enough FedEx Cup points to stay at that level. ...

, where his best results were tie for 3rd at the

Korn Ferry Tour Championship The Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance is the year-end golf tournament of the Korn Ferry Tour. It has been played at a variety of courses; from 2019 to 2023 it was played at Victoria National Golf Club in Newburgh, ...

and a runner-up finish at the

Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship The Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship is a golf tournament on the Korn Ferry Tour. It was played for the first time in July 2007 at The Ohio State University Golf Club's Scarlet Course in Upper Arlington, Ohio. Jack Nicklaus, a former O ...

, which helped him graduate to the

. In his rookie PGA Tour season, he recorded a 5th place at the 2024 World Wide Technology Championship, before securing his first professional win at the 2025 Cognizant Classic with the lowest final 36-hole score in the tournament's history. Highsmith was the first golfer since 2016 to win a tournament after making the cut on the number.

Amateur wins

*2016 ACDS - Ryan Moore Junior at Oakbrook *2017 Washington State Amateur Championship *2019 Sahalee Players Championship *2021 Western Intercollegiate, Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate *2022 NCAA Bryan Regional Source:

Professional wins (1)

PGA Tour wins (1)

Results in major championships

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Results in The Players Championship

"T" = tied

U.S. national team appearances

* Junior Presidents Cup: 2017 (winners) Source:

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Highsmith, Joe American male golfers Pepperdine Waves men's golfers PGA Tour golfers Korn Ferry Tour graduates Left-handed golfers People from Lakewood, Washington 2000 births Living people 21st-century American sportsmen