SILVIS, Ill. — The 2021 John Deere Classic is Alex Schaake's first PGA tournament.
Alex Schaake, from Omaha, Nebraska, was given a sponsor exemption to compete in the tournament.
The former University of Iowa Hawkeye comes into the tournament on the heels of a successful college golf career, being named the Big Ten Player of the Year in both 2019 and in 2021. He's the only Hawkeye to get that honor twice.
And while he's got plenty of Hawkeye fans cheering him on during tournament play, he's got a close connection to one specific fan - his brother, Carson Schaake.
Carson turned pro in 2015 and also made his debut into the PGA Tour at the John Deere Classic.
"He's given me a little bit of advice just on how to handle the situation," said Alex. "Nothing about the golf course, he knows that I can figure that by myself. It might be a little bit different than when he played in 2015."
The two are there two support each other, but like all brothers have, it comes with a little rivalry too.
When asked who's the better golfer, the brothers both hold fast to their superiority, but it all comes down to the shots on the course.