Former Center Grove and Indiana University golfer Noah Gillard is now testing his skills playing professional events in Canada. Submitted photo | IU Athletics
The way Noah Gillard used to envision chasing his professional golf dreams differs slightly from reality.
Not better. Not worse. Just … different.
Gillard, 25, a Center Grove graduate who was Indiana University’s No. 2 player during the 2023-24 school year as a sixth-year senior, is six tournaments into his first season on the PGA Tour Americas, which features nine events in Canada and another in Minnesota this summer.
The courses are unique to Gillard, as well as the majority of his competitors.
“It’s been quite a journey,” Gillard said. “A lot of people here speak French, so I’ve had to use Google Translate. I love it. It’s such a grind, but I find the joy in it just trying to work my way to the top.”
The PGA Tour Americas played six tournaments in as many different Latin American countries from late March to mid-May. Gillard, however, was still competing in his final season for the Hoosiers. His first pro event was The Beachlands Victoria Open in Victoria, British Columbia, June 20-23. Gillard tied for 12th place, shooting scores of 68, 65, 65 and 68 to wind up at 14 under par.
The winner, Denmark’s Frederik Kjettrup, took home $40,500 after finishing at -21. Hardly the chunk of change PGA Tour champions deposit in their bank accounts, but a great carrot to be dangled in front of those experiencing the infancy of their professional golf careers.
“It’s a little bit different playing for money, but on the golf course I really don’t think about money,” Gillard said. “We’re all kind of in the same boat, and kind of in the same age range, so everyone gets it.”
After a 15th-place tie in his second pro event, the ATB Classic in Strathcona County, Alberta, Gillard then missed the cut in his next two July events.
His bounce-back was historic, shooting an 11-under-par score of 61 in the opening round at the Ottawa Open. Gillard would go on to tie for 56th overall by completing play 10-under.
Gillard’s college golf career braced him for certain aspects of what he’s currently experiencing.
Gillard played 38 rounds for the Hoosiers over the course of the 2023-24 school year. His 18-hole stroke average of 71.92 was second on the team and seventh in school history. Gillard had four top-10 finishes, and the three times he was in the top five individually. In May, Gillard was named NCAA Division I Ping All-Midwest by the Golf Coaches Association of America.
As a pro, Gillard is renting cars and driving to his next destination. He’s doing laundry, occasionally waiting in airports, getting in practice rounds and attempting to locate reasonably priced places to eat (he has yet to stumble upon a Chipotle, Gillard’s go-to when he’s south of the border).
And yet he still finds himself attempting to conquer boredom.
“Monday through Wednesday, those are the hardest days because there’s a lot of down time,” Gillard said. “Once you get to Thursday, that’s when everything feels normal again.”
If an older, more experienced golfer offers advice pertaining to options moving forward, Gillard becomes a most captive audience.
“I’m still figuring this out as I go. It’s been a lot to process,” Gillard said. “I’ve been on the road since June. I was probably back in Indiana for four or five days, and then it was back on the road again.
“I’m not there yet, but where I’m at … there are a lot worse things I could be doing. At the end of the day, I’m playing golf for a living, so I’m super blessed.”
