Patrick Rodgers is still here. He’s still going.
On the PGA Tour, over a dozen years as a pro, he’s winless, though, after a run in college where he won nearly everything. Folks have wondered. He’s wondered. Then late last year, Rodgers wrote a letter to himself — and it’s one of the best things you’ll read today, along with being the focus of a recently released (and wonderfully produced) video from the PGA Tour.
The letter’s penultimate paragraph?
I’m still here. I’m still going.
Below, you can watch the Tour’s video — the ending is a must-watch — and below that is the letter, which was shared by the Tour’s social media team.
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“I was one of the most accomplished college players of all time
“Yet 11 seasons and over 300 PGA Tour events later, I still have zero wins.
“That’s the story most people know.
“But it’s not the whole story.
“The struggle cut deeper than I ever imagined.
“Fighting for my card in 2014. The 8-footer for par to keep it in 2021. Four runner-up finishes, two playoff losses, and weeks spent trying to recover from each one. Every missed cut somehow felt like the worst one. Every bogey on the last left a pit in my stomach. Watching peers achieve the success I desperately chased chipped away at my ego and my belief.
“Hundreds of what-ifs.
“Thousands of hours of effort with seemingly nothing to show for it.
“And yet, I’m incredibly blessed. I play a game for a living. I’ve earned far more than I deserve. But none of that erases the internal battles, the weight of expectation, the fear of falling behind, the quiet pressure of survival. Golf can be beautiful — and brutally honest.
“So I had to redefine winning.
“When the outcomes I dreamed of didn’t arrive, I had to create a new scoreboard. I started asking harder questions:
“Where did my confidence crack?
“When did I fold under pressure?
“What risks was I afraid to take?
“That process — uncomfortable, humbling, honest — became its own form of victory.
“And life shifted, too. Two beautiful kids and a supportive wife taught me there’s more to being a ‘winner’ than making birdies. I walk through our front door and feel like I’ve already won something bigger than golf can offer.
“Through failure, I learned to love the process.
“Daily systems. Reps without applause. Quiet growth.
“That’s what grounds me.
“Maybe the struggle is the point.
“When the wins didn’t come in bunches, I had to ask myself why they mattered so much. And I realized: A trophy isn’t the end game. What I’m really chasing is discipline, teamwork and self-actualization. You can have all of those without holding anything on Sunday afternoon.
“Now, entering Year 12 on the PGA Tour, I feel more confident than ever, not because I expect my experience to be free from adversity. I know there will be weeks when nothing works. But I feel bulletproof from everything I’ve walked through. Struggle shapes you. Failure teaches you. And resilience becomes its own quiet superpower.
