John VanDerLaan Facts: 10 Things To Know About The PGA Tour Pro

John VanDerLaan fell in love with golf early, before going onto have a glittering college career. He has had success since turning professional, too.

Here are 10 things to know about the star.

John Van DerLaan Facts

1. John VanDerLaan was born on June 28th 1996, in Southbury, Connecticut.

2. He began playing golf at the age of two after his father won a member-guest tournament at New Haven Country Club and used his pro shop credit to buy him a set of junior golf clubs.

3. One of VanDerLaan's earliest golf memories came at the Travelers Championship when he was around five years old. Four-time PGA Tour winner Billy Andrade sat at a picnic table with his family and began eating his animal crackers.

4. VanDerLaan attended Florida Southern College between 2014 and 2018, where he won 11 individual titles, including seven in his senior year.

5. VanDerLaan won the NCAA Division II individual national championship in 2018. Remarkably, his brother Michael won the same title the following year

6. In 2018, VanDerLaan received the Jack Nicklaus Award as the NCAA Division II Player of the Year.

7. He turned professional in 2018 and claimed his first victory at the Connecticut Open at New Haven Country Club.

8. He began playing on the PGA Tour Canada in 2019, before progressing to the Korn Ferry Tour.

9. VanDerLaan’s wife Hannah encouraged him to enter Monday qualifying for the 2023 Puerto Rico Open when he was considering taking the week off. He qualified for the tournament and finished T7 for his first PGA Tour top 10.

10. He earned his first PGA Tour card via the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour points list, helped by victory at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship.