Fans and golfers remember some victories for the scorecard. For instance, Samuel Snead’s 16-stroke margin win at the 1936 West Virginia Closed Pro is certainly one to remember. It is even more iconic because it was a 36-hole event. Then there’s Tiger Woods’ 15-stroke margin win at the 2000 US Open. But some victories are remembered for the story behind them. Erik van Rooyen’s win at the 2023 World Wide Technology Championship is a notable example.

Rooyen’s friend and college teammate, Jon Trasamar, had cancer when he won the event. As van Rooyen returned to play at the World Wide Technology Championship this year, the PGA Tour shared a video post on X in which he reflects on his win two years earlier.

“Probably the worst year of my career. And then topped it off beautifully at the end. You know, with Jon passing away, it’s like a constant reminder of how little time we have. How little time we have together with the people we love. And playing golf with that in the back of your mind, again, you know, it doesn’t matter, man. I think overall, I’m way more of a glass-half-full kind of guy, especially now that things have kind of turned around. And I’d like to keep that perspective,” van Rooyen said.

Erik van Rooyen and Jon Trasamar met during their college days. Both studied at the University of Minnesota. They were freshman roommates and became good friends. Trasamar was diagnosed with melanoma in 2022. Although the doctors removed the cancer, it returned in 2023. And this time, it was more aggressive. Erik van Rooyen had learned about this just a few days before playing the 2023 World Wide Technology Championship. He got to know that his best friend and former college teammate had just a few weeks to live.

Van Rooyen entered the event ranked 125 on the FedExCup Fall standings. Thus, his PGA Tour card was in line. However, losing the card seemed so insignificant given the circumstances. His and Alex Gaugert’s minds were with Trasamar, not in the event. However, Trasamar’s situation inspired Erik van Rooyen to win the event. “Every shot out there today was for him,” van Rooyen said.

On the last day, van Rooyen fired an 8-under 28 for a 2-shot victory. “We were meant to win that golf tournament,” Gaugert said. “Like (Trasamar) had some little dust that he was sprinkling on us to win that event.” As the event ended, van Rooyen and Gaugert traveled 1,700 miles to a Mayo Clinic hospital to say their last goodbyes. Jon Trasamar passed away on November 11, 2023, at 33.

Erik van Rooyen has continued to play in the World Wide Technology Championship since then. He finished T64 last year and didn’t make the cut this time. It was clearly Trasamar’s inspiration that helped the PGA Tour pro to win the event in 2023. While Trasamar has passed away, his legacy remains.

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Erik van Rooyen helped start the Jon Trasamar Scholarship Fund

To honor Jon’s memory, Erik van Rooyen and Alex Gaugert started the Jon Trasamar Scholarship Fund. The fund supports college golfers and is spearheaded by Cal Simmons, a former president of the Minnesota Golf Association and supporter of the University of Minnesota golf program. “I wanted the young men that are coming into the program to see what kind of values (he had, and what he stood for),” Simmons said. “I just wanted everybody coming into the program to know what the best looked like.”

Alex Gaugert also helped create custom alignment sticks with maroon and gold colors from Bubba Whips. Gaugert is a friend of the company. The sticks had the inscription, “Do it for Trazzy.” The first person to receive a scholarship through this fund was Jack Wetzel. He got $10,000 from the Jon Trasamar Scholarship Fund for the academic year 2024-2025. Within a year of Trasamar’s death, the fund had raised more than $200,000 through donations.

Erik van Rooyen’s 2023 victory will always stand as more than a sporting achievement. It will be a tribute to friendship, love, and strength in loss. Through the scholarship fund and memories shared, Jon Trasamar’s spirit continues to inspire golfers and remind them what truly matters beyond the game.