Rob Wilkin
1979-81
Men’s Golf

Rob Wilkin was a 1979 graduate of Arkansas City High School in Arkansas City, Kansas. Wilkin played

several sports but began to excel in the individual sport of golf. Rob was recruited to Coffeyville

 Community College as a package deal with one of his best friends and high school teammates, the 1979

 5A State runner-up Brad Demo. Red Raven Men’s Golf Coach Frank Ortalani had lost a whole team to

 attrition and the two players from Ark City fit perfectly. Coach would say “Sometimes it’s hard to tell

what you have. It turned out we’d landed two of the best players in the state!”

As a Red Raven, Rob continued to improve and grow. He quickly became the teams #1 and won 3

individual events while at CCC. He was an individual qualifier for the 1980 NJCAA National Tournament

from the Jayhawk Conference and was in contention to win that event in Florida as a freshman. In 1981

his improvement continued and he led the Jayhawk Conference Player of the Year points, led his team

to the NJCAA Nationals, and was named to the 1981 NJCAA All-American Team after his performance at

the National Tournament. With a degree in General Studies from CCC it was time to make a Division I

decision.

After Coffeyville, Rob chose to attend the University of Kansas and compete on the Jayhawk Golf Team.

As team captain at KU, Rob won 3 more individual events and led the Jayhawks for his final two years of

eligibility. He graduated with a Business Administration degree from the University of Kansas’ School of

Business in 1983.

Choosing to pursue membership with the PGA of America Wilkins turned Professional in

1983. Membership with the PGA of America required an apprenticeship and he achieved Class A status

 in 1986. With the goal of seeing how much he could improve his golf game, Rob continued to compete

 in professional tournaments across the country. He won at every level until he competed full-time in

 1991 on what is now today's Korn Ferry Tour, the PGA’s second tour. While playing professionally,

Wilkin was an 18-time Midwest Section PGA Player of the Year as well as 4-time Senior Player of the

 Year. Wilkin competed in 10 PGA Major Championships including 2 US Opens and 8 PGA

 Championships. Wilkin has held 11-course records over his career.

Rob is now in his 26th season as the Head Golf Professional at Heritage Park Golf Course in

 Olathe, Kansas. Wilkins was inducted into the Midwest PGA Hall of Fame in 2019 and the Kansas City

Golf Hall of Fame in 2021.  Wilkin is a husband, father, and proud grandfather to 10 grandchildren.