How Adam Walton, member of 'hole-in-one' club, is acing the Challenger Tour

Being part of the Top 100 in the PIF ATP Rankings is not the only elite sporting group Adam Walton is fortunate enough to have reached. The Australian is also an avid golfer and in 2021, he experienced a ‘pinch me’ type moment when he nailed a hole-in-one.

The former University of Tennessee standout was just six months removed from teaming Pat Harper to an NCAA doubles title when he struck gold with his nine iron on Hole 15 — roughly 136 yards he recalled — at Williams Creek Golf Course, a 10-minute drive from campus.

“The whole course would have heard me go off, we just lost it,” Walton told ATPTour.com. “I was playing in a group of three. The guy before me, he shot and it was pretty good, within 10 feet of the hole. As soon as mine left the club, I was like, ‘This could be better than yours!’ And it went one bounce, two bounce and then in. We just saw it drop and it was nuts. That's probably my biggest non-tennis achievement.”

The 25-year-old, who is competing at Roland Garros as a wild card, has found success on court as well. Walton last week cracked the Top 100 for the first time after winning an ATP Challenger Tour event in Taipei. He leads the ATP Challenger Tour with 30 match wins this season. Not bad for a player who is only in his second full season as a professional.

When the Aussie was at the University of Tennessee, where he earned a master’s degree in management and human resources, he was unsure if he even had the game to compete at this level.

“I didn’t really know if I was going to play afterwards and the coach told me to give it a go,” Walton said. “You keep building your ranking and you get closer [to the Top 100] and you realise that maybe it is possible. It probably really wasn’t until the start of this year that I felt, ‘Okay, maybe it is actually very possible that I could get there [to the Top 100].’”

A moment he will never forget 🫶

In his first full season on the #ATPChallenger Tour, Adam Walton earned his biggest career title in August ⬇️

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) September 16, 2023

Walton’s most recent triumph on the ATP Challenger Tour was the most crucial in his young career. There was a triple prize on the line in the Taipei final: a third Challenger trophy, a spot in the Top 100 and the chance to secure direct entry into the Wimbledon main draw.

“I knew everything that was going on the outside, but you try and focus on the match at hand. If I didn’t win that match, then none of those three boxes could be ticked,” Walton said. “It was a lot riding on that match and I knew that. But I also did some mental training to construct myself the best I could for that final match. I just FaceTimed the sports psychologist for Tennis Australia.”

Walton held his nerve across two hours and 38 minutes, eventually falling on the floor in relief when he overcame Illya Marchenko 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(3).

The World No. 96 now looks to check another box when he goes against Arthur Rinderknech at Roland Garros. The Home Hill, Queensland native, who a year ago was No. 288 in the PIF ATP Rankings, is aiming for his maiden major main-draw win.

Walton’s first experience at one of the four Slams came this January on home soil in Australia. Despite falling in the first round to Matteo Arnaldi, Walton labelled it as ‘one of the most memorable matches’, alongside his Miami meeting against Felix Auger-Aliassime at Hard Rock Stadium.

Competing in Paris also presents another challenge for Walton: a surface change. He has played two matches on red clay at the Challenger level or higher.

“It’s a bit of a new territory, but part of being a tennis player is being able to adapt,” Walton said. I will try and manage my best to adapt.”