Jake Knapp is congratulated by his girlfriend Makena White after shooting a course record 59 in the first round of the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches at PGA National Resort & Spa on Thursday, February 27, 2025, in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.

Makena White, the girlfriend of PGA Tour winner Jake Knapp, died earlier this week at the age of 28. No details on her death have been announced.

The news came via social media after a friend posted on her Instagram account:

Hi everyone - this is Makena’s friend, writing with the heaviest heart to share that Makena passed away earlier this week. She is already so deeply missed by her Dad, her family, her friends, and of course by Nelly and Fergie.

Makena was one of a kind. She had this rare way of making you feel special, and her huge heart was always overflowing with love. To be loved by Makena was a gift; one that came with endless laughter, so much joy, and a healthy sprinkling of chaos as we tried to keep up with her travel schedule.

If you would like to honour Makena’s memory, donations to the Bruyère Brain Health & Memory Clinic or the Griffin Bell Endowment Fund would mean a lot.

We love you Mak. We’ll miss you always, and we’ll be looking for you in the sunset

Knapp, who won on the PGA Tour in 2024 at the Mexico Open. played his college golf at UCLA. A late bloomer, Knapp turned pro in 2016 but lost Korn Ferry Tour status in 2021 and was mired outside the top thousand in the world as recently as May of 2022 (No. 1476).

Two years ago, he was out of money and worked as a bouncer for roughly nine months at a restaurant/bar in his hometown of Costa Mesa, and also did a stint as security at weddings, which is where he met his sports psychologist.

The couple had been together for over a year.

White hailed from the Canadian capital of Ottawa, Ontario, and was an alum of McMaster University with degrees in both communications and software engineering. According to her LinkedIn profile, she was an on-site representative for LeMaitre, a surgical equipment company.

This is a developing story. More details will be added.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Makena White, girlfriend of PGA Tour winner Jake Knapp, dead at 28

Reporting by Tim Schmitt, Golfweek / Golfweek

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect