Chen fires 63 for the Win

Chen and Steve Elkington at the PGA National Awards Ceremony

After cashing the first-place check at the Long Island Open and then going on to win the New York State Open, Chen headed into the Met Open with a very different challenge.

He wasn't feeling great about the setup or the venue and felt that five-under par would represent a pretty good three days for him. That's exactly where he finished—five under for the championship, tied for seventh, with another top-10 finish and a nice check.

Steve Elkington was here, we all had a great conversation about what it really means to make a living playing professional golf. Steve brought up an interesting point about his own career: he won 10 times on the PGA Tour, but he made 492 cuts.

That's professional golf.

You aren't going to win every week. Most weeks, you're out of the running for the trophy. The skill is learning how to keep moving up the leaderboard—especially on the final day. Turning an average week into a top 10, or a top 10 into a top five, is a huge part of making a living as a professional golfer.

That's especially important when the golf course doesn't necessarily suit your game or you know you don't have your A game that week.

Chen is learning those ropes now.

Following the Met Open, he played a one-day Metropolitan PGA Section Assistants Tour event and fired a 63 to win.

So the progression continues: a first-place check at the Long Island Open, a victory at the New York State Open, a top-10 finish at the Met Open, and then another win with a 63.

Chen has several more one- and two-day events coming up before turning his attention to the next major step: a return to PGA Tour Qualifying School this fall.

It's been a great stretch of golf, but even more importantly, he's learning what it takes to play professional golf week after week.