Jon Trasamar, who inspired Erik van Rooyen to victory, dies

Erik van Rooyen’s University of Minnesota teammate, Jon Trasamar, died Saturday after a lengthy battle with Stage 4 melanoma. He was 33.

Trasamar, who inspired van Rooyen two weeks ago at the World Wide Technology Championship, was diagnosed with melanoma in May 2022 and “was surrounded by an outpouring of love as friends and family reached out to him and traveled from all over the country to be with him,” his wife, Allie, posted on his GoFundMe page on Wednesday.

Van Rooyen, along with his caddie Alex Gaugert, who was also a teammate of Trasamar’s at Minnesota, rallied during the final round two weeks ago in Mexico for the South African’s second PGA Tour victory.

“Every shot out there today was for him, and when you’re playing for something bigger than winning some silly trophy, it puts things in perspective,” van Rooyen said in Mexico.

Van Rooyen and Gaugert flew from Mexico to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, to spend some final time with their friend, and, according to Allie Trasamar, her husband was “an inspiration to many and has left an indelible mark on those who knew him.”