What happened to Makena White, Jake Knapp's girlfriend?
It's an understatement to say how hard all of this is to process for everyone who knew Mak, especially her family and friends... We shared so many unforgettable memories, and now that she's no longer with us, it's a tough reality to comprehend.
In a statement sent to The Associated Press, PGA golfer Jake Knapp expressed deep sorrow over the death of his girlfriend, Makena White. White had previously shared on social media that she was dealing with heart issues. Her passing was announced by a friend on Saturday, September 27, 2025.
Source: Instagram
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Key takeaways
- Profile summary
- What happened to Makena White?
- What are some interesting facts about Makena White?
- 1. She was born during the 1997 British Open
- 2. White was conceived by IVF
- 3. She attended St. Joseph High School
- 4. Makena had a McMaster graduate
- 5. She was a vascular and cardiac surgery nerd
- 6. Her mother passed away in 2022
- 7. Mak was a sports girlie
- 8. She dated Jake Knapp, a PGA golfer
- 9. White was an avid dog lover
- 10. Makena had a heart of gold
- FAQs
Key takeaways
- Makena White passed away on 22 September 2025 at the age of 28.
- She had publicly shared her struggles with tachycardia, a heart health-related issue.
- White was a Canadian vascular and cardiac surgery liaison, medical sales representative, and amateur golfer.
- She was the long-term girlfriend of PGA golfer Jake Knapp, with whom she had a two-year relationship since the end of 2023.
Profile summary
| Full name | Makena White |
| Gender | Female |
| Date of birth | 18 July 1997 |
| Date of death | 22 September 2025 |
| Age at the time of death | 28 years |
| Place of birth | Ottawa, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Hair colour | Blonde |
| Eye colour | Grey |
| Father | Mark White |
| Mother | Crystal Barrington |
| Partner | Jake Knapp |
| High school | St. Joseph High School |
| Higher education | McMaster University |
| Profession | Vascular and cardiac surgery liaison, amateur golfer |
What happened to Makena White?
In late September, fans and friends were shocked by the news of the tragic and sudden death of Makena White. The long-term girlfriend of PGA golfer Jake Knapp suffered from tachycardia and had earlier shared details of her health issues.
A celebration of her life was held on 2 October 2025, with friends and family wearing yellow in her honour at Beechwood Funeral, Cemetery, and Cremation Services in Ottawa, Canada.
Source: Original
On 2 June 2025, she shared an image of her laptop, showing her boyfriend’s U.S. Open Final Qualifying competition statistics. The X (Twitter) post was captioned,
We’re dialled. #GolfsLongestDay
In a later update, she clarified the post with a photo of her Apple Watch with an elevated heart rate reading (133 bpm), saying,
(By dialled I mean tachycardic.) #golfslongestday
Tachycardia is a type of arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm) where the heart beats too fast, exceeding the normal resting rate of 60 to 100 beats per minute. In May 2025, she posted a photo of herself, revealing a Holter monitor, a device that records heart rhythm. The image was captioned,
The irony of being at a cardiac surgery conference (for my job) while wearing a Holter monitor for your own heart defect is pretty funny. Great networking opener, though!
Additionally, earlier health update posts include a tweet from 30th April. In the post, she shared her post-anaesthesia experience after an unspecified medical procedure.
Source: Instagram
What are some interesting facts about Makena White?
Makena White was a Canadian software engineer and medical sales representative who was the girlfriend of PGA Tour golfer Jake Knapp. A beloved figure in the golfing community, she tragically died at age 28 on 22 September 2025. Here are more facts about her.
1. She was born during the 1997 British Open
On 18 July 2025, Makena posted a birthday tweet revealing details of her birthdate. On the day of her birth, her parents were watching the 1997 Open Championship, held at the Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland.
28 years ago, I interrupted my mom & dad’s British Open watching with my birth. Still one of the most selfish things I’ve ever done. Just eats me alive.
2. White was conceived by IVF
As a humorous comeback to an X (Twitter) troll, Makena proudly revealed that her conception was a result of the miracle of in vitro fertilisation. She had also included this detail on her X bio.
Source: Instagram
3. She attended St. Joseph High School
Makena attended St. Joseph High School in Ottawa. She played hockey for the school's Nepean Wildcats team. Between September 2014 and June 2015, she presided over the school's Athletic Council, organising, coordinating, and implementing fundraisers and activities involving the high school's athletics department.
4. Makena had a McMaster graduate
The amateur golfer attended McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, between 2015 and 2019. She held degrees in communication and software engineering.
5. She was a vascular and cardiac surgery nerd
Before entering the world of cardiac surgery, she worked as a surgical sales specialist for gynaecological procedures. At the time of her death, Makena worked to equip surgeons and hospitals with innovative cardiac surgery products.
Between October 2021 and September 2025, Makena trained and oversaw sales of Restoreflow Allograft products, innovative medical transplantation products, in all hospitals in her Ontario territory.
6. Her mother passed away in 2022
According to The Economic Times, Makena White's mother, Crystal Barrington, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. She began receiving care at the Bruyère Clinic in 2018. Born on 1 January 1953, Crystal passed away in April 2022 at 69 years of age.
7. Mak was a sports girlie
The Ottawa native was an avid hockey fan and an amateur golfer. She often posted commentaries and stats of her favourite hockey teams, the Ottawa Senators and the Boston Bruins.
In addition to playing hockey as a high school student, Makena played golf and hockey as a child, with her father, Mark White, playing the role of her coach. She rediscovered her love for the game. During the 2025 Scottish Open Week, her bunker shot got highlighted on Golf Digest.
She was an avid snowboarder, often posting her photos on her Instagram profile. The social media account documents her workouts, hiking adventures, horse riding, skydiving, and tennis matches.
Source: Instagram
8. She dated Jake Knapp, a PGA golfer
News that Makena was dating broke through an NBC broadcast of the Mexico Open in February 2024 at Vidanta at Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. For the couple, the match was historic in two major ways. In addition to going public, Knapp's victory at the event marked his first win as a PGA Tour rookie.
Speaking on Birdie Little Secrets, she revealed that the relationship had been a secret to the public for a little while.
I finally got there (Mexico), and he was on the seventh hole. And at this point, we hadn't even gone public with our relationship.
She added;
Jake and I had been together since the end of 2023, and this was February 2024. It wasn't by any means a secret; it was just more private. But then in Mexico, we had the hardest launch of all time.
Source: Instagram
In her final Instagram post dedicated to him, she gushed over their connection and his achievements.
Year 2 of first fairway hugs & watching you live out your dreams. Second season in the books — forever grateful to be on this walk with you, here’s to many, many, many, more! I looooove you, sweet boy; you make it so dang easy to be proud.
9. White was an avid dog lover
Makena often shared photos and details of her Labrador Retrievers, Nelly and Fergie, through her X and Instagram profiles. Her dogs gave her a great sense of joy, as seen on her social media accounts.
10. Makena had a heart of gold
White followed her volunteer calling at an orphanage in Uganda in 2019. In the same year, she acknowledged her and her family's work in offering support to the Bruyère Health Memory Clinic through the Bruyère Life Changing Breakfast.
In place of flowers, friends and family made donations to the Bruyère Health Memory Clinic or the Griffin Bell Golden Endowment Fund at CHEO Foundation in her honour.
FAQs
- Who is Makena White? Makena was a vascular and cardiac surgery medical professional and sports enthusiast.
- Who are Makena White's parents? Her parents are Mark White and Crystal Barrington.
- Was Makena White in a relationship? The amateur golfer dated PGA golfer Jake Knapp for a little over two years until September 2025.
- What heart condition did Makena White have? Through her X (Twitter) posts, White shared her struggles with tachycardia, where the heart beats abnormally fast.
- What was Makena White's cause of death? White's family has yet to reveal the cause of her death.
- When was Makena White's passing announced? Her passing was announced by her friend on 26 September 2025 in a message posted to her Instagram account.
- What is Makena White's Instagram handle? Her Instagram account handle is @makenawhite91.
Makena White was an accomplished medical professional and sports enthusiast whose sudden death followed months of documented heart health struggles. Her legacy of kindness, humour and resilience includes a strong, relatable presence as a WAG in golf communities, and interests in sports, fitness, as well as vascular health.
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Proofreading by Kola Muhammed, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
