After his mother remarried, he moved to Eatonton and graduated from Gatewood School, and enrolled at the University of Georgia in Athens.

Adams had a breakout year in 2009, with seven top-10s between May and August, including a career high finish of solo second place in Canada at the Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic.

In September, he led the Boise Open by four shots after three rounds,[2] but finished again in solo second by a stroke, earning $78,500.

This result earned him $485,333 and put his winnings over $820,000 for the season, which moved him from 118th to 47th on the 2010 money list, and secured his PGA Tour playing privileges for 2011.

Adams hosted the weekly "Inside the PGA Tour" on January 12 and was featured in the March 2010 issue of Men's Journal magazine.