West Palm Beach, FL - For Justin DeFont, the 2025 South Florida PGA Golf Professional of the Year, the arc of his passion for teaching and developing the next generation of PGA of America Members stretches from a nationally acclaimed golf professional outside of Indianapolis, to a communications-driven entrepreneur in the rugged, Green Mountains of Vermont, to those aspiring to the profession through a dynamic program at a burgeoning university close to where DeFont has called home in Southwest Florida for the past decade.

It's a "what else can I take on" and "what more can we do" philosophy that has earned DeFont the highest recognition a South Florida PGA Professional can receive. It's also a daily commitment to mentoring those who feed off his guidance and support, no different than the keen interest that was shown to him by a man who himself has been honored with the ultimate award bestowed by the PGA of America.

The South Florida Golf Professional of the Year award recognizes a PGA of America Professional for overall performance, level of service to the Association, leadership, image, and ability to inspire fellow professionals and promote the game of golf. DeFont, a Class A PGA Professional for 20 years, certainly has earned his place at the pinnacle of his profession.

"It's such a tremendous honor to receive this award, and I was speechless when I received the word," says DeFont. "I am so proud to be a member of the South Florida PGA, and this is the top of the pyramid in terms of recognition."

DeFont, who has achieved Certified status in Golf Operations and is currently pursuing Master Professional status in the PGA of America, recently ascended to the position of PGA Director of Golf at TwinEagles, a 36-hole facility in Naples, Florida. Prior to that, he was the PGA Head Professional for 10 years at nearby Audubon Country Club, and over his time at Audubon, DeFont directly mentored more than 75 individuals pursuing PGA of America membership through the PGA Golf Management University Program at Florida Gulf Coast University. Students in the program at Florida Gulf Coast are required to serve internships at multiple golf facilities as a major component of their education, which ultimately can lead to PGA of America membership upon graduation.

"I think it speaks to the desire to treat those who report to you like they are the ones in charge, and to empower them so they feel like they can make their own decisions," adds DeFont, the 2023 Golf Professional of the Year in the Southwest Chapter of the South Florida PGA. "It's putting people in positions where they may not be the most comfortable, and challenging them so that they become capable of handling all of the aspects of a job at the top and eventually helping them become more valuable in their chosen field."

DeFont, the director of golf today, was once one of those willing students, having completed a similar program at Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina, in the fall of 2004. Two of his internships occurred under the same PGA of America Professional, albeit at different facilities in two different states. And to say that Tony Pancake has highly influenced DeFont's life and career is, well, to appreciate that the four months DeFont interned under Pancake at Baltimore Country Club meant so much to him that he traveled to Carmel, Indiana, for his final internship after Pancake had become the PGA Director of Golf at Crooked Stick Club, site of the 1991 PGA Championship.

"I'm extremely grateful to Tony because he took such an interest in me as a golf professional and he cared about my growth, as he has with all of his interns," says DeFont. "He gave me opportunities in different areas of the operation, and he prepared me for the next steps in my career."

DeFont truly learned from the best, as Pancake was recognized as the 2024 PGA of America Golf Professional of the Year. Pancake, now in his 23rd year at Crooked Stick, also was featured in a PGA of America promotional spot that aired throughout the recent coverage of the 45th Ryder Cup.

"Right off, I could see that Justin had the passion to do well, the attention to detail, and he was very strong behind the scenes," Pancake says. "So, I challenged him to be more out front, to work the room, and to engage with the members at both clubs. Golf is still very much a people business, and you have to be really good with people or you'll never have the chance to advance. Justin understood that, improved in those areas, and I am so happy today to see how he has grown and moved up the ladder in his career."

DeFont was named the recipient of the 2022 South Florida PGA Bill Strausbaugh Award, with criteria for the honor including professional mentoring. In particular, DeFont is proud of the impact he has had on Pete Makarov, who began working at Audubon Country Club helping primarily in the locker room in 2014, the year before DeFont arrived. Makarov spent the next three years working at Audubon and developing under DeFont's system and today he is the PGA Head Professional at True North Golf Club in Harbor Springs, Michigan.

Braedon Fox was assigned by Florida Gulf Coast to intern under DeFont at Audubon. Early on, Fox expressed a passion for photography, and DeFont encouraged Fox's interest by assigning him to photograph/video the club's Men's Invitational and produce a video recap. Fox's skills elevated the experience for Audubon members who competed in the Invitational, and it helped set Fox on a course that today has him owning Braedon Fox Media LLC.

In addition to his duties as Communications and Member Services Director at the Vermont Golf Association, Fox has supported the PGA of America with freelance projects for both the 2023 and 2025 Ryder Cups.

"I'm not sure I would be in the position I am now if it were not for Justin," says Fox. "He made time to find out what my interests were, as he has done with all of his interns, he helped me develop into the PGA member I am today. It's what makes him unique as a mentor."

DeFont also has impressed the best of the South Florida PGA, including Tom Wildenhaus, a Past President of the South Florida PGA and the current President of its Foundation.

"Justin is one of the best young PGA Members I’ve met in a while," says Wildenhaus, the longtime PGA Director of Golf at Olde Florida Golf Club in Naples. "He has committed himself to mentoring the next generation of PGA Members and has found time to support his community through the SFPGA Foundation. He is very deserving of being our Golf Professional of the Year, and  I’m excited to see where his career takes him."