Vero Beach, FL - Tyler Collet, PGA, has excelled at the Section and National levels over the last six years, previously winning the South Florida PGA Section Professional Championship in 2020 & 2023, the PGA Professional Championship in 2024, and playing in the PGA Championship twice, along with numerous PGA Tour events.

Thursday, September 17th, the PGA Assistant Professional at John’s Island Club added 2026 South Florida PGA Section Professional Champion to his resume with rounds of 63-66-67, 20-under par. Collet not only claimed the Championship title, but he also earned entry into the 2027 Puerto Rico Open. 

The South Florida PGA Section Professional Championship

Round one of the South Florida PGA Section Professional Championship began Tuesday morning at 7:45 AM and got off to a hot start, with two professionals standing out among the field. Tyler Collet, PGA Assistant Professional at John’s Island Club, ended the round at the top of the leaderboard after firing a 9-under at Orchid Island. Following closely behind was Justin McCarraher, PGA Director of Golf at Heritage Bay Golf & Country Club, who shot an 8-under at Quail Valley. Ryan Fountain, PGA Head Professional at Hobe Sound Golf Club; Brett Melton, PGA Assistant Professional at APOGEE; and John Bednar, PGA Assistant Professional at Eastpointe Country Club, all finished tied for third at 5-under.

“I’m just going to play like I would any other day to be honest with you,” McCarraher said heading into the second round. “Today is over, tomorrow is a new day, but I’m looking forward to round two.”

With a forecast calling for rain throughout the day, round two began beneath a cloudy sunrise over Vero Beach. As players made their way onto the course, rain began to build, setting the stage for a challenging day of competition. Nearly halfway through the starting times, players at both venues were pulled off the course due to unplayable conditions and heavy rain. The team at Orchid Island was able to hit the ground running once the storm passed, but Quail Valley wasn’t as fortunate. Following a five-and-a-half-hour delay at Quail Valley, players were finally able to resume play. The tone quickly shifted to a battle against daylight, and as darkness fell, three groups that were in the hunt were unable to complete their round.

Of the twelve players still left on the course, Collet was not one of them.

By the end of round two, Collet had extended his lead to 15-under, continuing to separate himself from the field. Meanwhile, Michael Kartrude, PGA Assistant Professional at The Bear’s Club and the reigning champion, surged up the leaderboard with a 5-under round to reach 9-under overall.

Kartrude was not the only former champion making a move in Round Two. Taylor Collins, PGA Teaching Instructor at Coral Ridge Country Club, fired an impressive 6-under to move to 8-under for the tournament, earning herself a spot in the final grouping for the championship round.

At the conclusion of round two, which was delayed until Thursday morning, the nearly 200-player field was cut down to the top 70. Not as originally planned, players made their way to Orchid Island, where the final round was conducted due to the extreme amount of rain received throughout the week at Quail Valley. As play got underway, the leaderboard shifted early, with Derron Peyton, PGA Assistant Golf Professional at BallenIsles Country Club, and Justin Smith, PGA Teaching Instructor at Bonita Bay Club, getting hot early and moving their way into third after just three holes, taking over Collins.

Collet kept pushing through the final round, firing a 5-under 67 to seal the championship victory by eight strokes over Justin Hicks, PGA Teaching Instructor at Stonebridge Country Club.

With today’s performance, Collet also managed to break a section record, scoring the lowest total to par in South Florida PGA history, finishing 54 holes at 20-under, carding a total of 21 birdies and 2 eagles.

“I had no idea what the record was coming into today. Honestly, my goal for today was to not make a bogey, but breaking that record is really cool,” Collet said about his accomplishment.

The South Florida PGA Section Professional Championship is the premier event for South Florida PGA Professionals, where this 47th Championship was hosted at Quail Valley Golf Club and Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club from September 15-17, 2026.

Leaderboard | Event Photos

The South Florida PGA Professional Championship is presented by Club Car, Corebridge Financial, and Rolex and is run by the South Florida PGA Section. Supporting partners are Gallagher Insurance, Golf Channel, PGA TOUR, ShiptSticks, and Strackaline. Supporting sponsors include Titleist, FootJoy, Callaway Golf, Nike, and TaylorMade.