PGA of America Golf Professionals Jeremy Wells & Braden Shattuck to Play Weekend at 106th PGA Championship

By PGA of America


LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (May 18, 2024) - PGA of America Golf Professionals Jeremy Wells (South Florida Section) and Braden Shattuck (Philadelphia Section) made the cut at the 106th PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club. It’s the first time since 2021 that more than one PGA of America Golf Professional will play the weekend at the PGA Championship.


Wells (2-under), the PGA Director of Player Development at Cypress Lake Golf Club in Fort Myers, Florida, finished his second round Saturday morning after play was suspended due to darkness on Friday.


A good night’s rest isn’t always easy to come by for a father of three. Trying to sleep with two holes still to play to make his first cut at the PGA Championship may be even harder.


“We woke our kids up at 4:30 to get to the golf course,” Wells said. We were in blankets in the clubhouse. Yeah, I didn't sleep very well, but it wasn't the first time I felt that way."


“Fortunately, I got to play 8 and 9 this morning, which are kind of normal holes here. But even still, I knew I was going to have to stand over a couple 3-

footers.”


With a two-putt par on the par-3 8th hole, Wells had a shot to spare to make the 1-under cut on his 36th hole, alleviating some stress for the 2-footer that finished his even-par round.


Wells made the Corebridge Financial Team in 2023 at Oak Hill, but missed the cut. Making the weekend this year was the ultimate goal.


“We have a Section Championship which leads to the National Championship (PGA Professional Championship), which leads to the PGA Championship, and then you have a cut at the PGA Championship,” Wells said. “Now that I've made this cut, hopefully some of the pressure is off because these next two days are kind of the goal for my year. I'm fortunate enough to get this far to the PGA Championship.”


Wells will begin his third round at 1:01 p.m. ET off the 10th tee paired with 2010 PGA Champion Martin Kaymer (2-under) and Tyrell Hatton (2-under).


Shattuck, the PGA Director of Instruction at Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield, Pennsylvania, made the cut after missing last year in his first appearance in the PGA Championship.


Beginning the second round on the 10th hole, Shattuck got off to a quick start with birdies on holes 11-13. He made the turn at 2-under, however bogies on holes 3 and 4 nudged him outside the cutline. He needed at least one birdie over the final two holes to get within the top-70 and ties to reach the weekend. The birdie came on the par-3 8th hole (his 17th of the round) courtesy of draining a 35-footer.


On the par-4 9th, he found the fairway bunker off the tee and a greenside bunker with this approach. He stared down a 4-footer then holed it for par.


“The cup looked like the size of a thimble on that last 4-footer,” Shattuck said, smiling, “but, thankfully, it found its way to the middle.”


Shattuck had to rebuild his swing due to a car accident in 2019, herniating two disks in his back and unable to swing a golf club for two years. He won the 2023 PGA Professional Championship to play at Oak Hill, where missing the cut last year left him wanting more. This will be his first time playing the weekend of a Major Championship as part of the Corebridge Financial Team.


“That’s something you take a lot of pride in,” he said. “It’s nice to represent the PGA of America out here.”


Shattuck will begin his third round at 1:34 p.m. ET off the 10th tee paired with S.H. Kim and Stephan Jaeger.


The last time more than one PGA of America Golf Professional made the cut at the PGA Championship was 2021 at The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, when Ben Cook (Michigan Section) and Brad Marek (Northern California Section) played the weekend.


Corebridge Financial broadened its partnership with the PGA of America to include title sponsorship of the PGA of America Member teams, formerly known as the Team of 20 (PGA Championship); Team of 35 (KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship); and Team of 9 (KPMG Women’s PGA Championship). Each group will now be recognized as the Corebridge Financial Team.


The PGA Championship continues May 18-19 at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. You can stream, watch or listen on the networks of CBS, CBS Sports Network, Paramount, ESPN, ESPN+ and SiriusXM Radio.


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September 17, 2025
West Palm Beach, FL - A Class-A PGA of America Golf Professional since 2024, Michael Kartrude, PGA, has excelled at the Section and National levels, qualifying for the 2025 PGA Championship through the PGA Professional Championship in his first attempt. Today, the lead PGA Assistant at The Bear’s Club adds 2025 South Florida PGA Professional Champion to his quickly growing resume. With rounds of 66-61-73, 12-under par, Kartrude not only clinched the Championship title, but also earned entry into the 2026 Puerto Rico Open. “It feels great," Kartrude exhaled after a grueling final round. “It is where I wanted to be when I got elected, and that was a goal, and we did it.” After opening the 46th Section Championship with a 4-under 66, Kartrude was in a tie for fourth and two back of the lead. Kartrude set himself apart from the rest of the pack in round two, matching The Park's course record with a 10-under 61, giving himself a three-shot lead heading into the final round. “I was playing great, and when I'm playing that way, I know I can go low,” Kartrude recalled in his second round. “The hardest part for me is holding that together.” Following a career round, Kartrude reset and prepared for a crucial final round. “I did my best to slow my emotions down,” Kartrude said. “Walk slower, walk around the hole a little more. I don’t want to speed up because if I speed up, it can snowball, and I think I could have held it together better than I did today, but I did enough. Kartrude's emotions were certainly tested today, battling harsh conditions. His first test came on the par-4, 8th hole, where a bad lie on his approach shot led to a double bogey. Kartrude bounced back with a birdie on the par-5, 9th hole to hold a five-shot lead over Justin Hicks, PGA, heading into the final nine. After losing his tee ball right on the par-4, 10th hole, Kartrude saved bogey before making another bogey on the par-4, 12th hole. Kartrude bounced back with a birdie on the par-4, 13th hole, before facing his toughest emotional battle. On the par-5, 15th hole, Kartrude lost his ball in a tree just left of the fairway, leading to an eventual double bogey. “Between the horrible situation I got on 8, losing a ball on 10, and then having a ball stuck in a tree. Talk about going through it, so I think my emotions were in check enough to get through it.” Kartrude managed to play the final three holes at even-par to claim the title by three shots over Dakun Chang, PGA. Hicks finished in third at 6-under total, while Ian Shapiro, PGA, Jeremy Wells, PGA, and Raymond Miron, PGA, finished in a tie for fourth at 4-under.
September 8, 2025
The PGA of America announced today that Jim McLean, PGA of Jim McLean Golf Schools, and Dennis Walters, Honorary PGA of America Member, will be inducted into the 2025 PGA of America Hall of Fame Class. Jim McLean is one of the most influential PGA of America Golf Professionals in the world, recognized globally for his teaching excellence. In 1991, he founded the Jim McLean Golf School at Doral, which has grown into an internationally respected academy with locations across the U.S., Spain, Mexico, and South Korea, and is currently headquartered at the historic Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Fla. His schools have produced 420 certified teaching professionals, with over 250 serving as Directors of Golf or Instruction. McLean, a PGA Master Professional, has taught thousands of golfers, including over 100 PGA, LPGA, and Champions Tour professionals, including Cristie Kerr, Keegan Bradley, Tom Kite, Peter Jacobsen, Lexi Thompson, Gary Woodland, and Bernhard Langer. McLean has written 15 golf books, a business book and contributed to Golf Digest, Golf Magazine, Golf Illustrated and Met Golfer. He has been a featured presenter at 12 PGA Teaching & Coaching Summits, spoke at three European Summits and has presented all over the world. He served 15 years on the National PGA Teaching and Education Committees. McLean’s contributions have been recognized at every level. In the Metropolitan Section, where he spent 19 years, he was named Teacher of the Year (1986), received the Professional Development Award (1987) and was inducted into the Met PGA Hall of Fame (2012). In the South Florida Section, he won Teacher of the Year twice (1996, ‘98), earned the Youth Player Development (2000) and Professional Development Awards (2001) and was inducted into the South Florida PGA Hall of Fame (2020). Nationally, he was named PGA of America Teacher of the Year (1994) and received the PGA Professional Development Award (2020). As a player, McLean qualified for the U.S. Junior, U.S. Amateur, U.S. Open, and U.S. Senior Open, and made the cut in the Masters. Earlier in his career, he was Director of Golf at Sunningdale, Quaker Ridge, Sleepy Hollow, Tamarisk, and Doral. Both of his sons, Matt (Wake Forest) and Jon (Oklahoma State), played college golf. Born in Neptune Township, New Jersey, World Golf Hall of Fame Member Dennis Walters fell in love with the game early and became one of the state’s top junior golfers. He finished 11th in the 1971 U.S. Amateur and after playing collegiate golf at North Texas State University, aimed for the PGA TOUR, reaching the finals of Q-School. His plans changed dramatically after a golf cart accident in 1974 left the 24-year-old paralyzed from the waist down. Showcasing the dedication and devotion that has marked his life ever since, Walters turned tragedy into inspiration and found a way to continue playing the game he loves at a high level while inspiring others to do the same. In 1975, he began playing from a custom-made swivel seat on his golf cart, beginning a career of inspiring all golfers, especially those with disabilities, and leading to the recognition of a new category: Adaptive golf. Walters won the inaugural USGA Adaptive Open in the seated division in 2022. Two years later, he won the Florida Adaptive Open in the seated division shooting 74, one shot lower than his age. Since 1977, he has staged the world-famous one-hour trick-shot clinic, the “Dennis Walters Golf Show,” more than 3,000 times, traveling over 3.5 million miles and always accompanied by his co-star rescue dog. Walters was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2019; New Jersey Golf Hall of Fame ( 2019); received the USGA Bob Jones Award (2018); Neptune High School Hall of Fame (2016); South Florida PGA Section Hall of Fame (2010); PGA of America Distinguished Service Award (2008); University of North Texas Hall of Fame (2000); joined the likes of U.S. Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Gerald Ford as a PGA of America Honorary Member (1992); and received the Ben Hogan Award (1978). The PGA of America Hall of Fame originated in 1940 at the suggestion of famed sportswriter Grantland Rice. It is the highest honor the PGA of America can bestow upon its membership or ambassadors of the game. For a full list of PGA of America Hall of Fame members, click here . “The PGA of America is honored to recognize our 2025 Hall of Fame Class and celebrate the incredible impact they have had throughout their careers, inspiring thousands both on and off the course,” said PGA of America President and Master Professional Don Rea Jr., PGA Owner/Operator of Augusta Ranch Golf Club (Arizona). “Whether they have won Major Championships, given thousands of lessons or captivated audiences with trick shots, each PGA Hall of Fame Member has played an essential role in shaping the game of golf as we know it today.” The 2025 PGA of America Hall of Fame Inductees fall under four induction categories: PGA of America Past President Category (Richerson); PGA of America Golf Professional Category (Glanton, McLean, Turner); Tour Player Professional Category (Lopez); and PGA of America Ambassador Category (Walters).
August 29, 2025
Naples, FL - Brant Peaper carded rounds of 67-69–136 to win the South Florida Assistant PGA Professional Championship by one shot held at Bear’s Paw Country Club, August 28-29. With a staggered leaderboard following round one, Peaper, an Associate Assistant Professional at Lost Tree Club, trailed Ryan Crowley by three, who matched the Bear’s Paw course record with an 8-under 64 during the opening round. For the second consecutive year, Peaper entered the final round in the lead group. While being 2-under on the day through 6, Peaper’s tee shot found a bunker on the par-5, 7th hole. “I hit what I thought was a really good drive, which leaked into the bunker. Then I took off a little more than I could chew and hit it right into the lip,” explained Peaper on what led to a double-bogey on the 7th hole. Undeterred, Peaper parred the 8th and 9th holes to finish even on the front-9 and 5-under overall, still within two shots of the lead. “There is still a lot of golf to be played," Peaper told himself. “It doesn’t really matter, you just have to try to hit really good shots and see what happens.” Heading into the back nine, Peaper did not drop a single shot, playing the final 9 holes at 3-under, including a birdie on the 17th that ultimately secured the one-shot victory over Taylor Morgan, PGA of Pine Tree Club, and Michael Kartrude, PGA of The Bear’s Club.
August 29, 2025
Labelle, FL (August 29, 2025) - The South Florida PGA Foundation dedicated its 12th Habitat for Humanity home to new homeowners Jesus and Paola. This build was made possible through a partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry Counties. In 2023, the thought of home ownership was merely a glimmer of hope for Jesus and Paola. With a desire to provide a safe home for their young family, faced with many challenges along the way, today's dedication was filled with joyful tears and much excitement as they received the keys to their first home, thanks to the support of the South Florida PGA Foundation and all of the members who supported the project. Bearing gifts upon their arrival, Jesus and Paola were so grateful and appreciative of all the support they received on the journey to homeownership, from their family and friends to the volunteers, Habitat for Humanity staff, and beyond. “We have a home for our kids to grow,” said Paola. “We are very happy and excited to receive this home.”
By Matt De Tullio August 26, 2025
PGA of America Golf Professionals are coined as experts in the game and business of golf, whose mission is to grow the game we all love. At more than 30,000 strong, the PGA of America offers an extensive network of professionals to lean on, ask questions, seek advice, and collaborate with. Opportunities to network can come at the Chapter, Section, and National levels, all designed to elevate the PGA Professional. As golf department heads, PGA Professionals play an integral role in facilities, and PGA Professionals in high management roles are becoming increasingly more prevalent. Outside of being PGA General Managers, one thing stands out for Brian Bartolec of Shadow Wood Country Club, Ken Kosak of Broken Sound Club, and Rob Oosterhuis of Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club – they are all involved with the Club Management Association of America (CMAA) and all three sit on the CMAA Florida Chapter Board of Directors.
August 20, 2025
Jupiter, FL - Mark Mielke, PGA, fires consecutive under-par rounds to narrowly win the South Florida Senior PGA Professional Championship, played August 19-20 at The Bear’s Club.  In addition to being crowned the 2025 Senior Section Champion, Mielke, a Teaching Professional at High Ridge Country Club, and the other nine top-finishers advanced to the Senior PGA Professional Championship, which will be held October 23-26 at PGA Golf Club.
August 8, 2025
North Palm Beach, FL - Mark Brown, PGA and Mark Mielke, PGA fired a 10-under 61 to win their third consecutive Senior Pro-Pro Championship today at North Palm Beach Country Club. This year’s event welcomed 42 two-person teams of senior PGA Professionals playing in a four-ball format. Brown, a PGA Teaching Professional at the Yacht and Country Club, and Mielke, a PGA Teaching Professional at High Ridge Country Club, first teamed up in the 2023 Senior Pro-Pro when Brown joined the Section. Since then, the pair have not lost a Senior Pro-Pro Championship at North Palm Beach Country Club, including a 12-under 59 last year for a total of 32-under in the last three years. Starting on hole number 12, the duo started slower than years past, playing the first seven holes at 2-under. Once they turned to the front-nine, Brown and Mielke played the next 11 holes at 7-under to secure the win by one over Daniel Heaslip, PGA, and David Witt, PGA, at 9-under. Finishing in a tie for third at 8-under were the teams of Jerry Tucker, PGA, and Joe Kern, PGA, and the team of Paul Scaletta, PGA, and Tim Turpin, PGA. Rounding out the top-5 were four teams at 6-under: Paul Crespo, PGA, Derek Niszczak, PGA, Colin Amaral, PGA, Jared Isaacs, PGA, Justin Hicks, PGA, Matt Ball, PGA, Michael Kostelnik, PGA, and Alan Morin, PGA. The 2025 Senior Pro-Pro was supported and hosted by North Palm Beach Country Club. Thank you to PGA Director of Golf, Allan Bowman and his entire staff for hosting. The Senior Section season will culminate on August 19-20 at the Bear’s Club for the Senior Section Championship. Leaderboard
August 5, 2025
Palm Beach Gardens, FL - Ty Patterson played the final two holes at 3-under to win the Bushnell Stroke Play Championship, played August 4-5 at Old Palm Golf Club and BallenIsles Country Club. Alan Morin, PGA, claims the Senior Division title with a 7-under performance. The South Florida PGA Bushnell Stroke Play Championship is the third of four SFPGA Majors to be played throughout the 2025 season. In addition to the major, the 36-hole event also served as a qualifier for the 2026 Corales Puntacana Championship on the PGA TOUR, in which Evan Bowser earned the spot as the low Class-A Professional. After a 6-under 66 in the opening round at BallenIsles North Course, which included only 25 putts, Patterson, an Associate Assistant Professional at the Golf Club of the Everglades, trailed by one. With his final round at Old Palm, Patterson opened with a bogey before finishing his first nine holes at 2-over. With Evan Bowser, PGA of LaPlaya Golf Club, holding a two-shot lead on the back nine, Patterson checked the leaderboard and knew he needed to make a charge. “I looked at it (leaderboard) on 15 and that's when I knew I needed to make some birdies," Patterson said. “I looked at it on 17, and Evan was 8-under, so I was two back.” Patterson proceeded to make an eagle on the par-5 17th and a birdie on the par-4 18th to claim the outright title by one in only his third SFPGA Major since joining the Section in 2024. “I'm still taking it in and processing," Patterson said following the win. “I'm going to play in every tournament now.” While finishing runner-up to Patterson by one, Bowser, a PGA Assistant Professional at LaPlaya Golf Club, secured low Class-A Professional honors, earning him entry into the Corales Puntacana Championship on the PGA TOUR. “It is super exciting,” exclaimed Bowser, who was unsure he would even be able to play in the event. “I was flying back from a trip in Michigan, and my flight got cancelled, so I didn’t get here until 2:30 AM Monday.” Bowser is no stranger to competing at the highest level, as he competed in the 2024 PGA Championship with his sister on the bag and family cheering him on, and looks to have the same support at the 2026 Corales. “I am sure she will be there for me, and it should be a family affair for sure, it will be a lot of fun,” Bowser said as he just returned from a family trip in his hometown in Michigan. In the Senior Division, Alan Morin, PGA Assistant Professional at The Club at Ibis, managed a two-day total of 7-under to win the Senior title by one over Justin Hicks, PGA, Paul Scaletta, PGA, and Brett Melton, PGA. Over the 36-hole event, Morin managed two clean scorecards, as the only player in the field to go bogey-free. Morin added his second win of the year after winning the South Florida Senior Open in May. The 2025 Bushnell Stroke Play Championship, supported by DR Golf Sales, Melin, Oakley, and Nexbelt, was hosted at Old Palm Golf Club and BallenIsles Country Club. Old Palm is led by PGA Director of Golf, Ryan Flinn, and PGA Assistant Professional, Joey Medora, while BallenIsles is led by PGA Director of Golf Jeff Fitzherbert, PGA Head Professional Chris Hayes, and five PGA Assistant Professionals. Leaderboard
By Tami Tolley July 25, 2025
In the five years after graduating from Michigan State University, Christian Meier, PGA, took her Toyota Prius from 10,000 to over 300,000 miles, competing all across the country on the Symetra Tour (now Epson Tour). A four-year starter for the Spartans, where she competed in 42 career events, won three Big 10 Conference titles, and boasted the 10th lowest scoring average in school history, Meier was set on making it to the highest level of women's golf. Growing up in Rochester Hills, Michigan, Meier loved competing, and having an older sister who also played golf made that competitive drive even deeper. The two were talented junior golfers, often competing head-to-head as the only girls in junior events back home. While Christine headed to Michigan State and her sister, Amy, to conference competitor Ohio State, the Meier sisters were carving their own paths. The summer following her sophomore year, Christine qualified for the U.S. Women's Open, becoming the first Spartan to qualify for the Major Championship while still in school. A year later, Amy qualified as well. With both sisters having standout college careers, they hit the road together, traveling across the country, searching for their breakout opportunity. Christine's came in her second-to-last year on tour, but it was vastly different from what she initially envisioned. While having an extensive break on her schedule, Christine came across a high school coaching position in Memphis, Tennessee. Not ready to give up on her playing aspirations, Christine saw this as an opportunity to do something different and get her mind off the grueling stretch of competitive golf. "The woman who hired me was Mary Murphy, a PGA Professional who teaches in Memphis and Olive Branch, Mississippi," explained Christine. "She talked about the PGA Program a little bit, and I kind of brushed it off initially, not in a negative way, I was just still in the mindset of, I'm going to play, I'm a player." The experience turned out to be extremely beneficial for Christine, who began falling in love with coaching—so much so that she came back the following season to coach for another 10 weeks. This time, Christine was introduced to Jennifer Hudson, the PGA Director of Instruction at Sankaty Head Golf Club in Texas. "I saw what she did, she helped me with my game a little bit, and it started to look like a life I would enjoy," Christine recalled. "It keeps you around the game, you learn a ton, and you get to meet a lot of other people. That may have nudged me in that direction more than I already was." Throughout this entire time of playing professionally and coaching, Christine maintained a seasonal position inside the golf shop at The Club at Mediterra while working up north for a few seasons. Following her second stint coaching, when Christine returned to Mediterra for the winter season, PGA Director of Golf Kevin Swan again encouraged her to enter the program. Because of her time competing on tour and experience working at different facilities, Christine had the necessary knowledge to knock out the program.. Between the encouragement from Swan and others, Christine was all in on the PGA of America, becoming a Class-A Member in 2023. While proud and happy with her new life in golf, Christine is not afraid to admit that the transition from playing full-time to now working in golf was incredibly daunting. "Golf was such a huge part of my identity that it was really difficult to wrestle with the potential of that not being the case anymore, not being able to be around the game, not playing a ton anymore," Christine explained. "I really struggled with that idea." A few years into her full-time position with Mediterra, Christine is just as involved with the game as she ever was, only now in a different setting. "It has been a perfect fit because I can still be around the game, which was so important to me," emphasized Christine. "I never really want to lose that or the playing or teaching piece of it."
July 24, 2025
Naples, FL - For the third consecutive year, Justin Hicks, PGA, and Robbie Wight claim the Pro-Scratch Championship, presented by Srixon | Cleveland, played July 22-23 at Talis Park Golf Club and Grey Oaks Country Club. Hicks and Wight first teamed up in the 2022 Pro-Scratch Championship, where they finished in the top-25. Since then, the duo has won three straight, making them the first pair to win three consecutive titles in the event's 45-year history. Finishing at 19-under, 62-63–125, Hicks and Wight outlasted the teams of Michael Kartrude, PGA of The Bear’s Club, with amateur partner, Justin Grondahl, and the team of Brant Peaper of Lost Tree Club and amateur partner, Mackenzie Edwards, by one. With rain falling throughout the front nine of the final round for Hicks and Wight, they managed a 3-under performance, which saw them trail by two going into the final nine holes. As the rain subsided, Hicks and White caught fire, playing the final six holes at 5-under, including an eagle on the par-5 13th hole from Hicks. “We get a sandwich at the turn and somehow go gangbusters on the back, which was a lot of fun, " said Hicks. “We managed to really ham and egg it well on the back nine and saw ourselves go from chasing to the ones being chased.” Finishing in fourth was the Bowser team of Evan Bowser, PGA of LaPlaya Golf Club, and sister Elayna Bowser, who finished at 17-under. Rounding out the top-5 were the teams of Kenny Leech, PGA of Don Law Academy @ Osprey Point, with Elijah Zamarron, and the team of Kyle Horvath, PGA of Quail Creek Country Club, and partner, Victor Prokop, at 15-under. This year’s Pro-Scratch Championship was held at Grey Oaks Country Club and Talis Park Golf Club. Grey Oaks Country Club is led by PGA Directors of Golf, Martin DeAngelo and Leslye Dyke, PGA Head Professional of Golf Professional Avery Radunz. Talis Park Golf Club is led by PGA Director of Golf, David Witt, and Associate Head Professional, Cory Briney. Srixon and Cleveland were the presenting partners, while Airshare, Ghost Golf, Kohler Wisconsin, The Back Nine Golf, Florida Window and Door, and Unknown Golf were the supporting partners. Leaderboard