Suzy Whaley 'Incredibly Honored' to Join Golf Legends in PGA of America Hall of Fame
Story Credit: Ryan Adams, PGA (PGA of America)
Suzy Whaley carries a perspective bursting with gratitude.
Her attentive appreciation of those who’ve come before her but also her recognition of the ability to change the future is what makes her such an outstanding PGA of America Golf Professional.
And now, the newest member of the PGA of America Hall of Fame.
Whaley, who was the first woman to serve as PGA President from 2018-20, will be honored on Nov. 8 alongside fellow 2023 inductees Robert Dolan, PGA; Don Wegrzyn, PGA; Herb Wimberly, PGA; LPGA legend Kathy Whitworth and broadcasting icon Jim Nantz in Frisco, Texas. Her family, Connecticut PGA friends and PGA of America friends will all be in attendance to see one of the Association’s brightest stars see such a well-deserved recognition.
“It truly means the world to me,” says Whaley, who serves as the PGA/LPGA President of Golf Nation and is the Director of Instruction at The Country Club at Mirasol in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. “Renee Powell sent me a note yesterday saying that I’ll be the eighth woman inducted, which is incredible. And to be alongside all the men who are in the Hall of Fame, all the names who’ve paved the way, it’s just hard to imagine. I’m incredibly honored.”
Whaley remembers the moment PGA President John Lindert called her with the news. It was special for her, since Lindert and Whaley served together as PGA Officers and had gotten close. She was floored by the news.
“Candidly, I thought he was calling for something else,” laughs Whaley. “We chatted niceties for a bit and then he says, ‘By the way, I’m calling to let you know you’ve been inducted into the PGA of America Hall of Fame.’ I said, ‘Really?!’ It was one of the moments where you take it all in, everything that’s happened and can’t believe it. I called my family right away.”
Throughout her career, Whaley has delivered an impressive resume of accomplishments that truly create a Hall of Fame-worthy legacy. Among them:
- First woman elected to serve as PGA President in 2018.
- Played in the 2003 Greater Hartford Open after winning Connecticut PGA Section Championship, becoming the first woman since Babe Zaharias in 1945 to qualify for a PGA Tour event.
- As President, steered the Association through the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, leading to the establishment of the nearly $8 million Golf Emergency Relief Fund for golf industry personnel in need and an unprecedented growth in rounds played, using social distancing protocols established in conjunction with the CDC and Back2Golf.
- Led the 2022 U.S. PGA Cup Team to a 15.5-10.5 victory as first woman captain
- Led the 2019 U.S. Women's PGA Cup Team to an inaugural victory
- Dual PGA/LPGA Professional and PGA Master Professional
- Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame Inductee
- Connecticut Golf Sports Hall of Fame Inductee
- Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame Inductee
- LPGA Tour member in 1990 and ‘93.
- Three-time Connecticut Women’s Open Champion
- Three-time Connecticut PGA Teacher & Coach of the Year
- Golf Digest Top 50 Instructor and GOLF Top 100 Teacher in America
The list could keep going, but you get the point of how decorated Whaley is at this point in her career. She’ll be inducted alongside another legendary woman in golf, Kathy Whitworth, the LPGA legend who will be honored posthumously for her iconic career. It’ll be the first time two woman will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in the same class.
“That’ll be a new moment for the room,” Whaley laughs. “Kathy Whitworth is an idol — I had posters of her in my room growing up as someone I looked up to every day. How could you not with 88 worldwide wins? And to be in the same Hall of Fame as Babe Didrikson Zaharias? It’s just surreal.
And as always, just as Whaley appreciates those who’ve come before her, she knows what it’ll mean to the young women in the room wondering if it’s possible for them to get to the mountaintop like she has.
“Having the women alongside who’ve been inducted, I hope the next generation sees this as something that’s possible for them,” Whaley says. “To think about it, to know it’s a real thing that can be accomplished for anyone.
“It’s super inspiring.”
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Naples, FL - Seminole Golf Club Professionals, Matt Cahill and Dakun Chang, win the Yamaha Pro-Pro Championship, presented by Callaway, July 8-9 at The Rookery at Marco and Hammock Bay Golf Club. Head Professional, Cahill, and Assistant Professional, Chang completed the wire-to-wire victory with a 21-under performance, adding their third team championship together but first Pro-Pro victory. This year’s Championship returned to The Rookery at Marco and Hammock Bay, serving as the host facilities for the fourth time in the last five years. A full field of 240 South Florida PGA Professionals and Associates competed in a team four-ball format over the 36-hole event. After an 11-under opening round, Cahill and Chang held a one-shot lead over Andrew Filbert, PGA of West Bay Club, and Justin Smith, PGA of Bonita Bay Club. Leaving no room for question, the duo of Cahill and Chang opened the final round with five straight birdies to expand their lead. The two again managed five straight birdies on the back nine on holes 12-16 to ultimately finish at 21-under and three shots ahead of Filbert and Smith. In third place came the Peaper duo of Brian and Brant, who wrapped the event at 17-under. Finishing in a tie for fourth at 16-under were the teams of Greg Martin and Michael Kartrude, Ashley Grier and Alan Morin, and Mark Mielke and Mark Brown. The 2025 Yamaha Pro-Pro Championship was presented by Callaway and supported by Dunning/Greg Norman, Global Golf Sales, Heritage Creations, Hole In One USA, JumboMax Grips, and Toptracer. The Rookery at Marco is led by PGA Director of Golf, Scott Lien, PGA Head Professional, Phillip Ott and PGA Assistant Professionals, Tony Kelley and Nicholas Fairneny. Hammock Bay is led by PGA General Manager, Anthony Schmid and PGA Assistant Professionals, Raymond Miron and Brandon Rowcliffe. Leaderboard
Atlantis, FL - Brian Herring, PGA, and Christian De Greiff, PGA, claim the Yamaha Junior-Senior with a bogey-free, 10-under performance today at Lost City Golf Club. The 2025 Yamaha Junior-Senior welcomed 50 two-person teams of a junior SFPGA Member under the age of 50 and a senior SFPGA Member over the age of 50. Holes 1-6 were played in a best-ball format, while holes 7-12 were played in a modified alternate shot format, and holes 13-18 were played in a scramble format. Herring, a Don Law Academy Teaching Professional, and De Greiff, a Coral Ridge Country Club Teaching Professional, birdied the final three holes en route to a 6-under back-nine, defeating the teams of Justin Hicks, PGA, and Taylor Morgan, PGA, and the team of Alan Morin, PGA, and Taylor Collins, PGA, by one shot. The team from The Breakers Rees Jones Course, Richard Terga, PGA, and Timothy Collins, PGA, finished in fourth place, shooting an 8-under 64. Originally slotted for a 9 AM shotgun start, the event was delayed due to inclement weather, with the start moved to 11 AM. Yamaha was this year’s title partner, while Global Golf Sales, Levelwear, and OluKai were all supporting partners. For the fourth straight year, Lost City Golf Club has hosted the Championship, which is led by PGA Director of Golf Mason Colling and PGA Head Professional Peter Haupt. Leaderboard
Miromar Lakes, FL - Dakun Chang, PGA wins the Championship Division while Justin Hicks, PGA wins the Senior Division at the E-Z-GO South Florida Open, played June 24-26 at Miromar Lakes Golf Club and Bonita Bay Club. The second South Florida PGA Major of the year and first three-day Major featured 167 total players competing at Miromar Lakes Golf Club and Bonita Bay Club. Following round 2, a Senior Champion was crowned, and the field was cut to 51+ ties for the final round. Seminole Golf Club Assistant Professional, Dakun Chang, PGA, opened the three-day event with a 5-under 67 to trail John Lento, PGA, by one. Chang managed a shot better in the second round, firing a 6-under 66 to hold the lead by one over Justin Hicks, while managing a clean scorecard through the first 36-holes. Chang's first bogey didn't come until the 14th hole in the final round as he held a two-shot lead over the field. “After I made my first bogey on 14, I had to look at the leaderboard," Chang said. “I felt like I was in a pretty comfortable position, and after I looked, it did help me understand what I had to do.” Following his first bogey, Chang birdied the par-5 16th before making a double bogey on the 17th hole, narrowing his lead to one. Chang rebounded with a birdie on the 18th to secure the win by two with a final score of 67-66-71–204. “I have been working on my game pretty hard this summer, and things have been turning around for me,” Chang said. “The putter was very clutch this week. I am pretty excited for this win.” Capitulating himself up the leaderboard over the final 18 holes was Brant Peaper of Lost Tree Club, who fired a tournament round low of 8-under 64 to finish in a tie for second at 10-under, tied with Michael Kartrude, PGA of the Bear’s Club. Hicks finished in fourth at 9-under while Evan Bowser, PGA of LaPlaya Golf Club rounded out the top-5 at 7-under. In the Senior Division, Justin Hicks, PGA Teaching Professional at Stonebridge Golf and Country Club secured the title with a pair of 5-under 67 performances. After trailing Mark Mielke, PGA of High Ridge Country Club for the majority of the final round, Hicks managed to birdie three of the last four holes, including the 18th, to earn the win by one shot over Mielke. Hicks, who is coming off a start in the U.S. Open at Oakmont now adds his first South Florida PGA Senior Championship win of his career. Finishing in third at 6-under was Tim Cantwell, PGA of PGA National Golf Club, while Matt Lucchesi, PGA of the Loxahatchee Club, and Joe Kern, PGA of Mangrove Sands Golf Club, finished in a tie for 5th at 5-under. The E-Z-GO South Florida Open is the second of four South Florida PGA Major Championships to be played throughout the 2025 season. E-Z-GO served as the event's title partner while Ahead, Ballz4Change, Foresights Sports, Perry Weather, StrackaLine, StickX, and Winners Award Group served as supporting partners. Miromar Lakes Golf Club and Bonita Bay Club boast 15 combined PGA Members. Miromar is led by PGA General Manager Kenneth McMaster and PGA Head Professional Daniel Lee, while Bonita Bay Club is led by PGA Director of Golf Elliott McDonnell and PGA Head Professionals Andrew Gibson and Kyle Heaton. Leaderboard | Event Photos
Tom Patri, PGA Director of Player Development at The TwinEagles Club, completed his ninth annual Golf Marathon, raising more than $12,000 by playing 100 holes in a single day. The proceeds will benefit the South Florida PGA Foundation and its local community programs. Since launching the marathon in 2017, Patri has played over 1,000 holes of golf and raised nearly $80,000, using his passion for the sport to make a meaningful impact across South Florida. The South Florida PGA Foundation is dedicated to changing lives through the game of golf, with a charitable focus on youth, military, and families. “I just completed my ninth annual golf marathon to support the South Florida PGA Foundation, and I couldn’t be happier to dedicate a day to such a wonderful cause,” said Patri. “My only hope is that the funds raised will positively impact lives in South Florida. As long as I’m alive, I will continue to support the Foundation. Thank you to the South Florida PGA headquarters for all your support; I could not do this without you.” Patri’s annual challenge—to play as many holes as possible in one day—has become a tradition of giving back. Click here to support Patri’s Golf Marathon. Click here to learn more about the South Florida PGA Foundation and its programming.
(West Palm Beach, FL - June 16, 2025) – For the first time in its history, the South Florida PGA Foundation has awarded two scholarships as part of its annual scholarship program. Braden Miller and Dounia Bezzari have been selected as the 2025 recipients. Now in its ninth year, this prestigious $20,000 scholarship will be awarded in increments of $5,000 over four years. The SFPGA Foundation Scholarship is a merit-based award created to assist individuals with strong ties to the South Florida PGA Foundation and to recognize exceptional leaders in our local community.
(West Palm Beach, FL - June 13, 2025) - Eric Veilleux, PGA, was elected the 24th South Florida PGA President yesterday at the SFPGA Annual Meeting, hosted at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens. A PGA of America Golf Professional since 1993, Veilleux is the Director of Golf at The Bear’s Club, a position he has held since 1999 when the Club was founded. Before his time with The Bear’s Club, Veilleux was on the bag for the golden bear, Jack Nicklaus, for five years. Veilleux succeeds Paul Clivio, PGA Director of Golf at St. Andrews Country Club, who completed his two-year term as President and will now serve as the Honorary Past President of the Section and Secretary of the SFPGA Foundation. Jeff Waber, PGA, follows Veilleux as Vice President. Waber is the Director of Golf at Broken Sound Club - Old Course and has served as the Section Secretary for the last two years. Ben Bauer, PGA Director of Golf at Hunter Run Golf & Racquet Club, was elected by the Membership as the new Section Secretary. In addition to the Section Officer Election, yesterday’s annual meeting marked the first in-person meeting since 2019 and was hosted at the SoFi Center, gathering over 200 South Florida PGA Professionals and partners. CJS Global served as the presenting partner of the Meeting, while Airshare, Florida Window & Door, and PGA National Resort served as supporting partners.
(Fort Myers, FL - June 10, 2025) - Apogee Club Professionals, Austin Davenport, PGA, and Nick Beddow, PGA, captured the Pro-Assistant Championship, presented by Club Car, with a 20-under performance over the last two days at The Verandah Club.
The South Florida PGA hosted its annual Travel Pro-Am in Northern Michigan, playing three different facilities, June 1-5. The event was supported by Kickpoint and featured 11 teams comprised of one South Florida PGA Professional and three amateurs. The competition consisted of three rounds played at High Pointe Golf Club, Arcadia Bluffs the Bluffs Course, and Grand Traverse Resort the Bear Course. Each day featured a different format, along with a low professional division scored based on stableford. Winning this event at twenty-eight under for the week was the team from Trump Jupiter Golf Club, led by PGA Professional Alastair Mackenzie and amateurs Matt Lindahl, Tony Assawamatiyanont, and Imaad Qureshi. Capturing low professional honors was Assistant Professional at Lost Tree Club, Brant Peaper 122 earning points. Special thanks to all those who joined us, as next year's trip will head to Scotland. Leaderboard
In September of 2024, Tim Cantwell, PGA, qualified for the 2025 Senior PGA Championship after finishing T17 in the 2024 Senior PGA Professional Championship, allowing him to make his second career Senior PGA Championship start. Incredibly proud and honored by the achievement, Cantwell was later faced with a nightmare decision: His 18-year-old son Chandler had his high school graduation on the Friday of the Major. A Srixon South Florida PGA Junior Tour member for over five years, Chandler knew what the opportunity meant to his Dad. In talks with his son, Tim told Chandler he would fly back down for the graduation to ensure he doesn't miss this moment for his son. In response, Chandler said, “No, Dad. I want to come up there, I want to watch you play, and I want to experience it with you.” With full support, the entire Cantwell family made the trip to Congressional Country Club for the 85th Senior PGA Championship. After an opening round of 5-over 77, Tim’s chances of making the cut had become slim as he sat in 105th place. In watching the round, Chandler noticed a flaw in his Dad’s putting stroke and offered him a tip following the round. “Dad, you just are not staying down through your putting stroke,” Chandler shared. The two went over to the putting green to practice before a vital second round. With his newfound confidence on the putting green and a better understanding of the course, Tim bounced back in an inspiring way, matching the second-round low score of the day with a 4-under 68, catapulting him over 70 spots up the leaderboard to make the cut. The difference was the putter, Tim said proudly. “Chandler deserves a lot of credit for that Friday round, I putted really well.” With a lifetime dedicated to golf and over 30 years of playing professionally, Tim was headed to the weekend for the first time in a Major Championship. “I love the opportunities PGA of America gives to play,” Tim said. “It means a lot to me to compete.” After 20+ years of caddying at Seminole Golf Club while playing full-time, Tim transitioned to a full-time career with the PGA of America in 2019, serving as a Teaching Professional at PGA National Golf Club. Since then, Tim has won the 2022 South Florida PGA Professional Championship, qualifying him for the Puerto Rico Open on the PGA TOUR. He has also secured wins at the 2024 E-Z-GO South Florida Open, 2024 South Florida Senior Open, and 2025 Florida Senior Open. During his time at Seminole, Tim was encouraged by longtime Head Professional Bob Ford, PGA, and current Head Professional Matt Cahill, PGA, to enter the PGA program, a move for which Tim is incredibly thankful. Lastly, Tim could not be more thankful for the opportunities PGA National gives him to teach while taking advantage of every playing opportunity that comes with being a PGA of America Golf Professional.
West Palm Beach, FL - Jeff Nixon, PGA Director of Professional Operations at G to Z Turf Services, Inc. and Consulting Managing Partner at Myerlee Country Club, was presented the 2024 South Florida PGA Deacon Palmer Award. The Deacon Palmer Award bestows special recognition on a PGA Professional who personally displays outstanding integrity, character, and leadership to overcome a major obstacle in their life. This individual is an unsung hero at their facility, in their community, and serves to inspire, empower, and assist others inside and outside the game. “It is with immense fulfillment and gratitude that I accept the Deacon Palmer Award, " Nixon expressed. “This recognition embodies the spirit of perseverance, integrity, and dedication that defines our profession. The Deacon Palmer Award is named in honor of Arnold Palmer’s father, Deacon Palmer, a lifelong Golf Professional who embodied resilience and passion despite personal health challenges. The award is presented to a PGA Professional who has not only overcome a significant obstacle in their life but has also gone above and beyond to inspire others through their leadership and service both on and off the course. “It is a true honor to be acknowledged alongside those who inspire and uplift, and it fuels my commitment to continue serving the game and its community with passion and purpose,” said Nixon. In the spring of 2023, Nixon suffered a stroke, not only putting a question mark on his future as a Golf Professional but, more importantly, how this could affect his life. As an active Professional, Nixon went from playing 4-5 times a week to being unable to walk, a complete life-altering shift that Nixon admits was not easy. Determined to get back to the game he loves, Nixon battled through his condition and returned to the golf course. Additionally, Nixon returned to his position as head coach of the Bishop Verot Catholic High School's Girls Golf Team, something Nixon was incredibly passionate about, to prove that nothing can keep you down. As Nixon continues to be an active SFPGA Member at every level, the 2024 South Florida PGA Annual Award marks Nixon’s 20th in his 20 years as an SFPGA Member. The Deacon Palmer Award is one of the South Florida PGA's annual awards. Nixon was honored at the Southwest Chapter Meeting, May 19, at The TwinEagles Club. Click here for a complete list of award winners.
