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PGA Professional Championship Makes First Appearance at Fields Ranch at PGA Frisco
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High above Fields Ranch East. (Photo by Evan Schiller Photography)
For the first time, the PGA Professional Championship will be contested at the new home of the PGA of America, Fields Ranch at PGA Frisco.
The 2024 PGA Professional Championship presented by Club Car, Corebridge Financial and Rolex, will be played Sunday, April 28 to Wednesday, May 1, on the Fields Ranch East and West courses.
The PGA Professional Championship, the national championship for PGA of America Golf Professionals from across the country, features a 312-player field representing all 41 PGA of America Sections.
The top 20 finishers will earn a spot on the Corebridge Financial Team to compete two weeks later in the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, from May 13-19.
Defending Champion Braden Shattuck is set to make his second appearance in the PGA Professional Championship after becoming the 11th individual in the Championship’s history to win in his first appearance.
The PGA Director of Instruction at Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield, Pennsylvania, shot 9-under-par 279 to win by one shot last May at Twin Warriors and Santa Ana Golf Clubs in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico.
2023 PGA Professional Championship Medalist Braden Shattuck
As he prepares to defend his title in Frisco, Shattuck remains proud of his ability to block out the noise during his memorable 2023 performance.
“I was able to stay surprisingly calm on the course,” said Shattuck. “Off the course might have been a different story, but on the course I was abnormally calm. It’s something I’ve been working on for a long time so it was really cool to see how the mindset shift affected me under the gun.”
Shattuck, who plans to play several nine hole practice rounds to familiarize himself with Fields Ranch East and West Thursday through Saturday, is aware of the heightened expectations that come with being the defending champion.
“People place expectations on you once you win it,” said Shattuck. “I just try to have the same expectations, same approach and see what happens.”
Shattuck is one of 15 past PGA Professional Champions in this year’s field. He will be joined by Alex Beach (2019), Rich Berberian Jr. (2016), Michael Block (2014), Matt Dobyns (2012, 2015), Scott Hebert (2008), David Hutsell (2011), Darrell Kestner (1996), Jesse Mueller (2022), Rod Perry (2013), Ron Philo Jr. (2006), Jeff Roth (1993), Steve Schneiter (1995), Bob Sowards (2004) and Ryan Vermeer (2018).
The Northern Texas PGA Section will be well represented with 10 Members competing. Brandon Bingaman (Gleneagles Country Club, Plano), Spencer Dillard (Preston Trail Golf Club, Dallas), Robby Bruns (Trinity Forest Golf Club, Dallas), Robert Shields (The Winsford Group, Tyler), Brian Norman (Lakewood Country Club, Dallas), Nic Ishee (Preston Trail Golf Club, Dallas), Kent Graham (Gleneagles Country Club, Plano) and Matt Ryba (Preston Trail Golf Club, Dallas) qualified through the Section’s PGA Professional Championship at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco in August 2023.
J.J. Killeen (Red Feather Golf & Social Club, Lubbock) and Gabe Reynolds (Topgolf Dallas, Dallas) were previously exempt following their PGA Professional Championship finishes in 2023.
Bingaman captured the Northern Texas PGA Professional Championship in a one hole playoff after shooting even par 69-75.
“I felt like I played really well,” said Bingaman. “I would chalk it up to a ball striker’s golf course. I won shooting even par and that tells you it’s a golf course that can jump up and bite you at any time. I just want to go in and compete. That’s my main focus right now.”
Michael Block at the 2023 PGA Championship.
Additional notables in the field include Michael Block, the PGA Head Golf Professional at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, California. He finished T-2 in the 2023 PGA Professional Championship en route to an appearance in the 2023 PGA Championship, where he memorably took low club professional honors finishing T-15.
Stephanie Connelly-Eiswerth, the 2023 Women’s PGA Professional Player of the Year representing the North Florida PGA Section, is making her third consecutive appearance. Bob Sowards, the 2023 Senior PGA Professional Player of the Year, is also in the field and returns to PGA Frisco following a T-70 finish in the 2023 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, contested at Fields Ranch East.
Stephanie Connelly-Eiswerth during the final round of the 2024 PGA Stroke Play Championship.
The PGA Professional Championship has served as a showcase event for PGA of America Golf Professionals since 1968. The field consists of past Champions, the top 20 players and ties from the previous year’s Championship as well as players qualifying through Section Championships.
The Championship, which offers a $715,000 purse, will have a 36-hole cut Monday to the low 90 scorers and ties, and a 54-hole cut Tuesday to the low 70 scorers and ties.
The second, third and final rounds will be broadcast live on Golf Channel, including 4-7 pm (CT) on Monday, April 29, and Tuesday, April 30, followed by 3-6 pm on Wednesday, May 1.
