Jerry D. Smith, PGA Passes Away at Age of 78

(Left to Right) Eric Bogar, PGA and John Martin, PGA

Tommy O'Brien, PGA – Proud Father, Teacher and Motorhead

AN ALBATROSS AND A FEW EAGLES SECURE THE VICTORY FOR TEAM MESIMER AT THE 2O24 PRO-JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS (JUNE 11) - The STPGA headed back out to the hill country for the GolfStatus Tradition Championship at the beautiful Briggs Ranch Golf Club. Following fierce storms Sunday night and Monday morning, the STPGA rallied by starting Round 1 in the afternoon with a shotgun start. 137 players were set to tee off at 1:30 p.m. making this the biggest Major in STPGA history! After successfully getting 18-holes completed following the inclement weather, our leaders heading into the final round were Clayton Meyers, PGA Assistant Professional at Escondido Golf and Lake Club in the Open Division and Omar Uresti, PGA Life Member in the Senior Division. “I knew that the bunkers were going to be out of play so I changed my mindset. I was able to be more aggressive and take some different lines off of the tee and that allowed me to score a little bit lower” said Meyers. “I felt good for most of the day but started missing some towards the end of the round. My putting was good and there were some challenging hole locations which allowed me to get a little bit of a lead going into round two” stated Uresti. Once again the Senior Division would come down to the final hole and Uresti would outlast the field to win his third event in a row and fourth GolfStatus Tradition Championship. “Steve Jurgensen really gained some strokes on me today and was playing incredibly well. He had an eagle and a birdie, then I bogeyed so he brought it back within one stroke. We both ended up bogeying 18 and thankfully that was enough to keep me in the lead” said Uresti. In the Open Division, it was a neck and neck race to the finish between Clayton Meyers, PGA and Ben Constancio, Sales Representative at Crosswind Golf, Inc., as they went back-and-forth throughout the round for the solo lead. Victory was especially sweet today for Clayton as he brought home his first major victory following the 2023 Southern Texas PGA Professional Championship where he held the overnight lead but was unable to convert. “I never looked at the leaderboard, surprisingly, because usually I am a leaderboard looker. I just wanted to take it one shot at a time and keep myself moving forward,” said Meyers. The Southern Texas PGA wants to thank Derrick Dixon, PGA General Manager, Mike Frost, PGA Head Professional, and the staff at Briggs Ranch Golf Club for being exceptionally prepared and getting the course into fantastic shape for our Members and Associates. We also want to thank our Title Sponsor, Golfstatus, along with our Presenting Partners, as this event would not be possible without them; 1st and 10th Tee Bars, Ahead, GT Golf Supplies, E-Z-GO, Prize Possessions, Hole-in-One USA, and Turf Hound. Click here to view the photo gallery. Click here to view the final results.

In partnership with the Texas Golf Hall of Fame and its founding members, the Southern Texas PGA would like to congratulate PGA of America Members Brent Buckman and Mike Ray for being inducted into the Texas Golf Hall of Fame. Both will be showcased at the induction dinner held on Monday, October 21 at Houston Country Club. 

Brian McMyler, PGA – Like Father, Like Daughters

Southern Texas PGA Member, Scott Archer, is headed to New York City in November for one of the world’s biggest marathons. Archer, Assistant Executive Director for the Southern Texas PGA, will be representing the Section at the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon on November 3. He is one of 15 PGA of America Members from across the country running in the marathon, representing the PGA of America’s 501(c)(3) charitable foundation, PGA of America REACH Foundation. The Foundation is an Official Partner of the TCS New York Marathon for the seventh consecutive year, and the PGA of America Members running in November aim to raise over $150,000 for PGA of America REACH Foundation programming.

BOERNE, TEXAS (MAY 7) - The TPx Player's Cup was truly one of a kind down at The Clubs of Cordillera Ranch in Boerne, Texas. The course was in incredible shape and proved to be a challenge for the field. Stu Rowland, Director of Agronomy at The Clubs of Cordillera Ranch, and the team put in hours of work to get the course in great condition for our 111 Members and Associates to compete. Upon finishing play of round 1, smiles and laughs were shared amongst the Members at a dinner hosted by The Clubs of Cordillera Ranch and their tremendous staff. Incredible food with an even better view from the main dining hall within the clubhouse made for a fantastic evening. The Senior Division was a shootout all throughout round 2 with several of our PGA of America Members holding the lead at various points, but ultimately, Omar Uresti, PGA Life Member, made the charge and came out on top thanks to critical birdies on 15 and 17. “I hit some good shots and made some solid putts on day one. I just started hitting some wayward shots towards the end. It was frustrating but today I came out and tried to attack it a little more. I was making good putts and being more aggressive put me into some better spots and I got very fortunate today.” The Open Division had an unforgettable finish with an epic battle between Austin Wylie, Assistant Professional at Mac Wylie Golf Center, and the PGA Director of Golf at The Clubs of Cordillera Ranch, Corey Roberson. Wylie was named the champion after a four hole sudden-death playoff. “I didn’t finish as strong as I would’ve liked, but I was very thankful to have done enough to be given another opportunity to win the Championship. I’ve worked on a few things in my game here and there, and today I was able to make a few birdies to get into the playoff and it feels great to win.” The Southern Texas PGA wants to thank Marc DeWall, PGA General Manager, Corey Roberson, PGA Director of Golf, Jacques LeBlanc Jr., PGA Head Professional, and the staff at The Clubs of Cordillera Ranch for hosting this event and the amazing service they provided. We also want to thank our Title Sponsor, TPx Communications, along with our Presenting Partners, as this event would not be possible without them; Perry Weather, Fairways & Fundays, Radmor, Surf & Turf, Sterling Cut Glass, Club Car, Blue Delta Jeans, Texoma Golf, and IZON Technology. Click here to view the photo gallery. Click here to view the final results.

Dr. Rich Ballinger, PGA – Make your Passion your Career!