Category: PGA

Ohio teaching pro who once got a lesson from Tiger Woods earns berth into 2022 PGA Championship

Worthington was one of 20 players to earn a berth into the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills.

AUSTIN, Texas — Wyatt Worthington II stood just off the 18th green at Barton Creek Spa and Resort and shook his head slowly.

After posting a steady 73 on a blustery day, the 35-year-old teaching pro from a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, saw his name near the top of the leaderboard at the PGA Professional Championship and knew he was in the clear — Worthington was one of 20 players to earn a berth into next month’s PGA Championship at Southern Hills.

Although this wasn’t the first time he’d made the cut — in 2016, he became the second Black PGA Club Professional to earn a berth in the major, following Tom Woodard of Denver who qualified in 1990 and played in the 1991 PGA Championship at Crooked Stick — but the road back made this just as special as Worthington’s first foray.

“Looking around, to even see my name on my leaderboard, I’m still in shock. It hasn’t sunk in yet,” he said. “I know it needs to be a quick turnaround because there’s a lot of things that be done.

“But you know, I’m blessed. I definitely didn’t have my best by any means, but to finish this high and to be in the top 20, and to have another crack at the PGA Championship, I still can’t believe it.”

Worthington, who teaches at The Golf Depot at Central Park in Gahanna, is aware of the game’s need for diversity and inclusion. He hopes his story will help shed light on the need to bring more people of various races into the game, not just as players, but in the industry as a whole.

And while Worthington has made a career out of giving lessons, he once received instruction from perhaps the game’s greatest player — Tiger Woods. During his freshman year in high school at Groveport High School, Worthington was part of a Tiger Woods Foundation event at the now-shuttered Bridgeview Golf Course in Columbus.

“I’m looking at the bigger picture,” he said. “Having this type of exposure for African-Americans not only in the golf industry but it’s seeing the bigger picture in and getting more people who look like me involved in this game, that’s what it’s really about.”

During the final round, Worthington battled high winds on the Fazio Foothills course, but maintained his presence on the back nine, dropping just a single shot on the 13th hole.

“Once the wind picked up, it was like somehow the fairways just got a little tighter, some of them got a little smaller, but I think they kind of just had the trust your lines and trust your numbers,” Worthington said, crediting his caddie Andy Gibson.

Worthington finished in a tie for fourth with Ryan Vermeer at 4 under for the event, a shot behind the duo of Michael Block and Jared Jones and six shots behind champion Jesse Mueller. The low 20 scorers earned exemptions into the 2022 PGA Championship, which will be held May 16-22 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

And how did Worthington plan to celebrate an invitation to a major?

“I need to rest,” he said. “I’m actually in agony right now, a lot of pain with my knees. I thought I was going to withdraw, to be honest. Nothing too crazy. Maybe I’ll have a milkshake.”

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With wife as caddie, Jesse Mueller wins PGA Professional Championship, earns one of 20 PGA Championship berths

Jesse Mueller and his wife celebrated their anniversary this year with dinner from Domino’s Pizza.

AUSTIN, Texas — Jesse Mueller’s idea of the perfect anniversary gift was heavy, time-consuming and required a little elbow grease. And his wife, also named Jessie albeit with a different spelling, wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Just a few days after celebrating his 12th wedding anniversary, the Arizona State University product and golf director at the Grand Canyon University course enjoyed a perfect Wednesday stroll around the grounds at picturesque Barton Creek Resort and Spa. He did so with his wife hauling his clubs around in the fill-in role of caddie, something she did for four days because her husband needed a helping hand.

And Mueller, who held a five-shot advantage heading into the final round of the PGA Professional Championship, did nothing to compromise his comfortable lead during Wednesday’s final round, finishing with a ho-hum 74 to earn take the title and one of 20 berths into the PGA Championship at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma, next month.

Mueller’s story is familiar — after a stellar high school at Red Mountain High School in Mesa, Arizona, and a college career at ASU, he kept grinding through a few years on minor circuits and mini-tours, with a dozen-and-a-half starts on the Web.com Tour sprinkled in.

He said his appreciation for the game has never wavered, but the weight that’s been lifted by his jump into course management has allowed him to enjoy the game a bit more.

“Some of the pressure’s off. It’s not my livelihood to play, so it’s more of a bonus,” he said. “I’m still working on it, practicing, but I might be a better player now than I was when I was playing full-time.”

Mueller — who became the first Southwest Section champ in the tournament’s history, dating back to 1968 — used an impeccable short game to build a big advantage, and while his chipping wasn’t as flawless in Wednesday’s final round as it had been earlier in the week, he managed to pull a few more key shots out of the bag.

PGA Professional Champion Jesse Mueller poses with the Walter Hagen Cup after winning the 54th PGA Professional Championship at the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa on April 20, 2022, in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Darren Carroll/PGA of America)

For example, Mueller saved par on No. 14 with an exquisite chip to a few inches that kept the lead at five strokes.

“On the first three days, I could not have chipped any better,” he said. “I chipped in three times for the week and I was just getting up and down all over the place. Out here, you have to because it’s so hard to hit all the greens with how windy is. So you have to get up and down out here.”

Despite a pair of bogeys coming down the homestretch, Mueller still finished the four-day event at 10 under, topping Jared Jones and Michael Block by five strokes.

Among those who also made a big move in the wind on Wednesday was Shawn Warren, a 37-year-old pro from Maine who qualified for his third PGA Championship by lighting up the windy course on Wednesday. While others were going backward, Warren fired a 66 — the best of the day — to leapfrog his way into the top 20. Warren, a former four-year captain at Marshall University, first reached the major in 2018.

But the big story was Mueller, who has previously played in one major— the 2012 U.S. Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco. His wife has been training for a climb this summer at Mount Rainier, and that helped as the two traversed the rolling Austin hills.

And although her anniversary dinner consisted of Domino’s Pizza — since the pair finished their round late on Sunday and couldn’t find any nearby restaurants still open — Jessie insisted it was well worth the change in plans.

“It’s been a roller-coaster, for sure,” she said. “But he’s a phenomenal player, and I know that. The key was just to keep things going and have his game working at the right times, which he did this week.

“I’m really, really proud of him.”

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Jesse Mueller fires 66, holds sizable 54-hole lead at PGA Professional Championship

Barring a major meltdown, the Arizona State product will get a second crack at a major.

The only time Jesse Mueller qualified for a major — the 2012 U.S. Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco — he did himself proud, making the cut and finishing T-51 with a host of others, including current PGA Tour member Branden Grace.

Barring a major meltdown, the Arizona State product will get a second crack at a major when the PGA Championship gets underway at Tulsa’s Southern Hills in May.

Mueller maintained a hot hand, firing a 66 during Tuesday’s third round to take a sizable lead into the final day of play at the 2022 PGA Professional Championship in Austin, Texas.

While playing the Fazio Foothills course at Barton Creek Spa and Resort, Mueller was consistently attacking the stick on a windy, overcast day in the Texas state capital. He dropped just a single shot, on the long par-4 13th, but posted birdies on two of the last three holes to take a commanding five-stroke lead.

Mueller, the Director of Golf at Grand Canyon University’s Golf Course in Phoenix, sits at 13 under through three rounds. Casey Pyne is 8 under while three players — Kyle Mendoza, Colin Inglis and Michael Block — are all six shots back at 7 under.

Through a solid and steady front nine, Mueller dropped a birdie on No. 4 and then had a spectacular hole-out birdie on No. 8.

A total of 103 players made the first cut Monday night and the field will be cut again in advance of Thursday’s final round with the low 70 scorers and ties playing again on Fazio Foothills.

The lowest 20 scorers will be offered a spot in the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club on May 16-22.

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Omar Uresti set to defend at PGA Professional Championship on home soil in Austin

The 2022 PGA Professional Championship is being held April 17-20, at the Omni Barton Creek Resort.

At 52, Omar Uresti became the second-oldest PGA Professional Championship winner last year when he took the title at the Wanamaker Course at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

Uresti was only behind Hall of Famer Sam Snead, who was 59 when he won in 1971, and the victory earned the Austin native a spot in the 2021 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island as well as six PGA Tour exemptions over the next year and a spot on the 2022 U.S. PGA Cup team.

But it also afforded the veteran of nearly 400 PGA Tour starts the chance to defend his title on home turf at the 2022 PGA Professional Championship being held April 17-20, at the Omni Barton Creek Resort and Spa.

Uresti, who went to Crockett High School and the University of Texas — where he twice earned All-American status — is part of an elite group of multiple winners of the event that includes Larry Gilbert (1981, 1982, 1991), Mike Small (2005, 2009, 2010), Roger Watson (1974, 1975), Tim Thelen (2000, 2003) and Matt Dobyns (2012, 2015).

Omar Uresti
Omar Uresti reacts to his putt on the 16th hole during the final round of the 54th PGA Professional Championship at PGA Golf Club. (Photo: Montana Pritchard/PGA of America | Palm Beach Post)

“It’s pretty cool to sleep in my own bed and get some support here locally. You cannot put a price on that,” said Uresti.

Although you might expect Uresti to have a major advantage since he lives in town, he admitted he doesn’t often play the two (of four) courses on the property that will be used for the event — the Coore Crenshaw course and Fazio Foothills.

“I have not played the two golf courses as much as you’d think,” said Uresti. “At least not recently. I played them a lot when I was in college, when they were new, but that was a while back. I went out (last week), but the winds were up to 25 mph., so it was tough to get a good feel.

A number of past champions will make the trek to Austin with Alex Beach (2019), Rich Berberian Jr. (2016), Michael Block (2014), Dobyns, Scott Hebert (2008), Darrell Kestner (1996), Rod Rerry (2013), Ron Philo Jr. (2006), Jeff Roth (1993), Steve Schneiter (1995), Bill Schumaker (1984), Small, Bob Sowards (2004) and Ryan Vermeer (2018) all joining Uresti at the PGA Professionals’ signature event, which offers a total purse of $675,000.

The Championship field 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 low 20 scorers earn a berth in the 2022 PGA Championship, which will be played May 16-22 at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

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Jim Richerson, president of PGA of America, named general manager of Riviera Country Club

Jim Richerson has 34 years of experience in the golf business, including time with Troon and the PGA of America.

From the PGA of America and Troon to Riviera Country Club, Jim Richerson is on the move.

Riviera Country Club President Megan Watanabe made an announcement on Wednesday that Richerson will be the new general manager of the historic venue in Los Angeles, site of the Genesis Invitational.

Richerson, who works at Troon’s corporate headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona, will move with his family to southern California when he begins his new role. He has been president of the PGA of America since November 2020 and his term, which included a Ryder Cup victory for the U.S. last September, will end at the two-year mark this November.

“We are thrilled to have Jim join our team at The Riviera Country Club,” Watanabe said in a statement released by the club. “Jim is a respected leader in the world of golf and his expertise and relationships will be a great asset in leading us as we head toward our centennial as well as the U.S. Women’s Open in 2026 and the men’s and women’s Olympic golf competitions in 2028.”

The club was founded in 1926.

“The Riviera Country Club is one of the most prestigious clubs in the world,” said Richerson in the same statement. “I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of continuing the great legacy and history of this iconic club and working with our dedicated executive team and passionate membership.”

Richerson, who has 34 years of experience working in golf, has been with Troon for five years, where he was Senior Vice-President of Operations. Before that, he was the general manager for Kohler Co. in Wisconsin where he ran the facilities at Whistling Straits and Blackwolf Run as well as The Duke’s Course in St. Andrews, Scotland.

Richerson’s dad was the golf coach at Northeast Missouri State, now called Truman State.

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One-armed PGA pro Alex Fourie raising funds to help rescue children from the Ukrainian orphanage where he grew up

PGA teaching pro Alex Fourie is using his golf connections to give back to the orphanage that kept him alive.

Alex Fourie weighed 34 ½ pounds when he came to America at the age of 7.

“The only thing we really ate was soup,” said Fourie, “and it’s really hard to eat soup with a hole in your mouth.”

Fourie, 27, spent the first seven years of his life in Ukrainian orphanages and believes the cleft lip and cleft palate he suffered could’ve resulted from being born near Chernobyl, the world’s worst nuclear disaster. Fourie was also born with one arm.

Adopted by South African missionaries who were serving in Alabama, Fourie first picked up a golf club within days of moving to his new home. Now, the PGA teaching pro is using his golf connections to give back to the orphanage that kept him alive all those years ago.

“My friends keep sending me videos of my village and my town getting bombed,” said Fourie, who grew up in the city of Cherkasy.

There are 175 kids still living in Fourie’s former orphanage, and with the Russian military shelling hospitals, schools and children’s homes, he couldn’t simply sit and watch from the safety of his home in Tennessee.

“I was ready to go over there to be honest,” he said. “I was looking at flights.”

The new father instead decided to sell T-shirts through his charity, Single Hand Golf, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to Hope Now, the missionary organization that connected him with a family all those years ago.

It takes roughly $1,000 in fuel costs for the two- to three-day trip to move the orphans to safety on the Romania border. On Monday, Fourie cut a $3,000 check to Hope Now. After he appeared on “Fox & Friends” Saturday morning to share his story, servers for both the Hope Now and T-shirt websites crashed.

A young Alex meets his adoptive parents and grandmother for the first time in Oxford, England, shortly after having surgery on his cleft lip and cleft palate. (courtesy photo)

The founder of Hope Now, Vic Jackopson, first laid eyes on 2-year-old Fourie in a baby orphanage.

“His heart was broken for me,” Fourie said.

Jackopson came back to the orphanage five months later to adopt him only to find that the young boy had been moved to an orphanage with older children – only there was no paperwork trail, no name to connect them.

Because Fourie had been labeled as having mental disabilities, he wouldn’t be able to be adopted out of Ukraine past the age of 7.

In 1999, an orphanage director called Jackopson and told him about a young boy who needed to be adopted quickly. Jackopson happened to be visiting the church of a pastor friend in Birmingham, Alabama, that weekend. On Saturday, Elizabeth and Anton Fourie learned that yet another fertility treatment hadn’t worked. The next day, their friend Jackopson told them of a boy in Ukraine who needed a family.

“It was a church-wide, communal agreement that I would be their child,” said Alex. “They all said, ‘Go get your kid!’ ”

Fourie met his parents for the first time on Mother’s Day in 1999 and got adopted exactly one month before his seventh birthday. An Alabama senator helped to rush through the paperwork. He gets chills thinking about how close he came to having to stay in Ukraine – alone and without the needed medical treatment.

Passing the test

Last year Fourie became a PGA member after passing the Player Ability Test in Cleveland, Tennessee, with a couple of shots to spare. He did it in rain pants on a steamy summer day after the head pro bailed him out for wearing shorts.

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Fourie worked as an assistant pro at a par-3 course in Knoxville, but now makes his living selling roofs for Litespeed Construction while giving lessons on the side.

“I get on roofs for a living,” he said, laughing. “People underestimate me.”

The roofing job gives him more flexibility to play in tournaments. His 0.6 handicap index makes Fourie already among the best disabled golfers in the country. He won the first tournament he signed up for in the North American One-Armed Golfer Association and is “super pumped” about the U.S. Golf Association’s new U.S. Adaptive Open this summer on Pinehurst No. 6. The field will include 96 players.

“I love watching people fall in love with the game of golf,” said Fourie of his passion for teaching.

Cyndee Knight, president of Hope Now, knows the statistics for children who aren’t adopted out of the orphanages of Ukraine. Thirty percent commit suicide and more than double that number will have a criminal record. Hope Now funds small group homes for teenagers after they leave orphanages as well as medical programs and basic needs.

In the midst of war, some male orphans now find themselves patrolling the cities at night as new members of the Ukrainian Army, scared and in search of food. Everywhere Knight turns, there’s a need.

She has five vans that are used to shuttle orphans and their state-appointed guardians to Romania. The cost of diesel is high and most of the old vans require regular repairs. It’s difficult to find safe, local drivers who will leave their families and responsibilities to help transport orphans across dangerous roads. So far, they’ve moved 150 people to safety, mostly women and children.

“They are projecting 100,000 new orphans after this war,” said Fourie.

Alex Fourie with his wife Olivia and daughter Lila (courtesy photo)

It’s snowing now back home in Cherkasy, which means that with bottled water in short supply, Ukrainians are having to boil the snow. Fourie hasn’t been back to Ukraine since he left in 1999, but he’s already making plans in his mind to help rebuild.

Despite the trauma that took place there, Ukraine will always be home to Fourie. He’ll always hold a special place in his heart for her people – especially the most vulnerable.

“We’re all fighters to stay alive,” said Fourie. “Watching the spirit of the Ukrainian people fight for their land has given me great pride and joy knowing that I’ve got a little bit of that spirit in me as well.”

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PGA of America and The Trump Organization reach settlement regarding 2022 PGA Championship

“We look forward to continuing to support the mission of the PGA and its Professionals.”

The 2022 PGA Championship was originally scheduled to be held at Trump National Golf Club in New Jersey, however, the PGA of America canceled the contract. Today, it was announced that the two sides have reached an agreed settlement.

Despite the conclusion, the details of the arrangement were not released.

“The Trump Organization’s contribution to the golf community is appreciated,” the PGA of America said in a statement. “We are thankful the company employs hundreds of dedicated PGA Professionals and consistently gives back to the golf community through hosting charitable events and sponsoring junior golf programs. As stated in 2014 when announced, Trump Bedminster is a major championship-worthy golf course and in a portfolio along with some of the finest private and public golf courses anywhere in the world.”

As for The Trump Organization, Executive Vice President Eric Trump released the following: “We have great respect for the work of the PGA.  Over the past 20+ years, we have enjoyed working with the PGA to deliver to our club members and the public some of the greatest golf experiences anywhere in the world.  We look forward to continuing to support the mission of the PGA and its Professionals, who are the best in the golf industry.”

The tournament will now be played at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Southern Hills has hosted seven major championships on the men’s side, most recently the 2007 PGA Championship won by Tiger Woods.

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PGA of America institutes ‘Omar Uresti rule’ for Professional Club Championship

Uresti has been criticized for taking advantage of the rules to compete despite not working full-time as a club pro.

The PGA of America announced it is tying up a loophole in its eligibility classifications for the Professional Club Championship, one that drew the ire of some of its membership. Call it the Omar Uresti rule.

The PGA Board of Directors approved a change to the eligibility classification for the PGA Professional Championship and the NCR Assistant Professional Championship that makes its Life Members ineligible from those competitions.

“The Committee felt strongly that the PGA Professional Championship is for working PGA Professionals in an active classification,” the PGA said in a release. “Reverting back to the standards in place prior to 2006 when Life Members were not eligible for the PGA Professional Championship was determined to be the best way to align with the Committee’s perspective; however, Life Members will remain eligible for the Senior PGA Professional Championship.”

Uresti, 53, was vilified on social media and criticized within the club pro fraternity for taking advantage of the rules to compete in the championship despite not working full-time as a club professional and earning one of the coveted exemptions given to the top-20 finishers in the competition into the PGA Championship.

Uresti turned professional in 1991 and played 11 full seasons on the PGA Tour, making 380 starts and earning nearly $4 million. Along the way, he earned PGA Class A status by being a member of the PGA Tour for 20 years, but he and others who took advantage of the “Life Member Active” category worked in a non-traditional role compared to the majority of the field. It became a sensitive topic as Uresti won the title in 2017 and 2021 and also finished among the top 20 to qualify for the PGA Championship in 2015, 2016 and 2018 (the 2020 championship was canceled due to COVID-19). Uresti never qualified for the PGA Championship until using this loophole via the PGA Professional Championship.

The PGA Tournament Committee vetted the eligibility change for the past year when reviewing guidelines for the PGA Professional Championship. Prior to the change in eligibility standards, the competition was open to any PGA member who is a Class A PGA professional and made less than 10 starts on professional tours (including developmental and senior tours) during the last 12 months, not including majors.

These changes will start with the 2022 Section Championships that advance players into the 2022 NCR Assistant PGA Professional Championship and into the 2023 PGA Professional Championship. These changes do not affect the eligibility of players in the 2022 PGA Professional Championship.

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Why should clubs, private or public, hire a PGA professional? PGA of America president Jim Richerson explains in this Q&A.

Presidents of the PGA of America and the Northern Ohio Section explain the value that 28,000-plus pros bring to their clubs and communities.

The PGA of America is shining a spotlight on Wisconsin this month, with the Ryder Cup scheduled Sept. 24-26 at Whistling Straits on the shore of Lake Michigan. It’s not a bad time to shine a light on the organization that operates the biennial matches, as well.

The PGA of America gains much attention for the Ryder Cup and its PGA Championship, but the heart of the organization is nearly 29,000 golf professionals who teach the game, operate courses, conduct thousands of local charitable and fundraising events each year, and basically make the game more inviting and fun for members of private clubs and public-access facilities.

Golfweek spoke with PGA president Jim Richerson, as well as Northern Ohio PGA Section president Steve Parker, to highlight their enthusiasm.

Jim Richerson
Jim Richerson, president of the PGA of America (Courtesy of the PGA of America)

Richerson, the senior vice president of golf operations for course-management company Troon, was elected president of the PGA in 2020. His career included an 11-year stint at Destination Kohler, the resort that operates Whistling Straits. Parker is the director of golf operations at Portage Country Club in Akron, Ohio, and was for years employed at Firestone Country Club, longtime host of a PGA Tour event and three PGA Championships.

KPMG Women’s PGA Championship future sites through 2031

The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship will continue to visit some of the historic golf venues in the United States.

The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship will continue to visit some  historic golf venues in the United States.

Future sites have been announced through 2031 although the PGA of America is still yet to announce locations for 2024, 2026, 2028, 2029 and 2030.

Of the five known future sites, the famed Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland will have two of them, as will the new PGA Frisco location in Frisco, Texas, the future home of the PGA of America.

There was a groundbreaking ceremony in May and eventually two courses will be built there. Two future PGA Championships, in 2027 and 2034, will also be staged in Frisco.