52nd Higginbotham Texas State Open Set for Return to Tyler, Registration Now Open

Molly Rawlins • April 11, 2022

Dallas, TX - The 52nd playing of the Higginbotham Texas State Open is set to return to The Cascades Country Club in Tyler, TX.  The tournament will take place July 26-29, 2022.


Higginbotham is returning as title sponsor for the second year after signing a multi-year agreement with the Northern Texas PGA in 2021, and the Championship will be presented by Joyce Crane and Veritex Bank. 


“Partnering with the Northern Texas PGA was a perfect fit for Higginbotham because both of our organizations are committed to positively impacting the communities we serve through exceptional people who live by the core values that guide us,” said Higginbotham Chairman and CEO Rusty Reid.


2022 will mark the 11th time The Cascades Country Club has hosted – a record for any facility in the storied history of this Championship.


“The membership at the club, as well as the entire community of Tyler embrace the Higginbotham Texas State Open.  Our team is very excited to continue to work with the exceptional team at The Cascades Country Club," said Executive Director/CEO of the Northern Texas PGA Mark Harrison when speaking about The Cascades Country Club. 


In 2021, the field competed for a record $210,000 purse.  The eventual Champion, Jack Ireland, collected first-place prize money of $42,500.


This year's Championship will be a 72-hole stroke play event and consist of 156 professionals and amateurs who will play 36-holes before a cut is made to the low 55 scores and ties.  The field will be made up of exempt players as well as qualifiers who will compete for a projected purse of  $200,000.


The Higginbotham Texas State Open is open to all professionals, competitive amateurs and junior golfers with advanced tournament experience. Qualifying for the Championship will be conducted during the months of June and July at 16 qualifying sites.  The deadline to register is Thursday, June 2.


Additionally, the field will include the following exempt players should they choose to participate: (1) Past Champions, (2) Top 10 professionals and ties from the 2021 Texas State Open, (3) Top 2 amateurs and ties from the 2021 Texas State Open, (4) Low PGA Professional from the 2021 Texas State Open, (5) Top 15 and ties from the 2021 final Northern Texas PGA and Southern Texas PGA Player of the Year Point Standings, (9) Top 10 point earners on the 2022 Northern Texas PGA Players Tour, (10) Top money leader from the APT 2021 Fall Series Money List. Sponsors and host facility exemptions will also be reserved for certain players.


Congratulations to the players who received exemptions at the beginning of March upon the completion of the NTPGA Players Tour. Toni Hakula - Austin, TX, Blaine Hale - Dallas, TX, Shawn Lu - Dallas, TX, Brandon Smith - Frisco, TX, Andrew Presley - Fort Worth, TX, William Holcomb - Crockett, TX, Ryan Grider - Lewisville, TX, Declan Kenny - Dallas, TX, and Chris Brown - Fort Worth, TX, have all earned a place in this year’s Championship. 


Proceeds from the Championship will benefit the Northern Texas PGA Foundation’s scholarship program with the awarding of the Higginbotham Texas State Open scholarship. The scholarship is designated for an NTPGA Junior Tour Member from the Tyler area who will be attending college this fall. This year alone, the Northern Texas PGA Foundation is projected to award more than $600,000 in scholarships to approximately 65 high school seniors from North Texas. 


More information and registration for the 52nd Higginbotham Texas State Open can be found at www.ntpga.com/texas-state-open.  Please contact the Northern Texas PGA office at (214) 420-7421 for further questions.


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ABOUT HIGGINBOTHAM INSURANCE AGENCY, INC. 

Employee owned and customer inspired, Higginbotham is a single source solution for insurance, financial and HR services. The firm is ranked as the nation’s 21st largest independent insurance firm, making it the largest Texas-based broker. Serving thousands of businesses and individuals across 10 states, Higginbotham’s approach to finding insurance, employee benefit and risk management solutions is more individual and less institutional. By understanding customer priorities, eliminating inefficiencies and committing to transparency, Higginbotham is a place that leads with values so value leads.

ABOUT THE CASCADES COUNTRY CLUB

The Cascades Country Club, a Master-Planned 5-Star community, is the most comprehensive community in East Texas. This luxury lakefront golf, tennis, fitness and residential community sits on 386 acres and is located just five miles from downtown Tyler, Texas. The Cascades Country Club  is also conveniently located midway between Dallas, Texas, and Shreveport, Louisiana. The Cascades Country Club golf course was re-designed by PGA Tour player Mark Hayes to challenge players at any skill level. Lush, tour-quality greens and broad fairways wind among tall oak and pine trees, with many holes set alongside scenic lakes on the golf course, and a stunning backdrop framed by Lake Bellwood greeting you on your first tee shot of the day. 


ABOUT THE NORTHERN TEXAS PGA

The Northern Texas PGA is one of 41 Sections of the PGA of America and its geographic territory includes the State of Texas north of the 31st latitude, or just north of Austin. The Northern Texas PGA has approximately 850 PGA members and associates employed at more than 300 facilities.  The Northern Texas PGA has 17 full-time staff members and is currently headquartered in Dallas. The Northern Texas PGA will be joining the PGA of America national office relocation to Frisco in the summer of 2022 with its own state-of-the-art headquarters on the PGA Frisco campus. 


In addition to managing the day-to-day affairs of the Section, the Northern Texas PGA also operates a non-profit and charitable foundation that focuses on five pillars: junior golf, college scholarships, inclusion, internships and military & veterans. 

The mission of the Northern Texas PGA is to serve PGA Members and grow the game.

Bruns And Walts Win 2026 KBS TOUR Shafts Pro-Assistant Championship After Two Hole Playoff

By Erik Anderson • March 3, 2026
THE COLONY, Texas (March 2) – The team of Robert Bruns, PGA Head Professional at Trinity Forest Golf Club, along with partner Chase Walts, PGM Student at Methodist University who currently works as an assistant at Trinity Forest Golf Club won the 2026 KBS TOUR Shafts Pro-Assistant Championship after a two hole playoff. The two carded a bogey-free, 12-under-par, final score after shooting 64 on Old American Golf Club and a 31 on the back nine of Tribute Golf Links. They bested the team of Spencer Dillard and Alastair Jones from Preston Trail Golf Club. The 27-hole, Four-Ball Stroke Play Championship was hosted at Golf Clubs at The Tribute for the sixth straight year. Teams played Old American Golf Club and the back nine of Tribute Golf Links. Bruns and Walts both had looks inside 10 feet on the second playoff hole, though it was Bruns who poured in the winning putt. “I knew he had it in the bag, so I think that made it much easier for me to just be free and let it go,” said Bruns. Walts recently became an assistant professional at Trinity Forest, and said, “Robert is such a huge mentor to me and my career already. I hope to learn from everything he knows and that goes for golf as well.” “It makes it much easier when you’re in the mix coming down the fairway and you have a great relationship with each other. At the end of the day you’re just having fun,” Bruns said after their victory. This is the first win for both Bruns and Walts in Section Major Championships. The pair earned $3,200 ($1,600 each) out of the record $32,000 total championship purse. The KBS TOUR Shafts Pro-Assistant Championship was presented by Callaway Golf, Club Car, Evolve Golf, Landmark Golf Course Products, Range Servant, THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, and Winston Collection. View the final results HERE . Old American Golf Club Par: 35-36–71 Yardage: 6,770 Tribute Golf Links (Back nine) Par: 36 Yardage: 3,368

Northern Texas PGA Celebrates Award Winners, Conducts 58th Annual Meeting, Elects 32nd President of Section

By Molly Rawlins • February 23, 2026
Dallas, TX – (February 23, 2026) The Northern Texas PGA held their President’s Dinner on Sunday, February 22, at Royal Oaks Country Club. The dinner celebrated the 2025 NTPGA award winners, which included Northern Texas PGA Golf Professional of the Year, the Section's highest award, won by Cameron Doan, PGA director of golf at Preston Trail Golf Club. This is the highest honor given annually to a Northern Texas PGA Member, and is awarded for qualities of leadership, strong moral character and a substantial record of service to the NTPGA as well as the game of golf. The complete list of award winners can be found HERE . Congratulations to all. On Monday, February 23, the NTPGA staff then conducted a Professional Development Seminar and the 58th Annual Business Meeting at Dallas Country Club. During the Professional Development Seminar, the PGA of America golf professionals learned new communication skills from Tim Novak, increased their rules knowledge with Jon Drago, PGA, and David Price, PGA, and learned leadership lessons from a group of golf's top PGA golf professionals, including Cary Cozby, PGA, Bill Eschenbrenner, PGA, Bob Ford, PGA, and our very own Cameron Doan, PGA, and Ronny Glanton, PGA. After lunch, the 58th Annual Meeting consisted of the recognition of many professionals including the playing award winners honoring Matt Lohmeyer, Todd McCorkle, Rob Shields and Kim Paez. The 2026 Eva Williams A.C.E. Scholarship recipient, Sean Kim was also recognized. The meeting included comments from the Northern Texas PGA Past Presidents, current officers as well as from Executive Director, Kelly Gilley, PGA and CEO Mark Harrison. New Officers to the Northern Texas PGA Board of Directors were elected by acclamation. They include Ira Molayo as President, Jeremy Langdale as Vice President and Eric Hunt as Secretary. Two At-Large Directors were also elected by acclamation, Trish Holt and Neil Lockie. All were sworn in alongside East Texas Chapter President Tim Lawson and West Texas Chapter President Adam Headley. The current Northern Texas PGA Board of Directors can be found HERE . Before the meeting adjourned, the newly elected President, Ira Molayo, the PGA General Manager at Cedar Crest Golf Course in Dallas, addressed the membership. He stated that it is an honor to serve as the 32nd President of the Northern Texas PGA, using the word ‘serve’ intentionally because this position, like every role in our profession, is not about title. It is about stewardship. He then gave four notes about his commitment in these next two years – to represent all Members, across facilities, across classifications, across backgrounds, to listen carefully, to communicate clearly, and to support the staff and volunteers who carry this Section forward every day. He finished his comments by saying, “I do not intend to reinvent what is already strong. I intend to build on it.” Thank you to all of the PGA of America Golf Professionals in our Section who attended these special and important events over the past few days. Our Board and our staff look forward to a successful 2026.

Good Good Golf Announces Multi-Year Title Sponsor Partnership with the Northern Texas PGA

By Erik Anderson • February 17, 2026
The brand will sponsor competitive junior events, serve as the official apparel provider to staff, and provide exclusive merchandise, prizes, and more at events as part of their effort to encourage and develop the next generation of golfers

Lohmeyer Earns Player of the Year Honors

By Molly Rawlins • December 17, 2025
Paez, McCorkle, Shields also honored with Playing Awards