Deane Leads After Round One of the Joyce Crane / Veritex Bank Section Championship

NTPGA • September 10, 2018

THE COLONY, TX – Stuart Deane, PGA director of golf at The University of Texas at Arlington, sits atop the leaderboard after Round One of the 2018 Joyce Crane / Veritex Bank Section Championship. He fired an opening round of 6-under par 65 to lead the field heading into tomorrow’s final round. He carded an impressive eagle, six birdies and two bogeys on this drizzly day. Deane will be vying for his 14th career Section individual major championship, and third Section Championship. He won this event in 2013 and 2016.

Three shots off the pace at 3-under 68 are three competitors including Shane Pearce, PGA assistant professional at Hurricane Creek Country Club, Paul Norris, PGA teaching professional at Hawks Creek Golf Course, and Dean Larsson, PGA head professional at Royal Oaks Country Club.

The Joyce Crane / Veritex Bank Section Championship is the fourth and final individual stroke play major championship of the 2018 season to earn points towards the Yamaha Golf-Car Company & Srixon / Cleveland Golf / XXIO Player of the Year Points Challenge presented by Adventures In Golf. The Eastern Championship, Western Championship, NTPGA Professional Championship and Section Championship all serve as qualifiers for the year-end Yamaha Golf-Car Company & Srixon / Cleveland Golf / XXIO Match Play Championship. The Player of the Year Points Challenge also serves as qualifying for the 2018 NTPGA Texas Joe Black Cup and Levy Cup teams.

During today’s round, Michael Tangredi, PGA assistant professional at Preston Trail Golf Course, had a hole-in-one on #4. He hit a 9-iron, 175 yards for his first ace.

The Joyce Crane / Veritex Bank Section Championship also includes a Senior Division that is comprised of 28 professionals aged 50 and older who are competing for a separate $13,595 purse and are playing from a modified yardage. The Senior Division champion will take home $2,100. Robert McMillan, PGA director of instruction at McMillan Golf Academy, currently leads the Senior Division at 1-under par 70.

The Joyce Crane / Veritex Bank Section Championship, presented by AT&T Byron Nelson, Cru Golf, Ewing Automotive Group, PGA TOUR and Surf & Turf Golf, is being conducted at Old American Golf Club, a 6,928-yard, par 71 course located in The Colony, Texas. The Open Division field consists of 76 PGA professionals from the Northern Texas Section of the PGA of America competing for an Open Division purse of $36,905. The champion will take home $4,500 and the prestigious title of Northern Texas PGA Section Champion. Along with the trophy and prize money, the champion also earns an exemption into the 2019 PGA TOUR AT&T Byron Nelson.

Round One results

By Erik Anderson • September 23, 2026
Woodson and Schaefer (a) Capture Senior Division
By Erik Anderson • September 16, 2026
Little Secures Senior Division
By Erik Anderson • August 25, 2026
Six qualify for Senior PGA Professional Championship
By Erik Anderson • August 25, 2026
Irving, Texas (August 25) – The Nelson Golf and Sports Club hosted two Northern Texas PGA Major Championships this week, the Club Car | XXIO Northern Texas Senior PGA Professional Championship and the Lajitas Golf Resort Women’s Section Championship. Clayton Friend claimed the Senior title, and Kim Paez claimed the Women’s title. Kim Paez, PGA Member at Ping Inc., claimed the Lajitas Golf Resort Women’s Section Championship title, carding rounds of 70-72–142. Paez finished the Championship at 2-over-par, winning by four strokes. She began the final round one stroke back of Katie Flinn, director of instruction at Topgolf - Fort Worth, and her 2-over-par final round was enough to come from behind and secure the win. This is Paez’s first victory with the Northern Texas PGA since joining the section in 2025. “I stuck to my game plan this week, which was fairways and greens,” Paez said. “I think I missed only one or two fairways yesterday. I played pretty conservatively, but it paid off in the end.” Reflecting on her final round performance, Paez said, "It was a little bit windier today. It made me calculate a lot more on the tee shots.” It was an up-and-down round for Paez, but she hit her approach on hole 18 to two feet and tapped in for birdie. “The last three holes are pretty gettable, so I just had to remind myself that no matter how the round was going, I was going to have opportunities to close it out at the end.” Next week, September 3-5, Paez joins four other PGA female PGA Teaching, Coaching and Club Professionals from across the country to represent the United States in the fourth Women’s PGA Cup. They will take on Australia, Canada, Great Britain & Ireland, South Africa and Sweden in a 54-hole stroke play format at Carden Park Golf Resort in Chester, Cheshire, United Kingdom. “It is the biggest honor. When I first got my PGA Membership, and I found out about the PGA Cup, it became one of my biggest goals,” said Paez about making the team. “I was constantly checking the rankings, and coming into the KPMG [Women’s PGA Championship] and the LPGA Professionals Championship, I knew I had to lock in and give myself the best chance.” “I am so excited and so proud to represent the Northern Texas PGA as well, so hopefully I make everyone proud,” added Paez. This 36-hole Northern Texas PGA major championship is the fourth of five individual stroke play events that comprise the Woman Player of the Year points standings. The 22-player field competed for a purse of $7,500, and Kim Paez took home $1,050. The Lajitas Golf Resort Women’s Section Championship was presented by A.PUTNAM and XXIO. The Nelson Golf and Sports Club Par: 35-35–70 Women’s Championship Yardage: 5,878 yards