Ewing Automotive NTPGA Junior Tour to PGA Professional: Spencer Dillard’s Journey to Success

Sarah Jordan • February 11, 2025


Spencer Dillard’s rise from a young golfer to a devoted PGA of America Golf Professional is a story of passion and purpose. His love for the game began when he was gifted a Tiger Wood’s golf video game as a kid. Spencer, who is now an Assistant Golf Professional at Preston Trail Golf Club, reflects on a journey shaped by the Ewing Automotive NTPGA Junior Tour.


Spencer’s golfing journey began at the age of seven when his parents enrolled him in a small golf camp in McKinney, Texas. A year later, he discovered the Ewing Automotive NTPGA Junior Tour and started competing in tournaments. These early experiences helped him develop both his skills and excitement for the game.


Spencer’s first experience on the junior tour was memorable. “I think I shot 72 for my very first [Prep Tour] event,” Dillard shares. “By the end of that year, I shot a 46. I was so happy to go from shooting a 72 for nine holes to [shooting] in the 40s.”

From 2008 until 2014, Spencer played on several levels of the Ewing Automotive NTPGA Junior Tour, including the Prep and Medalist Tours. When asked about how the junior tour prepared him for play later in life, Spencer says that the competition pushed him to be better.


“Regardless of your skill level, there are always going to be people better than you or at least [at] equal [skill] level with you,” he explained. “It’s really easy to look in the mirror and judge yourself on your performance, and that [judgment] helped push me along in golf and in other areas of my life.”


While Spencer did not know entirely what he wanted to do with his future after junior golf, he knew that he was interested in becoming a club professional one day. On a road trip back home from a golf tournament, his mom told him about the PGA Golf Management Program at Sam Houston State University. When hearing about the program, Spencer was immediately interested and committed to pursuing a degree in Golf Management at Sam Houston. The program offered many different career paths in golf.

“I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into,” Dillard said. “I was just like yeah, I’ll go try it out.” 


And in 2015, he headed to Huntsville. During his time in Sam Houston State University’s PGA Golf Management Program, Spencer's perspective of the industry expanded. The program’s blend of networking opportunities and mentorship prepared him for life as a PGA Professional. He was able to explore many internships through the program which led to gaining more hands-on experience in the industry.

“I completed an internship in New York, which was a transformative experience for me,” Dillard explained. “I had a great PGA professional there, Rob Labritz. He kind of paved the way for me and showed me what it is to be a club professional.”


Spencer graduated from the Sam Houston State University PGA Golf Management program in 2019. He then earned his PGA Membership in February 2020, after completing an internship and securing a position at Preston Trail Golf Club. Today, as an assistant professional at Preston Trail, Dillard’s daily objective is to coach and develop the training staff, providing golf instruction, and representing the club at various events. Ultimately, Dillard and the Preston Trail team value their culture and strive to make the club a special place to grow the game.

Reflecting on his journey, Spencer attributes much of his success to the foundational experience of the Ewing Automotive NTPGA Junior Tour and the mentors who guided him throughout his life.


“Golf [makes] it super easy to compare yourself because it’s just you— you don’t have a team that may win or lose you the game, it’s all on you,” Dillard noted. “It is really easy to look in the mirror and kind of judge yourself on your performance. I learned that all you can do is move forward while embracing the pressure.”

For young golfers considering their own journey, Dillard emphasizes the importance of enjoying the process and having fun while doing so.


“Have fun,” he advises. “It is easy to put too much pressure on yourself. There is a lot of pressure in golf, but the outcome is the outcome. It’s not the end of the world if you play a bad tournament. It's going to be okay.”


“You’re probably going to have a better outcome if you just go out and have fun, and not be too worried about where you finish in a certain event,” he encourages.


Today, Dillard is passionate about the game of golf and promoting opportunities in the sport. In 2024, he earned the Yamaha Golf-Car Company | Srixon and Nike Player of the Year Award for the Section. Dillard wants young players to know that their golf journey doesn’t end if they don’t pursue collegiate competition. 


“There are so many different avenues that are involved with golf,” Dillard says. “I think the perception is that if you do not play college golf, your golf career is over, and it is not like that.”


Dillard’s story is a story about the power of dedication to the game of golf and love for the sport. His journey from the Ewing Automotive NTPGA Junior Tour to now is an inspiring example of how the game of golf can shape not only careers, but life ahead.

Friend Wins Club Car | XXIO Northern Texas Senior PGA Professional Championship

By Erik Anderson • August 25, 2026
Six qualify for Senior PGA Professional Championship

Paez Prevails at Lajitas Golf Resort Women’s Section 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

McDonough Claims Northern Texas Assistant PGA Professional Championship

By Erik Anderson • August 17, 2026
Four Qualify for 50th Assistant PGA Professional Championship

Team of Murphy, Faulk Jr. Win Playoff to Capture 1st & 10th Tee Golf Energy Bar Pro-Junior Championship

By Erik Anderson • August 10, 2026
PLANO, Texas (August 10) – Seth Murphy, Associate at John Sikes Golf Academy and Thomas Faulk Jr. (a) captured the 1st & 10th Tee Golf Energy Bar Pro-Junior Championship title. The pair carded a 33-31–64, 8-under-par and made birdie on the first playoff hole. The pair began their round on the 8th hole and opened with a par. Six birdies on their next eight holes set them up for success for the first round. Their final nine holes were steady, with 7 pars and two birdies, but the bogey-free round was enough to get them into a two-team playoff against Ryan Grider, Associate at The Lakes at Castle Hills, and Colten Karstendiek (a). After a safe drive on the first playoff hole from Faulk Jr., Murphy was able to attack and had just 135 yards into the par-4 18th hole. He hit a pitching wedge to 10 feet and buried the putt. Murphy said, “He [Thomas] made about a 20-footer on our second hole, and that just put us on the pace we needed to get some momentum going. We gave ourselves lots of opportunities, double opportunities, where we were both putting for birdie, which is always nice. Just overall, we teamed very well today.” Faulk Jr added, “I started off hot and helped him out, and then when I was winding down, he got things going. We just made putts and pars when we needed to. It was just the team working.” Ryan Grider, Associate at The Lakes at Castle Hills, and Colten Karstendiek (a) fired 32-32–64 to finish in second place. Matt Weinberger, PGA senior director of member and amateur championships at PGA of America and Owen Layton (a) shot 31-35–66 to claim third place. The Championship featured 64 teams consisting of one PGA professional and one junior golfer between the ages of 7-19. The teams competed in a Four-Ball Stroke Play format. There was also a second division within the Championship where PGA professionals and their children competed for a separate title. The nine-team division was claimed for the third consecutive year by Jon Antunes, PGA director of instruction at Heart of Texas Golf Academy and his daughter Hannah Antunes (a) with a score of 34-34–68. For the professionals in the field today, there was a skins game with a $4,500 payout. Only one skin was earned today. Hanna Dickens, Associate at The Ronny Golf Park, made a birdie on hole 14 to earn the skin. The 1st & 10th Tee Golf Energy Bar Pro-Junior Championship was presented by CMC Design, PGA TOUR, and THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson.