Jerry J. Ransom Pro-Junior-Am Benefits the Northern Texas PGA Foundation

Cooper Hein • June 23, 2025

$236,000 Donated to Foundation

The Northern Texas PGA conducted the Jerry J. Ransom Pro-Junior-Am at Royal Oaks Country Club. First played in 2018, this event has helped raise funds for the Northern Texas PGA Foundation. This year, an event record of $236,000 was raised. The funds help the Foundation achieve its growth of the game initiatives. 


Ransom, the namesake of the Jerry J. Ransom NTPGA Golf House, is an avid golfer from Greenville, Texas, where he currently serves as the city’s Mayor. He has supported the NTPGA Foundation’s growth of the game initiatives for many years and was the lead contributor for the NTPGA Foundation’s Capital Campaign that took place from February 2020 to December 2021. 


20 teams that consisted of one PGA of America golf professional, a current Ewing Automotive NTPGA Junior Tour member and three amateurs, took part in the action. Hanna Dickens, Associate at The Ronny Golf Park, junior golfer Grace Cronin with amateurs Doug Brooks, Lewis Brooks, and Tim Flatley carded a -14 team total of 128 to find themselves atop the leaderboard.


Following play, incoming LPGA Commissioner Craig Kessler participated in a Q&A led by NTPGA CEO Mark Harrison. Kessler shared his vision for the LPGA and discussed the importance of continuing to grow women's golf. He will begin his new role next month.


The junior golfers who participated in the event were all eligible for a randomly drawn $5,000 college scholarship. This year, an anonymous donor decided to match the original scholarship amount, so two $5,000 scholarships were awarded. Carlos Salinas, of Greenville, Texas, and Landon Hilario of Garland, Texas, took home the scholarships to help support their college education. 


A special thank you to Jerry J. Ransom and all he has done for junior golfers in Northern Texas and the game of golf. Since 2018, Ransom has donated $250,000 to help support junior golfers and their college education. 


This year the NTPGA Foundation awarded 82 students with college scholarships, totalling to $768,000. This is the largest amount awarded in a year by the Foundation. 


By Erik Anderson • September 29, 2026
GREENVILLE, Texas (September 28) – For the second year in a row, Spencer Dillard, PGA director of golf at Golf Clubs at The Tribute, claimed the Jerry J. Ransom Northern Texas PGA Shootout at The Oaks, taking home $25,000 for the win. Just like last year, it took Dillard two playoff holes to best runner-up Nick Paez, instructor at The Ronny Golf Park. Both players found the 440-yard, par 4, 9th green in two, but a costly three-putt from Paez from 35 feet led to Dillard finishing off a nervy three-foot putt for the win. Dillard also won with a par in last year’s event and has now taken home the victory in two out of three years in the event’s short history. “It’s pretty special, just the opportunity to play in the event. I just can’t thank Dr. Ransom enough for putting this on and all he does for us,” said Dillard. “Just being able to play is a huge deal and then lasting through the shootout is so tough, so it feels great to be here.” The players in the shootout were battling in what seemed to be a competition of who could continue to make birdies. “Nathan was 9-under through a 12-hole stretch today and still went out. There is so much talent in our Section, so you got to go win it,” said Dillard. Longtime Northern Texas PGA Foundation supporter Jerry J. Ransom welcomed 98 Northern Texas PGA Members and Associates to The Oaks Country Club for the third annual Shootout. The event was created to recognize the PGA Professionals across the Section who dedicate their time and energy to growing the game through the NTPGA Foundation’s initiatives. The event was developed by Ransom as a way to thank PGA Professionals across the Northern Texas Section while also providing exposure to The Oaks Country Club. The Oaks is a top-five nine-hole course in Texas according to the Dallas Morning News golf course rankings. The format for the event featured a 9-hole qualifier, with the top three finishers and one randomly selected participant moving on to the evening shootout. Nathan Park, instructor at Stonebriar Country Club, qualified first after finishing with an impressive 6-under-par, 30. Dillard was the next to advance, carding a 4-under-par, 32, and finally Paez at 3-under-par, 33, who won a six-for-one spot playoff with a birdie on the first extra hole in the playoff. Zack Vinson, PGA head professional at Athens Country Club, was the random drawing winner. The nine-hole Shootout portion of the event was played in three stages of three holes each, with one professional eliminated after every stage. After the first three holes, Vinson was eliminated and landed a prize of $2,500. The scores were then reset to even par, and the second three holes saw Nathan Park bow out, despite being 9-under-par through 15 holes. He played his final three holes in the shootout at even par. Still, he earned $7,500 for his efforts. The scores again reset to even par for the final three-hole segment, where Dillard and Paez battled it out for three holes, followed by two extra holes in the playoff.
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