Kern Leads After Round One of the Northern Texas PGA Professional Championship
LEWISVILLE, TEXAS –
Ben Kern, PGA head professional at Diamondback Golf Club, leads after round one of the Northern Texas PGA Professional Championship. Kern posted an opening round of 4-under par 68, notching four birdies on his first four holes. Despite carding four bogeys later in the round, he finished strong carding another birdie on #12 and an eagle on #18 to sit atop the leaderboard heading into tomorrow’s final round. Kern will be vying for his first career Northern Texas individual major championship win. He was elected to PGA membership in July, making this the first time he is eligible to compete in this Championship.
Getting the victory tomorrow will be a battle as two competitors sit a stroke back of at 3-under par and will be in the final pairing with Kern. Josh Havard, PGA director of instruction at Rolling Hills Country Club, and Brian Coe, PGA teaching professional at Golf Center at the Highlands, both fired opening rounds of 69.
The field is competing for eight qualifying spots for the 2018 PGA Professional Championship, presented by Club Car, Mercedes-Benz USA and OMEGA. The Championship will be contested June 17 - June 20, 2018 at Bayonet Black Horse in Seaside, California.
The top 20 players from the 2018 PGA Professional Championship will compete in the 100th PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club, St. Louis, Missouri, set for August 6 - 12, 2018. Greg Gregory, PGA assistant professional at Hidden Creek Golf Course, Stuart Deane, PGA director of instruction at The University of Texas at Arlington, and Brian Norman, PGA teaching professional at Gleneagles Country Club, are all automatically exempt into the 2018 PGA Professional Championship with their top 20 finishes at the 2017 PGA Professional Championship earlier this year.
This 36-hole NTPGA Section major championship is the third of the four individual stroke play championships that comprise the Yamaha Golf-Car Company / Lajitas Golf Resort Player of the Year Points Challenge presented by Adventures In Golf. It also serves as a qualifier to earn points to make the 2017 Yamaha Golf-Car Company / Lajitas Golf Resort Match Play Championship, Texas Joe Black Cup team and Levy Cup team.
The Northern Texas PGA Professional Championship is presented by Club Car, Mercedes-Benz and OMEGA and supported by TaylorMade adidas, Titleist & FootJoy, Golf Advisor and PGA TOUR. The Championship is being conducted at The Lakes at Castle Hills a 7,259-yard, par 72 layout located in Lewisville, Texas.
The Northern Texas PGA Professional Championship features 102 Section PGA members who are competing for a $22,500 projected purse with the champion taking home $2,970.
The Lakes at Castle Hills
Lewisville, Texas
Par: 36-36--72
Yardage: 7,259
Round one results
