Korte Takes Early Two-Stroke Lead at 55th M&P Group Texas State Open

Steven Clements • July 30, 2025

Romo Cards 1-under-par in Opening Round

TYLER, Texas (July 29) – Chris Korte, of Littleton, CO leads the 55th M&P Group Texas State Open after an opening round 62. His 8-under-par, 32-30–62, was enough to gain a two-stroke lead heading into tomorrow’s second round.


Korte got off to a steady start on the front-nine with three birdies and six pars. Turning to the more scorable back-nine, he went 4-under on holes 10-14 and added two more birdies on 17 and 18.


“It was a fun day. I got off to a good start, made a couple nice little par saves here and there,” said Korte about his opening round. “This rough is no joke, when you hit it in there, a lot of times it's tough to get one up and down or judge the distance on your second shot. I played a really solid round.” 


“I’ve been playing great golf recently. Monday qualified into a couple Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR events and have just been trying to find the putter. Luckily today I felt like I gained a couple shots finally, so that was probably the biggest difference.” 


Korte received the final sponsor exemption into the Championship and has taken advantage of it so far. During the past year, he has successfully Monday qualified into four PGA TOUR events and one Korn Ferry Tour event, most recently teeing it up in the Barracuda Championship.


Korte played in the morning wave today and will play in the afternoon wave tomorrow. He tees off at 1:15 p.m. 


Matthew Watkins, of Rockwall, TX is one of two players tied for second behind Korte. The former Ewing Automotive NTPGA Junior Tour member, carded a 6-under-par round and is looking for his first victory at the Championship. He previously earned Low Amateur honors in 2021 and 2023.


Speaking about returning to Cascades Country Club Watkins said, “You have to hit it great off the tee, which I love. It’s a good tight golf course, lots of trouble off the tee. There are a lot of irons out here, you have to be a good ball striker off the tee and into the green. The greens are great.”


Brandon Bingaman, PGA assistant professional at Gleneagles Country Club, leads the PGA Professional Division. He carded a 32-34–66, 4-under-par. Gilbert Mendez, PGA assistant professional at Sun City Golf Club, is one-stroke behind Bingaman at 3-under-par.


Blake Elliott, of Bullard, TX is at 4-under-par and sits highest on the leaderboard of the five East Texas locals in the field. This is Elliott’s sixth appearance in the Championship and he has made the cut each time, including two top-five finishes.


“It’s awesome sleeping in my own bed, getting up and doing what I usually do every day. It's nice being home and having some friends and family come out,” said Elliott about playing at home in East Texas.


The amateur leaderboard is led by Cody Massa (a), of Cave Creek, AZ. He recorded a first round 66, 4-under-par. 


At 1-under-par is former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and current CBS analyst Tony Romo (a). He is looking to make his first cut at the Championship and will begin his second round at 8:24 a.m. tomorrow.


“I’ve worked really hard this last year, hours and hours a day trying to work on my weaknesses and I think that helps quite a bit. A couple weeks ago I really started to find it. I got up and down [during today’s round], that kinda starts getting you into a rhythm,” said Romo.


Kacy Clemens (a), the former University of Texas baseball standout and son of former MLB pitcher Roger Clemens, is in the field this year. 


“It's cool playing around pros and watching those guys hit the ball. They are really good. It's just fun to play and compete in a different realm. You’d be surprised that standing over 5-footers gets your heart going,” said Clemens about his Texas State Open debut.


Round one had calm conditions with nearly no wind. Tomorrow’s second round is expected to have high temperatures over 100 degrees and an east wind around 10mph.


The 55th M&P Group Texas State Open is a 72-hole stroke play event with a field of 156 professionals and amateurs.


This is the M&P Group’s third year as the title sponsor and the Championship is presented by Joyce Crane and supported by CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances, Holiday Inn - Tyler Conference Center, Jucys and Patterson Tyler.


Cascades Country Club

Par: 35-35–70

Yardage: 6,882 yards


View current results HERE

July 28, 2025
FRISCO, Texas - PGA of America Golf Professional Blaine Seitz , Owner and Director of Instruction of TourShotGolf, and Master Club Fitter at 2nd Swing within the PGA of America Coaching Center powered by T-Mobile in Frisco, Texas, earned PGA Master Professional Status, the highest education designation available within the Association. Within the Association’s more than 30,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals, Seitz, a Member of the Northern Texas PGA Section, joins a highly regarded group as the 475th PGA Master Professional. He has earned this designation in Teaching and Coaching. "Becoming a PGA Master Professional is not just an achievement, but a realization of who I am and what I am meant to do,” said Seitz. “I’m a big believer that golf isn’t just a game, it’s also a form of therapy. We can use this game to help people get through life. I moved here to Texas to be with the PGA and put myself in a position to get this done. It’s been a big process to this point and it’s a true honor.” The PGA Master Professional program was established in 1969 to recognize PGA of America Members who make a significant effort to improve as golf professionals and maintain the highest degree of excellence for themselves and their facilities. The curriculum is designed to ensure golf professionals are prepared to meet the growing demands of the marketplace within the Executive Management, Golf Operations and Teaching & Coaching Designations. The program is available to those with at least 10 years of PGA of America Membership along with having achieved advanced certification through the PGA Specialized and Certified Professional Programs. The curriculum includes an extensive project based on the specific certification previously acquired by the PGA of America Golf Professional. PGA Master Professional status is earned upon successful completion of the project’s presentation. Seitz graduated from the PGA Professional Golf Management Program at Coastal Carolina University in 2012 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Marketing. A PGA of America Golf Professional since 2013, Seitz worked as a PGA Assistant Golf Professional at The Suburban Club of Baltimore in Pikesville, Maryland. In 2015, he turned his focus to instruction and club fitting, becoming a PGA Teaching Professional at The Golf Club of Georgia, in Alpharetta, Georgia, and a Sales Representative at Arccos Golf. In 2018, TourShotGolf was born after Seitz spent six years as a CrossFit coach, developing mobility programs and working alongside CrossFit Games athletes to improve performance while decreasing risk of injury. By integrating these mobility programs with his golf students, Seitz observed significant improvements in their game. Seitz joined 2nd Swing in 2021 in Maryland before transferring to the Dallas location in 2023. He moved to the PGA of America Coaching Center in 2024 when 2nd Swing was named the official equipment trade-in partner of the Association. Over the last 10 years, Blaine has specialized in a holistic approach to golfers’ mobility, focusing on five pillars of peak performance: mindset, wellness, mobility, fitness and play. He is a TPI Fitness Coach, a certified Mobility Specialist, a Golf Fitness Association of America Top Golf Fitness Professional (2021-24) and on the Golf Digest “Top 100 Club Fitter” (2021-23) and “Best Clubfitters in America” (2023-24) lists. Seitz resides in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
By Steven Clements July 21, 2025
PROSPER, Texas (July 21) – Corbin Renner, PGA assistant professional at Shady Oaks Country Club, and Henry Sellers (a) captured the 1st & 10th Tee Golf Energy Bar Pro-Junior Championship title. The pair carded a 33-31–64, 8-under-par, to secure a two-stroke victory. The pair began their round on the 13th hole and with a birdie. Adding a birdie on the 16th and an eagle on the par-5, second hole, they were 4-under-par after eight holes. Six consecutive pars slowed the momentum down until a run of four straight birdies closed out the round and clinched the victory. Renner said, “I knew on the last two holes if we could finish strong, we would be right there in the running.” Sellers added, “I birdied two of the par threes coming in, so that was very important to get to 8-under. The greens were rolling really well. We were able to get some good reads and knock a few putts in. He added, “This is my first-ever team [Four-Ball] event. Corbin, being a conservative player, took a lot of stress off of me. He kept knocking in pars all day.” Three teams tied for second place with rounds of 6-under-par, 66. That tie was broken via a scorecard playoff to determine the second and third-place teams. Jon Antunes, PGA director of instruction at Heart of Texas Golf Academy, and daughter Hannah Antunes (a) were awarded second place after a 32 on the back nine. Blake Bergeron, Associate at Gentle Creek Country Club, and Austin Randall (a) placed third. 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 second year in a row by the Antunes team. For the professionals in the field today, there was a skins game with a $4,500 payout. Two skins were earned today. Renner made a birdie on hole 12, and Alex Motes, Associate at Sulphur Springs Country Club, made an eagle on the par-5, 18th. Both professionals earned $2,250. The 1st & 10th Tee Golf Energy Bar Pro-Junior Championship was presented by CMC Design, PGA TOUR, and THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson. Gentle Creek Country Club Par: 36-36–72 Yardage: 6,743 yards (professional yardage only) View Final Results HERE
By Steven Clements July 16, 2025
McCorkle Wins Second Straight Senior Division Title
By Steven Clements July 15, 2025
Two Tied Atop the Senior Division