Lajitas Golf Resort Set to Host Duel in the Desert

April 27, 2022

The Northern Texas PGA is excited to announce an update to our 2022 Section Major Championship schedule.


The NTPGA will conduct the first two days of the Yamaha Golf-Car Company | Srixon / Cleveland Golf / Asics Match Play Championship on October 3-4 .  Professionals  who finish in the top 32 of the Yamaha Golf-Car Company | Srixon / Cleveland Golf / Asics Player of the Year Points Challenge will be invited to compete in this season-ending championship. The top eight professionals  on the Rolex | XXIO Senior Points Challenge will earn an invitation as well.


Traditionally, the Open Division of the Match Play Championship is hosted over a series of three days with the Round of 32 and the Round of 16 playing day one, the Round of 8 and the Round of 4 playing day two, and the Final Match being played day three over 18 holes.


This year, however, the Final Match to determine the 2022 Yamaha Golf-Car Company | Srixon / Cleveland Golf / Asics Match Play Champion will not take place in October.


Instead, the two professionals who survive the first four rounds and earn a place in the Championship  Match will be flown to Terlingua, Texas, to compete in a 36-hole, finals showdown on December 12-13 at Lajitas Golf Resort’s Black Jack’s Crossing. The Duel in the Desert at Lajitas Golf Resort will feature a $10,000 prize for the champion and $5,000 for the runner-up.


“We are excited to provide this truly unique experience to our PGA Members,” said Mark Harrison, NTPGA Executive Director / CEO. “Our staff saw a special opportunity to enhance our partnership with Lajitas Golf Resort,  and I am very appreciative to them for playing host to this event as well as their continued support of our PGA Professionals. I would also like to thank our partners with Yamaha Golf-Car Company and Srixon / Cleveland Golf / Asics who will have representatives at the Championship Match as well. This should be fun!”


To earn a spot in the 32-place field and a chance to head to the
Duel in the Desert at Lajitas Golf Resort, Members will need to earn points by playing in the Prize Possessions | E-Z-GO Eastern Championship on June 13-14, Jim Beam Black | Golf Pro Payments Western Championship on July 18-19,  Joyce Crane | Veritex Bank Section Championship on August 15-16, and the Northern Texas PGA Professional Championship on September 19-20.


Mark your calendar today, and we hope to see you at the
Duel in the Desert at Lajitas Golf Resort in December!

By Erik Anderson March 3, 2026
THE COLONY, Texas (March 2) – The team of Robert Bruns, PGA Head Professional at Trinity Forest Golf Club, along with partner Chase Walts, PGM Student at Methodist University who currently works as an assistant at Trinity Forest Golf Club won the 2026 KBS TOUR Shafts Pro-Assistant Championship after a two hole playoff. The two carded a bogey-free, 12-under-par, final score after shooting 64 on Old American Golf Club and a 31 on the back nine of Tribute Golf Links. They bested the team of Spencer Dillard and Alastair Jones from Preston Trail Golf Club. The 27-hole, Four-Ball Stroke Play Championship was hosted at Golf Clubs at The Tribute for the sixth straight year. Teams played Old American Golf Club and the back nine of Tribute Golf Links. Bruns and Walts both had looks inside 10 feet on the second playoff hole, though it was Bruns who poured in the winning putt. “I knew he had it in the bag, so I think that made it much easier for me to just be free and let it go,” said Bruns. Walts recently became an assistant professional at Trinity Forest, and said, “Robert is such a huge mentor to me and my career already. I hope to learn from everything he knows and that goes for golf as well.” “It makes it much easier when you’re in the mix coming down the fairway and you have a great relationship with each other. At the end of the day you’re just having fun,” Bruns said after their victory. This is the first win for both Bruns and Walts in Section Major Championships. The pair earned $3,200 ($1,600 each) out of the record $32,000 total championship purse. The KBS TOUR Shafts Pro-Assistant Championship was presented by Callaway Golf, Club Car, Evolve Golf, Landmark Golf Course Products, Range Servant, THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, and Winston Collection. View the final results HERE . Old American Golf Club Par: 35-36–71 Yardage: 6,770 Tribute Golf Links (Back nine) Par: 36 Yardage: 3,368
By Molly Rawlins February 23, 2026
Dallas, TX – (February 23, 2026) The Northern Texas PGA held their President’s Dinner on Sunday, February 22, at Royal Oaks Country Club. The dinner celebrated the 2025 NTPGA award winners, which included Northern Texas PGA Golf Professional of the Year, the Section's highest award, won by Cameron Doan, PGA director of golf at Preston Trail Golf Club. This is the highest honor given annually to a Northern Texas PGA Member, and is awarded for qualities of leadership, strong moral character and a substantial record of service to the NTPGA as well as the game of golf. The complete list of award winners can be found HERE . Congratulations to all. On Monday, February 23, the NTPGA staff then conducted a Professional Development Seminar and the 58th Annual Business Meeting at Dallas Country Club. During the Professional Development Seminar, the PGA of America golf professionals learned new communication skills from Tim Novak, increased their rules knowledge with Jon Drago, PGA, and David Price, PGA, and learned leadership lessons from a group of golf's top PGA golf professionals, including Cary Cozby, PGA, Bill Eschenbrenner, PGA, Bob Ford, PGA, and our very own Cameron Doan, PGA, and Ronny Glanton, PGA. After lunch, the 58th Annual Meeting consisted of the recognition of many professionals including the playing award winners honoring Matt Lohmeyer, Todd McCorkle, Rob Shields and Kim Paez. The 2026 Eva Williams A.C.E. Scholarship recipient, Sean Kim was also recognized. The meeting included comments from the Northern Texas PGA Past Presidents, current officers as well as from Executive Director, Kelly Gilley, PGA and CEO Mark Harrison. New Officers to the Northern Texas PGA Board of Directors were elected by acclamation. They include Ira Molayo as President, Jeremy Langdale as Vice President and Eric Hunt as Secretary. Two At-Large Directors were also elected by acclamation, Trish Holt and Neil Lockie. All were sworn in alongside East Texas Chapter President Tim Lawson and West Texas Chapter President Adam Headley. The current Northern Texas PGA Board of Directors can be found HERE . Before the meeting adjourned, the newly elected President, Ira Molayo, the PGA General Manager at Cedar Crest Golf Course in Dallas, addressed the membership. He stated that it is an honor to serve as the 32nd President of the Northern Texas PGA, using the word ‘serve’ intentionally because this position, like every role in our profession, is not about title. It is about stewardship. He then gave four notes about his commitment in these next two years – to represent all Members, across facilities, across classifications, across backgrounds, to listen carefully, to communicate clearly, and to support the staff and volunteers who carry this Section forward every day. He finished his comments by saying, “I do not intend to reinvent what is already strong. I intend to build on it.” Thank you to all of the PGA of America Golf Professionals in our Section who attended these special and important events over the past few days. Our Board and our staff look forward to a successful 2026.
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By Molly Rawlins December 17, 2025
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