Local Military Veterans Representing PGA HOPE Northern Texas Team to Compete in PGA HOPE Secretary’s Cup during 2022 PGA Championship Week

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (April 20, 2022) – PGA REACH, the charitable foundation of the

PGA of America, today announced that 12 teams consisting of four military Veterans and one

PGA Professional will compete in the 2022 PGA HOPE Secretary’s Cup on Monday, May 16 at

The Club at Indian Springs in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. The Secretary’s Cup is a spirited nine-

hole golf competition that kicks off PGA Championship week and features military Veterans

who have participated in the PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) program hosted by

their local PGA Section.

PGA HOPE, the flagship military program of PGA REACH, introduces golf to Veterans to enhance

their physical, mental, social and emotional well-being.

Members of PGA HOPE Northern Texas:

● Randy Shack, Army – E-4 Corporal (3 ½ years); Northern Texas PGA HOPE Ambassador

● Derrick King, Army – MSG (27 years)

● Dominick Antonino, Army – SGT/E-5 (7 years)

● Jeremy Balmonte, Army – SGT/E-5 (9 years)

The Northern Texas Team will be led by Ira Molayo, PGA director of golf at Cedar Crest Golf

Course. Molayo has been instrumental in PGA HOPE’s expansion across North Texas for more

than five years. “I am extremely proud to be a part of a team with PGA HOPE veterans that I

have taught throughout the years,” says Molayo. “Golf is a powerful tool that can be used to

impact the lives of people in many different ways. PGA HOPE has allowed me the opportunity to introduce golf to a group of special people that have made the ultimate sacrifice. Their

sacrifice and true American spirit is something that has always inspired me."

All teams arrive in Tulsa, Oklahoma on May 14. They will participate in practice rounds on May

15 and will have an opportunity to attend a PGA Championship practice round at Southern Hills

Country Club on May 17.

“PGA HOPE is enhancing, changing and saving lives, and when you hear that message directly

from the family members of participating Veterans, it’s very powerful,” said Jim Richerson,

President, PGA of America. “Veterans have sacrificed so much, and the work that our PGA

Professionals are doing is truly making a difference. I’m so proud to be part of this program, and

of the PGA’s commitment to grow PGA HOPE.”

Led by PGA Professionals, PGA HOPE has helped thousands of Veterans. Programs are currently

being offered at more than 210 locations in the U.S. today, across 47 States and 40 PGA

Sections, to serve 7,500 Veterans in 2022. It is the only adaptive golf program that has an MOU

with the Department of Veterans Affairs, which enables VA Facilities to refer Veterans to the

PGA HOPE program as a form of therapy.

About PGA REACH

PGA Foundation, Inc. d/b/a PGA REACH is the 501(c)(3) charitable foundation of the PGA of

America. The mission of PGA REACH is to Impact Lives Through Golf. For more information, visit

PGAREACH.org and follow @PGAREACH on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook. 

About the Northern Texas PGA Section

The Northern Texas PGA is one of 41 Sections of the PGA of America, and its geographic

territory includes the State of Texas of the 31st latitude, or just north of Austin. The Northern

Texas PGA is comprised of approximately 850 PGA Members and Associates employed at more

than 300 facilities.

The Northern Texas PGA has 17 full-time staff members and is currently headquartered in

Dallas. The Northern Texas PGA will be joining the PGA of America national office relocation to

Frisco in the summer of 2022 with its own state of the art headquarters on the PGA Frisco

Campus.

In addition to managing the day-to-day affairs of the Section, the Northern Texas PGA also

operates a non-profit and charitable foundation that focuses on five pillars: junior golf, college

scholarships, inclusion, internships and military & veterans.