Meet the Six Northern Texas PGA Members that will Represent Our Section at the Senior PGA Professional Championship
Six Northern Texas PGA Members are representing our Section at the Senior PGA Professional Championship. The Championship will take place at PGA Golf Club’s Wanamaker and Ryder Courses in Port St. Lucie, Florida, on October 26-29, 2023. We are excited to watch them compete and wish them the best of luck. Learn more about our six Members below!
PGA Life Member Todd McCorkle was a member of the Alabama - NW Florida Section before moving to the Northern Texas Section. He is a seasoned player when it comes to not only playing in the Florida weather conditions, but also playing in the Senior PGA Professional Championship. McCorkle shares that one of his favorite courses to play is the Wanamaker Course, where he was able to qualify for the PGA Championship three times. While this may not be his first time at PGA Golf Club, McCorkle said he is preparing for the tournament by working on, “the trajectory of my shots and trying to prepare myself as best as I can.” If you are planning on attending the Championship, McCorkle recommends you take a trip down to Jupiter, Florida, to check out the beautiful beaches.
Stuart Hendley, PGA director of instruction at Dallas Athletic Club, has qualified for almost every Senior PGA Professional Championship since he became eligible nine years ago. Hendley has had several opportunities to play at PGA Golf Club and reveals that the course is tough. “The greens are hard and fast and it's usually windy.” He adds, “It requires that you control your ball. That’s something I’m typically good at.” Hendley has a busy two months with not only the Senior PGA Professional Championship but also the Levy Cup Matches in November. When asked how he prepares for such a busy season physically and mentally, he states, “I make sure I get enough sleep, make sure I give myself enough time to practice and play. Showing up for tournaments not tired is a bigger deal at the age I'm at now than when I was younger.” In case you were wondering, Hendley already has his bucket hat picked out for the Championship.
Five-time qualifier Sam Randolph, PGA director of instruction at Mira Vista Country Club, is also familiar with playing in the Senior PGA Professional Championship. While he knows what to expect in Port St. Lucie, Randolph is using this time to practice ball striking and putting. This season, Randolph placed second in the Club Car | XXIO Northern Texas Senior PGA Professional Championship. He said, “It's always good for the confidence to shoot some under par rounds and that happened there, so the more of those the better.” While staying under par may be the goal, Randolph would tell first-time Senior PPC qualifiers to enjoy the experience. “It’s a major tournament for the club professionals for sure, so a little extra excitement there,” he said. “Then the top 35 get to go to the Senior PGA on the Champions Tour next year, so that’s a bonus to play for there.” Other than competing, Randolph is most looking forward to reconnecting with friends from other Sections that he has played with throughout the years.
Making his first appearance at the Senior PGA Professional Championship is James Williams Jr., PGA director of golf at The Nelson Golf and Sports Club. While he hopes to come back with a trophy, his main goal is to make his members proud. “I've been at the Nelson Sports Club for about six months, and for me to make it to the Senior PGA Professional Championship I think that the members are all for it,” said Williams. “I think they’re all excited, so that motivates me to want to play well.” Williams will go from hosting his course's biggest tournament of the year, the Nelson Cup Member-Guest, to hopping on the plane to head to the Championship. He shares that he is looking forward to going down to Florida. “I can recharge, play a little golf and relax a little for a week.” Williams had top ten finishes at the Talley Riggins | Boxto Pro-Pro and the Club Car | XXIO Northern Texas Senior PGA Professional Championship this season and is looking forward to competing in Florida.
Greg Gregory, PGA head professional at Southern Oaks Golf Club, will also be making his first appearance at the Senior PGA Professional Championship. This is Gregory’s first year eligible to qualify for the Championship and states he “got lucky at the end of the qualifying round to make a couple of late birdies to get myself one of the spots.” After suffering an injury last season, Gregory mentioned that he is “seeing some good signs” after making it to the final four of the Yamaha Golf-Car Company | Srixon/Cleveland Golf/Asics Match Play Championship. While this may be his first Senior PGA Professional Championship, Gregory has played in four PGA Championships and has also won at PGA Golf Club at one of the club’s tournaments. He is looking forward to heading back to Port St. Lucie, this time with his wife and mother, and enjoying not only the golf but also the great seafood Florida has to offer.
Lastly, PGA Director of Instruction at Rockwall Golf & Athletic Club Brian Mahon is another first-timer to the Senior PGA Professional Championship. Heading into the tournament, his game plan is to “practice a little bit every day and try to do what I can.” One of his favorite tournaments of the season was the Joyce Crane | Veritex Bank Section Championship in Odessa because “it didn’t feel as hot,” he laughed. “We got rain in West Texas which was kinda cool, that was by far my favorite tournament this season.” He shared that this tournament, along with Yamaha Golf-Car Company | Srixon/Cleveland Golf/Asics Match Play Championship, is what has given him confidence going into the Championship. Mahon is not only excited to head to Florida for his first Senior PGA Professional Championship, but also to play a couple of rounds of golf with his daughter while he is there.
The top 35 finishers will be named to the Corebridge Financial PGA Team and advance into the field for the 2024 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship to be held May 23 - 26 at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor, Michigan.
Good luck to our Members today as they begin competing in the Senior PGA Professional Championship. We are rooting for you and know that you will represent our Section well! If you would like to follow along, please go to www.go.pga.com/scoring.
