Northern Texas PGA Announces 2017 Texas Joe Black Cup Captain, Inaugural Levy Cup Co-Captains
NTPGA • March 13, 2017
Dallas, Texas -
The Northern Texas PGA (NTPGA) is pleased to announce that the captain for the 2017 Texas Joe Black Cup Matches will be Billy Harris, PGA head professional at Dallas Country Club. Ken McDonald, PGA director of golf at BraeBurn Country Club, will serve as the Southern Texas PGA captain.
This will be Harris’ second time to serve as captain of a Texas Joe Black Cup team. He first captained the team in 1997. Harris is a 12-time member of the NTPGA Texas Joe Black Cup team and is currently 9th on the all-time NTPGA points list having accumulated 17 points in his appearances.
The 2017 Texas Joe Black Cup Matches will be conducted at Spanish Oaks Golf Club in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, October 22 - Tuesday, October 24. The Southern Texas PGA currently leads the Matches with an 18-17-1 record, but Team NTPGA is coming off of a commanding victory. They bested Team STPGA 16 to 8 in the 2016 Matches.
Also, the newly created Levy Cup Matches will be contested much like the Texas Joe Black Cup Matches. These Matches were created to celebrate PGA of America President Paul Levy.
The Northern Texas PGA will host the inaugural event from October 15-17 at Royal Oaks Country Club in Dallas. The Northern and Southern Texas PGA Section’s will alternate hosting the event each year.
The Levy Cup team will consist of six NTPGA Assistant Professionals (A-8 only) and six NTPGA Senior Members (any classification) competing against a Southern Texas PGA team comprised of the same classifications.
Serving as NTPGA Co-Captains for the event will be Randy Smith, golf professional emeritus and PGA director of instruction at Royal Oaks Country Club, and Clif Nelson, PGA assistant professional at Royal Oaks Country Club.
We are excited to begin these new Matches!
About the Texas Joe Black Cup Matches
The Texas Joe Black Cup Matches is an annual competition between the Northern Texas PGA and the Southern Texas PGA Sections. The Ryder Cup-style format features 12 PGA golf professionals from each Section competing in Four-Ball and Foursome Matches the first day followed by Singles Matches the final day. The event was started in 1981 to honor Joe Black, a Snyder native who was completing his first year as President of The PGA of America.
About the Levy Cup Matches
The Levy Cup Matches will be an annual competition between the Northern Texas PGA and the Southern Texas PGA Sections. The Matches were created to honor Paul Levy, current President of The PGA of America and longtime STPGA Member. The Ryder Cup style format features six of the top assistant golf professionals and six senior professionals from each Section competing in Four-Ball and Foursome Matches the first day followed by Singles Matches the final day.
About the Northern Texas PGA
The Northern Texas PGA is one of 41 Sections that comprise the PGA of America and has a professional membership of over 850. The geographic territory includes the State of Texas north of the 31st latitude, or just north of Austin. The Dallas based office has a full time staff of 13 employees with an additional 60 employees serving in a part-time capacity. The Section is a not for profit organization governed by an elected board of directors, who are PGA golf professionals. The operational focus of the Section is to provide services to golf professionals and the golf industry, while encouraging interest in and promoting the game. In addition to managing the day-to-day affairs of the Section, the headquarters operates the Northern Texas PGA Junior Golf Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. For more information, visit www.ntpga.com.
GRAPEVINE, Texas – Registration is now open for the 2026 Destination Grapevine Texas Women’s Open and its qualifying events. The Championship will take place Wednesday, May 27, through Friday, May 29, at Grapevine Golf Course. This 46th year of the Championship marks another chapter in the event’s rich history, continuing its tradition as one of the premier women’s tournaments in Texas. The projected overall purse is $80,000. For the third consecutive year, Grapevine Golf Course will serve as host, reinforcing the City of Grapevine’s commitment to supporting and growing women’s golf. Known for its hospitality and spirited community, Grapevine looks forward to building on the success of previous Championships while delivering a first-class experience for players and spectators alike. The 2026 Championship continues its partnership with the ANNIKA Women’s All Pro Tour (WAPT). Thanks to the support of the ANNIKA WAPT, this Championship allows the top two finishers to receive exemptions into the Epson Tour’s Island Resort Championship, June 22–28 in Harris, Michigan. Additionally, ANNIKA WAPT members will earn points toward the Callaway Race to Q2, with all earnings counting toward the 2026 ANNIKA WAPT Official Money List. A total of 144 players will compete in a 54-hole stroke play format, with a cut to the low 50 players and ties after 36 holes. New for 2026, players shall gain access to compete in the Championship through qualifying events unless they are otherwise exempt. Exemption categories for the 2026 Destination Grapevine Texas Women’s Open include: Past Champions Top 10 professionals and ties from the 2025 Destination Grapevine Texas Women’s Open Top five amateurs and ties from the 2025 Destination Grapevine Texas Women’s Open First five LPGA Tour Members First 10 Epson Tour Members ANNIKA Top 80 through third event ending April 24 Five amateurs ranked within the Top 500 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking Six All American Tour Exemptions Two Legends Junior Tour Exemptions Two Prestige Exemptions One Host Exemption Two Sponsor Exemptions Three NTPGA/WAPT Exemptions Three Good Good Golf Exemptions Eligibility for the 2026 Destination Grapevine Texas Women’s Open is open to professional and amateur golfers. Amateurs are encouraged to hold a USGA Handicap Index of 6.4 or lower. Additionally, the Championship is recognized as an official Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking and World Amateur Golf Ranking event, further enhancing its prestige and competitive significance. Registration for the 2026 Championship can be found HERE . Qualifying information can be found HERE . For more information about the Destination Grapevine Texas Women’s Open, visit www.ntpga.com/texas-womens-open . For those wishing to attend the event, admission is complimentary, allowing fans to enjoy top-tier women’s golf in an accessible public setting at one of Texas’ top-ranked public courses. With more than 20 hotels to stay at, it is an easy weekend getaway while you catch the action or play a few rounds of your own. Grapevine offers a wide range of accommodations from luxury resorts like the Gaylord Texan to family-friendly stays like Great Wolf Lodge, plus a variety of select-service hotels. For more information, visit www.grapevinetexasusa.com/texaswomensopen . ###
Golding and Walden win Senior Division
Brown and Gibralter (a) claim Senior Division
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