Northern Texas PGA Announces Partnership with Long Drive Agency

Ten Northern Texas PGA Members will compete in next week’s PGA Professional Championship. The Championship field is comprised of 312 of the top-playing PGA of America Golf Professionals from across the country. They will be teeing it up right here in our backyard at Fields Ranch to compete for the opportunity to play in the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. Learn more about the golfers representing our Section and their journey to the Championship below.

FRISCO, Texas (April 16) – Dame Laura Davies is committed to play in this year’s Destination Grapevine Texas Women’s Open. The 2015 World Golf Hall of Fame inductee will compete in the Ewing Automotive Group Legends of the LPGA Division on May 29-31 at Grapevine Golf Course. “We are thrilled to have Laura Davies, one of the greats of the game, compete in the Destination Grapevine Texas Women’s Open,” said Northern Texas PGA CEO Mark Harrison. Davies has collected over 70 wins worldwide during her historic career including four major championships and two senior major championships. She also holds the title of all-time Solheim Cup points leader with a 22-18-6 record. Over the past two years, Davies has transitioned into a commentating role with Sky Golf but occasionally plays competitively. She competed in both the 2023 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and the U.S. Senior Women’s Open. “I have no idea how my game will be in May because I haven’t played much tournament golf in the past two years as I’ve been commentating for Sky Golf, but I intend to put a lot of practice in over the next few months so I will hopefully be ready,” said Davies. “I have played many times in Texas over the years on the LPGA Tour, and I really look forward to playing there again.” The Ewing Automotive Group Legends of the LPGA Division will consist of 24 professionals competing for $75,000. Eligibility into this division is only open to members on the Legends of the LPGA Priority List. For more information on the Destination Grapevine Texas Women’s Open, please visit www.ntpga.com/texas-womens-open . ### ABOUT THE GRAPEVINE CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU The Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau acts as the promotional arm of the City of Grapevine and is responsible for actively selling, marketing and publicizing Grapevine globally. The Bureau promotes the city’s hotels, meeting facilities, historic and family attractions, festivals and events, dining establishments and retail businesses to the group meetings and leisure markets. ABOUT GRAPEVINE GOLF COURSE Grapevine Golf Course is a 27-hole facility located in Grapevine, Texas. The original 18-holes opened in 1979 and was designed by Byron Nelson. In 1999, a third nine opened and was designed by D.A. Weibring’s Golf Resources. Golf enthusiasts for years have enjoyed playing a rare blend of rolling fairways, penalty areas and bunkers that create a simultaneously challenging yet relaxing experience. ABOUT THE NORTHERN TEXAS PGA The Northern Texas PGA is one of 41 Sections of the PGA of America. Its geographic territory includes the State of Texas north of the 31st latitude, or just north of Austin. Over 1,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals employed at more than 300 facilities comprise this Section. Northern Texas PGA headquarters are located on the PGA Frisco campus and feature state-of-the-art office space, a growth of the game pavilion and a golf park designed for junior golfers.

FRISCO, Texas (April 5) – The 54th playing of the M&P Group Texas State Open is set to return to Cascades Country Club in Tyler, TX. The tournament will occur July 30 - August 2, 2024, and registration is now open. The 54th M&P Group Texas State Open is a 72-hole stroke play event, and the field will play 36 holes before a cut is made to the low 55 scores and ties. The projected purse is $200,000.  The Championship is open to all professionals, competitive amateurs and junior golfers with advanced tournament experience. The Championship field will feature 156 players who will qualify or are exempt. Qualifying for the Championship will be conducted throughout June and July at 18 sites. The deadline to register for qualifying is Thursday, May 30. Exempt players, should they choose to participate, are determined from the following categories: (1) Past Champions, (2) Top 10 professionals and ties from the 2023 Texas State Open, (3) Top 2 amateurs and ties from the 2023 Texas State Open, (4) Low PGA Professional from the 2023 Texas State Open, (5) Top 15 and ties from the 2023 final Northern Texas PGA and Southern Texas PGA Player of the Year Point Standings, (9) Top 10 point earners on the 2024 Northern Texas PGA Players Tour, (10) Top money leader from the All Pro Tour 2023 Fall Series Money List. Sponsors and host facility exemptions will also be reserved for certain players. Congratulations to the players who received exemptions at the beginning of March upon the completion of the NTPGA Players Tour: Ryan Grider - Lewisville, TX; Brian Dwyer - Southlake, TX; Sean Wilcox - Frisco, TX; Philip Barbaree Jr. - Shreveport, LA; Garrison Smith - Mansfield, TX; Wells Padgett - Dallas, TX; Brandon Shong - Sydney, Australia; George Toone - McKinney, TX; Chase Sienkiewicz - Frisco, TX; and Declan Kenny - Dallas, TX, have all earned a place in this year’s Championship. This is M&P Group’s second year as the title sponsor after signing a multi-year agreement with the Northern Texas PGA. The Championship will be presented by Joyce Crane. Proceeds from the Championship will benefit the Northern Texas PGA Foundation’s scholarship program with the awarding of the M&P Group Texas State Open scholarship during the championship. The scholarship is designated for a Ewing Automotive NTPGA Junior Tour Member from the Tyler area who will be attending college this fall. This year alone, the Northern Texas PGA Foundation is projected to award more than $700,000 in scholarships to approximately 75 high school seniors from North Texas. Registration is now available at ntpga.com, and again, the entry deadline is Thursday, May 30. For all Championship and qualifying details, please visit https://www.ntpga.com/texas-state-open now. ### ABOUT MYOUNG S. CHOI AND THE M&P GROUP Myoung S. Choi has been in the entrepreneurship industry for over 30 years. In 1986, Mr. Choi came to the United States to pursue his master’s at Texas Christian University. Shortly after in 1998, he opened a Dojo in Dallas, TX, to make his impact in the community by teaching Taekwondo. One of his notable students was former Olympian James Villasana that competed in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games. In 1999, Mr. Choi made his first mark on the creation of M&P Investment Group US. The creation of Q Building Maintenance Inc. specialized in janitorial services. After a successful 6 years, Mr. Choi merged Q Building with a new construction company Q Total Building Inc. With all his successes, Mr. Choi always strived for more with the creation of M&P Group US in 2017. Mr. Choi’s vision was always set to more than he could possibly imagine. His goal and dream of coming to the United States were to purchase and run golf courses. He made that dream come true in 2019 purchasing Shady Valley Country Club located in Arlington, TX. After the first Mr. Choi didn’t settle for less, purchasing Coyote Ridge Golf Club and Cascades Country Club in the same year of 2021. It is not a surprise that Mr. Choi has always had a passion for being successful as he has proved himself time and time again. His passion for the game of golf has always been with him playing professional golf from 1994-1996. His goal is to leave his mark on the surrounding community, and it is without saying that Mr. Choi has just begun doing just that. He strives for more and the only question is what is next? ABOUT CASCADES COUNTRY CLUB Cascades Country Club, a Master-Planned 5-Star community, is the most comprehensive community in East Texas. This luxury lakefront golf, tennis, fitness and residential community sits on 386 acres and is located just five miles from downtown Tyler, Texas. Cascades Country Club is also conveniently located midway between Dallas, Texas, and Shreveport, Louisiana. The golf course was re-designed by PGA Tour player Mark Hayes to challenge players at any skill level. Lush, tour-quality greens and broad fairways wind among tall oak and pine trees, with many holes set alongside scenic lakes on the golf course, and a stunning backdrop framed by Lake Bellwood greeting you on your first tee shot of the day. ABOUT THE NORTHERN TEXAS PGA The Northern Texas PGA is one of 41 Sections of the PGA of America. Its geographic territory includes the State of Texas north of the 31st latitude, or just north of Austin. Over 1,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals employed at more than 300 facilities comprise this Section. Northern Texas PGA headquarters are located on the PGA Frisco campus and feature state-of-the-art office space, a growth of the game pavilion and a golf park designed for junior golfers. 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.