Northern Texas PGA Announces Section Award Winners
Molly Rawlins • November 23, 2020
Simon Buckle Named Golf Professional of the Year
DALLAS, Texas –
Each year the Northern Texas PGA Section recognizes its members and others in the golf community through the NTPGA Awards program. On behalf of the Northern Texas PGA Awards Committee and past Presidents of the Section, it is our pleasure to announce the 2020 Section Award Winners.
Simon Buckle, PGA, is the recipient of the 2020 Northern Texas PGA Golf Professional of the Year Award. This is the highest annual honor given to a Northern Texas PGA member, awarded for qualities of leadership, strong moral character and a substantial record of service to the NTPGA and the game of golf.
Buckle recently resigned his position as head professional at Brook Hollow Golf Club in Dallas to explore new opportunities, but spent the past 10 years at the club focusing on delivering an exceptional customer experience to the Brook Hollow membership as well as developing adult and junior golfers.
Buckle served on the Northern Texas PGA Board of Directors in an At-Large position from 2011 to 2013. He is the current chairman of the Ewing Charity Classic Committee, which is responsible for overseeing the Northern Texas PGA Foundation’s largest annual fundraising endeavors. Buckle is also a founding member of the Birdies for Kids fundraiser. Combined, the Ewing Charity Classic and Birdies for Kids have raised a total of $7.03M for the Northern Texas PGA Foundation.
Buckle’s previous Northern Texas PGA awards include 2017 Merchandiser of the Year and 2006 Assistant Golf Professional of the Year.
View the full list of the Northern Texas PGA award winners below. Congratulations to all of our winners.
PGA Member Award Categories
Golf Professional of the Year Award – Simon Buckle, PGA Member
Assistant Golf Professional of the Year Award – Brian Kleckner, TPC Craig Ranch
Distinguished Service Award – Mickey Piersall, PGA Life Member
Teacher and Coach of the Year Award – Justin Poynter, Crown Golf
Randy Smith Youth Player Development Award – Joseph Anders, Brookhaven Country Club
PGA Player Development Award (Growth of the Game) – Abe Hernandez, Royal Oaks Country Club
Patriot Award – Ron Nash, PGA Life Member
Bill Strausbaugh Award (Club Relations, Employment and Mentoring) – Stephen Aumock, Gleneagles Country Club
Professional Development Award (Education / Building the Image of a PGA Professional) – Ira Molayo, Cedar Crest Golf Course
Merchandiser of the Year Award - Private Category – Jeremy Langdale, Ranchland Hills Golf Club
Merchandiser of the Year Award - Public / Resort Category – Dan Walden, Texas Star Golf Course
Yamaha Golf-Car Company & Srixon / Cleveland Golf / XXIO Player of the Year – Brian Norman, Royal Oaks Country Club
Ben Hogan / NTPGA Stroke Play Average Award – Brian Norman, Royal Oaks Country Club
OMEGA & XXIO Senior Points Challenge Winner – Jim Henderson, Stevens Park Golf Course
NTPGA Woman Player of the Year – Julie Wells, John Sikes Golf Academy
Non-PGA Member Award Categories
Bob Galt Award (Media) – Rick Arnett, Avid Golfer Magazine & The Ticket
Byron Nelson Award (Amateur) – Jon Morgan, Austin, Texas & Mark Anthony, Dallas, Texas
Leon Faucett Award (Sales Representative) – Steve Nichols & James Lloyd, Srixon / Cleveland Golf / XXIO / ASICS
Golf Course Superintendent Award – Russell Birkhimer, Golf Clubs at The Tribute
The Awards Committee consists of Committee Chair, Tim Cusick and PGA Committee Members Eric Hunt, Brian McKinley, John Sikes, Alan Alison, Brent Blackburn, Matt Currey, Tommy Darland, Cameron Doan, Ira Molayo, Jimmy Terry and Erik Wait.
The winner will be honored at an Awards Banquet still to be scheduled in 2021.
Woodson and Schaefer (a) Capture Senior Division
Little Secures Senior Division
Six qualify for Senior PGA Professional Championship
Irving, Texas (August 25) – The Nelson Golf and Sports Club hosted two Northern Texas PGA Major Championships this week, the Club Car | XXIO Northern Texas Senior PGA Professional Championship and the Lajitas Golf Resort Women’s Section Championship. Clayton Friend claimed the Senior title, and Kim Paez claimed the Women’s title. Kim Paez, PGA Member at Ping Inc., claimed the Lajitas Golf Resort Women’s Section Championship title, carding rounds of 70-72–142. Paez finished the Championship at 2-over-par, winning by four strokes. She began the final round one stroke back of Katie Flinn, director of instruction at Topgolf - Fort Worth, and her 2-over-par final round was enough to come from behind and secure the win. This is Paez’s first victory with the Northern Texas PGA since joining the section in 2025. “I stuck to my game plan this week, which was fairways and greens,” Paez said. “I think I missed only one or two fairways yesterday. I played pretty conservatively, but it paid off in the end.” Reflecting on her final round performance, Paez said, "It was a little bit windier today. It made me calculate a lot more on the tee shots.” It was an up-and-down round for Paez, but she hit her approach on hole 18 to two feet and tapped in for birdie. “The last three holes are pretty gettable, so I just had to remind myself that no matter how the round was going, I was going to have opportunities to close it out at the end.” Next week, September 3-5, Paez joins four other PGA female PGA Teaching, Coaching and Club Professionals from across the country to represent the United States in the fourth Women’s PGA Cup. They will take on Australia, Canada, Great Britain & Ireland, South Africa and Sweden in a 54-hole stroke play format at Carden Park Golf Resort in Chester, Cheshire, United Kingdom. “It is the biggest honor. When I first got my PGA Membership, and I found out about the PGA Cup, it became one of my biggest goals,” said Paez about making the team. “I was constantly checking the rankings, and coming into the KPMG [Women’s PGA Championship] and the LPGA Professionals Championship, I knew I had to lock in and give myself the best chance.” “I am so excited and so proud to represent the Northern Texas PGA as well, so hopefully I make everyone proud,” added Paez. This 36-hole Northern Texas PGA major championship is the fourth of five individual stroke play events that comprise the Woman Player of the Year points standings. The 22-player field competed for a purse of $7,500, and Kim Paez took home $1,050. The Lajitas Golf Resort Women’s Section Championship was presented by A.PUTNAM and XXIO. The Nelson Golf and Sports Club Par: 35-35–70 Women’s Championship Yardage: 5,878 yards