Northern Texas PGA Captures 36th Texas Joe Black Cup Matches

NTPGA • October 26, 2016

Lajitas, Texas – The Northern Texas PGA captured the 36th Texas Joe Black Cup Matches by an overall point total of 16 to 8. The NTPGA team had a commanding 7.5 point lead heading into the Singles Matches on day two. Needing only three points to capture the Matches, the NTPGA team was able win key matches for the victory.

Despite losing the first match out this morning, the NTPGA team was able to earn two of the three points needed from the third and fourth matches with victories from Danny Coughlan, PGA head professional at Abilene Country Club, who won 3 & 1 over Jason Alexander, PGA head professional at The Club at Carlton Woods, and Tony Martinez, Northern Texas PGA President and director of golf at Keeton Park Golf Course, who bested Doug DeSive, STPGA Vice President and PGA head professional at Corpus Christi Country Club. DeSive played in place of STPGA President Jeff Strong who was injured.

However, it was Kevin Golding, PGA head professional at Four Seasons Resort and Club, making his fourth appearance in the Matches, who clinched the cup for the NTPGA team by making a birdie on hole 16 to win the hole, and earn full point and clinch his match 3 & 2. Golding’s victory gave the NTPGA team the 12.5 points needed to claim the cup.

This decisive victory ties a Texas Joe Black Cup Matches record for the most points won. The Northern Texas PGA team also won the cup in 2012 at Brook Hollow Golf Club by a 16 to 8 point margin.

“It is extremely fulfilling to win the cup,” said Playing Captain Paul Earnest. “It was something that I felt I left on the table as my time as President of the Section came to an end, so it feels great to bring the cup home. I am proud of my team. We were tenacious and were able to win some great matches.”

The two days of matches were highly competitive as 14 matches of the 24 matches came down to play on hole 18. The NTPGA team won or halved 11 of the 14 matches to seize momentum. Thanks in part to the NTPGA’s play on hole 18, they were able to win or halve 20 of the 24 matches played.

Even with the Northern Texas PGA’s victory, the STPGA still leads the overall team records at 18-17-1.

The teams from each Section were represented by their Section President, the top playing PGA Directors of Golf, PGA Head Professionals and PGA General Managers, a Senior Representative, and a Captain’s Pick. Paul Earnest, PGA director of golf at Four Seasons Resort and Club, was captain of the Northern Texas PGA team, and Randy Jones, PGA director of instruction at The Golf Club of Texas, served as the Southern Texas PGA captain.

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 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, Texas native who was completing his first year as President of The PGA of America.

One point is awarded to a winning match and a half point is awarded to any match that is tied after eighteen holes. The Northern Texas PGA needed 12.5 points to capture the cup while the Southern Texas PGA needed 12 points to retain the cup. The Matches were contested at Black Jack’s Crossing Golf Course at Lajitas Golf Resort and Spa, a 7,296-yards, par 72 layout in Lajitas, Texas.

Singles Matches and Overall Results.

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Bruns And Walts Win 2026 KBS TOUR Shafts Pro-Assistant Championship After Two Hole Playoff

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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

Northern Texas PGA Celebrates Award Winners, Conducts 58th Annual Meeting, Elects 32nd President of Section

By Molly Rawlins • February 23, 2026
Dallas, TX – (February 23, 2026) The Northern Texas PGA held their President’s Dinner on Sunday, February 22, at Royal Oaks Country Club. The dinner celebrated the 2025 NTPGA award winners, which included Northern Texas PGA Golf Professional of the Year, the Section's highest award, won by Cameron Doan, PGA director of golf at Preston Trail Golf Club. This is the highest honor given annually to a Northern Texas PGA Member, and is awarded for qualities of leadership, strong moral character and a substantial record of service to the NTPGA as well as the game of golf. The complete list of award winners can be found HERE . Congratulations to all. On Monday, February 23, the NTPGA staff then conducted a Professional Development Seminar and the 58th Annual Business Meeting at Dallas Country Club. During the Professional Development Seminar, the PGA of America golf professionals learned new communication skills from Tim Novak, increased their rules knowledge with Jon Drago, PGA, and David Price, PGA, and learned leadership lessons from a group of golf's top PGA golf professionals, including Cary Cozby, PGA, Bill Eschenbrenner, PGA, Bob Ford, PGA, and our very own Cameron Doan, PGA, and Ronny Glanton, PGA. After lunch, the 58th Annual Meeting consisted of the recognition of many professionals including the playing award winners honoring Matt Lohmeyer, Todd McCorkle, Rob Shields and Kim Paez. The 2026 Eva Williams A.C.E. Scholarship recipient, Sean Kim was also recognized. The meeting included comments from the Northern Texas PGA Past Presidents, current officers as well as from Executive Director, Kelly Gilley, PGA and CEO Mark Harrison. New Officers to the Northern Texas PGA Board of Directors were elected by acclamation. They include Ira Molayo as President, Jeremy Langdale as Vice President and Eric Hunt as Secretary. Two At-Large Directors were also elected by acclamation, Trish Holt and Neil Lockie. All were sworn in alongside East Texas Chapter President Tim Lawson and West Texas Chapter President Adam Headley. The current Northern Texas PGA Board of Directors can be found HERE . Before the meeting adjourned, the newly elected President, Ira Molayo, the PGA General Manager at Cedar Crest Golf Course in Dallas, addressed the membership. He stated that it is an honor to serve as the 32nd President of the Northern Texas PGA, using the word ‘serve’ intentionally because this position, like every role in our profession, is not about title. It is about stewardship. He then gave four notes about his commitment in these next two years – to represent all Members, across facilities, across classifications, across backgrounds, to listen carefully, to communicate clearly, and to support the staff and volunteers who carry this Section forward every day. He finished his comments by saying, “I do not intend to reinvent what is already strong. I intend to build on it.” Thank you to all of the PGA of America Golf Professionals in our Section who attended these special and important events over the past few days. Our Board and our staff look forward to a successful 2026.