Northern Texas PGA Junior Golf Foundation Awards Record $305,000 in Scholarships
NTPGA • June 20, 2018
DALLAS, TX
– The Northern Texas PGA Junior Golf Foundation is pleased to continue its charitable commitment to educational services by announcing its 2018 scholarship recipients. Forty-three (43) recipients have earned scholarships totaling $305,000, the most ever given in a single year by the Foundation.
This year, of the scholarships awarded, 69% were based on financial need, academic performance, extracurricular activities and community involvement, while 31% were awarded based on academic performance, extracurricular activities and community involvement.
The Northern Texas PGA Junior Golf Foundation is pleased to announce its 2018 scholarship recipients.
• Jordan Spieth Family Foundation Scholarship – Omar Arriaga
• Royal Oaks Country Club / Nicholas Stafford Scholarship – Anthony Basta
• AT&T Byron Nelson Scholarship – Lauren Blackburn
• NTPGA Scholarship, Supported by AT&T – Herlin Bonilla
• Tony Martinez / Dallas District Golf Association Scholarship – Malak Bourdaeda
• Ewing Automotive College Scholarship – Sadie Bow
• Birdies for Kids Scholarship – Abbey Bryan
• Jerry J. Ransom Scholarship – Megan Daleo
• Cameron McCormick Golf Scholarship – Ranger Donnell
• Ben Hogan Foundation / Mark and Katie Kalpakis Scholarship – Cullen Embry
• Ben Hogan Foundation / Jeff and Suzanne Mooney Scholarship – Austin Escamilla
• Tanos Exploration II / Patterson-UTI Drilling Texas State Open Scholarship – Emma French
• NTPGA Scholarship, Supported by AT&T – David Garcia
• Randy Smith Scholarship – Justin Gatlin
• Jerry J. Ransom Scholarship – Brooks Glanton
• Jordan Spieth Family Foundation Scholarship – Jalen Gonzales
• Holly & Doug Brooks Family Foundation Scholarship – Connor Howard
• The Veritex Bank Scholarship – Karli Livingston
• Jordan Spieth Family Foundation Scholarship – Naila Lopez
• McMillan Golf Academy Scholarship – Finn Maguire
• Ewing Automotive College Scholarship – Zoe Mayfield
• NTPGA Scholarship, Supported by AT&T – Maria Medina
• Briggs Berry Heart of a Lion Scholarship – Mateo Mejia
• I AM Scholarship – Sandra Moreno
• Ben Hogan Foundation / Robert Stennett Scholarship – Brendan O’Connell
• NTPGA Scholarship, Supported by AT&T – Maria Ortiz
• West Texas Legends Scholarship honoring S.A. Smith, Hart Warren, Jay McClure and Sherwin Cox – Nolan Otto
• Holly & Doug Brooks Family Foundation Scholarship – Matt Prieskorn
• Holly & Doug Brooks Family Foundation Scholarship – Gabrielle Rosas
• Holly & Doug Brooks Family Foundation Scholarship – Sara Schuster
• Cameron McCormick Golf Scholarship – Lauren Wallace
• *Mac Spikes PGA Member Scholarship – Victoria Williams
• I AM Scholarship – Hillmon Woods
• Cameron McCormick Golf Scholarship – Phoebe Yuan
• Jerry J. Ransom Scholarship - Emily Zhou
• S.A. Smith West Texas Invitational / Frost Bank Scholarship – To be announced
*Denotes - Annually awarded to a child or grandchild of a Northern Texas PGA Member
The Deloitte Fairway to Success After School Program completed its eleventh year of outreach at three DISD high schools – W.W. Samuell, Thomas Jefferson and Lincoln. These schools were selected by DISD for their level of need, lack of outside resources and commitment of staff leadership to this project. Fairway to Success is a collaborative effort between Deloitte, Northern Texas PGA and United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, which provides scholarships to at-risk students who are learning to play golf.
Fairway to Success is helping to impact and change the lives of children in our community. The five-week, after school program had 155 DISD high school students learning the basics of golf from PGA professionals over the course of the academic year. Students also went on a field trip to Keeton Park Golf Course and graduating seniors were given the opportunity to apply for a $20,000 college scholarship. New to the 2018 Fairway to Success scholarship program, the NTPGA partnered up with the University of North Texas at Dallas to provide one student with a full, four-year scholarship to UNT Dallas.
Deloitte, the Northern Texas PGA and United Way are proud to announce the 2018 scholarship recipients:
• Daniel Akwei
– Thomas Jefferson High School
• Ashley Crispin
– W.W. Samuell High School
• Elia Espinosa
– Thomas Jefferson High School
• Juwon Grant
– Lincoln High School
• Francheska Johnson
– Lincoln High School
• Sonya Soto
– Thomas Jefferson High School
The University of North Texas at Dallas and the Northern Texas PGA are proud to announce the first ever UNT-Dallas/NTPGA Fairway to Success Scholarship recipient.
• Tyra Shockley
– W.W. Samuell High School
Established in 2007, the Fairway to Success Program has annually awarded scholarships to deserving students based on academic performance, extracurricular activities, community involvement and financial need. Since its inception, the program has awarded $1,000,000 to 51 deserving students in our community. Funding is entirely through the individual contributions of Deloitte personnel in North Texas. One hundred percent of the contributions made are designated to fund scholarships.
About the Northern Texas PGA Junior Golf Foundation:
The Northern Texas PGA Junior Golf Foundation is committed to introducing, promoting and growing the game of golf to a diverse group of kids in North Texas and instilling in them the positive, character-developing traits for which the game is so well known. Each year close to 10,000 children and their families are impacted by the game that lasts a lifetime through a full circle of programs and services including:
• Introduction – Fairway to Success After School Program, Drive, Chip and Putt and Summer Golf Camps
• Playing – Team and PGA Junior League Golf, Prep and Medalist Levels and All American Tour – 450+ tournaments per year
• Education – College Scholarships – $2.36M distributed including $305,000 awarded in 2018
• Employment – Internship Program, Fairway to Success After School Program and Summer Golf Camps
• Philanthropy – Ewing Charity Classic, Birdies for Kids, the Jerry J. Ransom Pro-Junior-Am and the Royal Oaks’ Great 108
For more information about the Northern Texas PGA Junior Golf Foundation Scholarship Program or for additional information about our 2018 recipients, please contact Alyssa Richardson at arichardson@ntpga.com
or (214) 420-7421 or visit www.ntpgajuniorgolf.com/scholarships.
On behalf of each NTPGA Chapter Awards Committee, East Texas, Metro Texas and West Texas, we are pleased to announce the 2026 Northern Texas PGA Chapter Award Winners below. 2026 East Chapter Award Winners Golf Professional of the Year Tim Lawson, The Pinnacle Golf Club Assistant Golf Professional of the Year Justin Benson, Eagle's Bluff Country Club Teacher & Coach of the Year Cory Ryan, Crown Colony Country Club Merchandiser of the Year - Private Kendall Earp Motes, Sulphur Springs Country Club Merchandiser of the Year - Public Doug Myer, Tyler Golf Professional Development Award John Sikes, Eagle's Bluff Country Club Bill Strausbaugh Award Doug Myer, Tyler Golf Player Development Award John Sikes, Eagle's Bluff Country Club Patriot Award Dick Goetz, PGA Life Member Youth Player Development Award Mike Williams, Alpine Target Golf Center 2026 Metro Chapter Award Winners Golf Professional of the Year Abe Hernandez, Royal Oaks Country Club Assistant Golf Professional of the Year Shelly Davis, Dallas Athletic Club Teacher & Coach of the Year Gabe Reynolds, Topgolf - Dallas Merchandiser of the Year - Private Brian Schorsten, Colonial Country Club Merchandiser of the Year - Public Chad Williams, Tierra Verde Golf Club Professional Development Award Deborah Foley, PGA of America Bill Strausbaugh Award Trish Holt, Fields Ranch at PGA Frisco Player Development Award Michelle Edgar, The Clubs of Prestonwood - The Hills Patriot Award Bob Nied, The Courses at Watters Creek Youth Player Development Award Garrett Anderson, Golf Clubs at The Tribute 2026 West Chapter Award Winners Golf Professional of the Year Jimmy Tidwell, Abilene Country Club Assistant Golf Professional of the Year Dru Hein, Midland Country Club Teacher & Coach of the Year Brandon Veld, Red Feather Golf & Social Club Merchandiser of the Year - Private Matt Lawson, Lubbock Country Club Merchandiser of the Year - Public Casey Renner, Palo Duro Creek Golf Course Professional Development Award Brian Nagy, Abilene Country Club Bill Strausbaugh Award Jake McCullough, Odessa Country Club Player Development Award Thomas Martin, Green Tree Country Club Patriot Award George Priolo, Ross Rogers Golf Complex Youth Player Development Award Ryan Osgood, Odessa Country Club Congratulations to all of this year’s recipients.
Friend and McCorkle Headed to Lajitas Golf Resort for Duel in the Desert
GREENVILLE, Texas (September 28) – For the second year in a row, Spencer Dillard, PGA director of golf at Golf Clubs at The Tribute, claimed the Jerry J. Ransom Northern Texas PGA Shootout at The Oaks, taking home $25,000 for the win. Just like last year, it took Dillard two playoff holes to best runner-up Nick Paez, instructor at The Ronny Golf Park. Both players found the 440-yard, par 4, 9th green in two, but a costly three-putt from Paez from 35 feet led to Dillard finishing off a nervy three-foot putt for the win. Dillard also won with a par in last year’s event and has now taken home the victory in two out of three years in the event’s short history. “It’s pretty special, just the opportunity to play in the event. I just can’t thank Dr. Ransom enough for putting this on and all he does for us,” said Dillard. “Just being able to play is a huge deal and then lasting through the shootout is so tough, so it feels great to be here.” The players in the shootout were battling in what seemed to be a competition of who could continue to make birdies. “Nathan was 9-under through a 12-hole stretch today and still went out. There is so much talent in our Section, so you got to go win it,” said Dillard. Longtime Northern Texas PGA Foundation supporter Jerry J. Ransom welcomed 98 Northern Texas PGA Members and Associates to The Oaks Country Club for the third annual Shootout. The event was created to recognize the PGA Professionals across the Section who dedicate their time and energy to growing the game through the NTPGA Foundation’s initiatives. The event was developed by Ransom as a way to thank PGA Professionals across the Northern Texas Section while also providing exposure to The Oaks Country Club. The Oaks is a top-five nine-hole course in Texas according to the Dallas Morning News golf course rankings. The format for the event featured a 9-hole qualifier, with the top three finishers and one randomly selected participant moving on to the evening shootout. Nathan Park, instructor at Stonebriar Country Club, qualified first after finishing with an impressive 6-under-par, 30. Dillard was the next to advance, carding a 4-under-par, 32, and finally Paez at 3-under-par, 33, who won a six-for-one spot playoff with a birdie on the first extra hole in the playoff. Zack Vinson, PGA head professional at Athens Country Club, was the random drawing winner. The nine-hole Shootout portion of the event was played in three stages of three holes each, with one professional eliminated after every stage. After the first three holes, Vinson was eliminated and landed a prize of $2,500. The scores were then reset to even par, and the second three holes saw Nathan Park bow out, despite being 9-under-par through 15 holes. He played his final three holes in the shootout at even par. Still, he earned $7,500 for his efforts. The scores again reset to even par for the final three-hole segment, where Dillard and Paez battled it out for three holes, followed by two extra holes in the playoff.