NTPGA Foundation Conducts 3rd Annual Northern Texas PGA HOPE Cup

Casey Rayburn • December 5, 2023

Last week, the Northern Texas PGA Foundation conducted the 3rd annual Northern Texas PGA HOPE Cup presented by the Texas Wounded Warrior Foundation on Wednesday, November 29 at The Oaks Country Club in Greenville.

Nine teams competed in a 5-person scramble. One PGA of America Golf Professional and four Veterans comprised each team. The team of Thomas Valdez, director of instruction at Oakmont Country Club, and Veterans Anthony Applegate, Tyler Arnold, Jey Kim and Mark Stokes won the competition with a score of 6-under-par.


Several features make this tournament unique, but the most special detail is that this event serves as a qualifier for the Secretary's Cup. 


The Secretary’s Cup is a tournament that is hosted by the PGA of America and is conducted in conjunction with the PGA Championship each May. It is a spirited nine-hole golf competition that kicks off PGA Championship week and features military Veterans who have participated in the PGA HOPE program hosted by

their local PGA Section.  Twelve teams from across the country will compete on Monday, May 13, 2024, at the University of Louisville Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. 


The champion team of Valdez, Applegate, Arnold, Kim and Stokes will represent the Northern Texas Section at the Secretary’s Cup. 


“Playing in the HOPE Cup today was by far the most fun I have ever had on the golf course,” said Valdez.  “I told the team on our first tee box ‘Let’s have fun more than anything else,’ and boy did they deliver. Winning was icing on the cake. It was my honor and privilege to get the opportunity to hang out and play with my team, and we can not wait to represent Northern Texas in the Secretary’s Cup.” 


A closest-to-the-hole contest was also held for all Veterans who competed in the Northern Texas PGA HOPE Cup giving them a chance to win a $1,000 gift card. From 50 yards, Mark Stiverson hit his shot to 2 feet, 5 inches to win the prize.


Thank you to Jerry J. Ransom, the Texas Wounded Warrior Foundation and The Oaks Country Club for their support of this incredible tournament. And, a special thank you to the PGA of America Golf Professionals across our Section who hosted a PGA HOPE program in 2023. The NTPGA Foundation served nearly 300 Veterans this year!


PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) is the flagship military program of PGA REACH, and introduces golf to active members of the military and Veterans to enhance their physical, mental, social and emotional well-being.

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

By Erik Anderson • March 3, 2026
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.