Killeen Goes Back-to-Back at Midland Country Club

Nine PGA of America Golf Professionals, representing the Northern Texas PGA, will compete in next week’s PGA Professional Championship at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida. The Championship field is comprised of 312 of the top-playing Professionals from across the country, all of whom are fighting for a spot to compete in the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club. Learn more about the Championship HERE and follow along with live scoring HERE Read more about the Professionals representing our Section and their journey to the Championship below. Brandon Bingaman “It’s the reason I got into the [golf] industry,” said Brandon Bingaman, PGA assistant professional at Gleneagles Country Club, when asked about the PGA Professional Championship. As the 2023 NTPGA Player of the Year, Bingaman earned the Section’s pick to compete in the national championship. He enters the week knowing what it is like to accomplish the feat of finishing in the top 20. “I’m looking for another successful trip,” he says. In 2022 Bingaman, alongside Nic Ishee, qualified for the PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club. It took some final round heroics, including a few birdies late in the round, but Bingaman was able then to accomplish his goal of playing in a major championship. Bingaman shares, “It’s a test because you have expectations and you’re trying to meet them, but it’s golf. You’ve just got to play day by day.” Spencer Dillard Third time's a charm? That’s the hope for Spencer Dillard, PGA head professional at Preston Trail Golf Club. Spencer is preparing to make his third appearance in the Championship and is arguably playing some of the best golf of his career. Preston Trail Golf Club has a reputation for having highly competitive golf professionals and Dillard hopes to further that by earning a spot on the Corebridge Financial PGA Team. He has the advantage of recently competing on the renovated Wanamaker Course at PGA Golf Club. In November Dillard competed in the National Car Rental Assistant PGA Professional Championship. "I have gotten a lot of good experience at PGA Golf Club which is definitely a good thing," said Dillard, “The opportunity to play in the PGA Professional Championship is pretty special and I think my goal is to win.” Greg Gregory After several years away from the event, Greg Gregory, PGA head professional at Southern Oaks Golf Club, is making his return to the Championship. “The PGA Professional Championship to me is the biggest event of the year,” he shared. Gregory has his sights set on his return to the PGA Championship as well, and the memories of Quail Hollow in 2017 still fuel that goal. “Quail Hollow was very fun, we had a great time! I was able to tie for low club professional, which meant a lot to me,” he recalls. “That would be a dream come true to go back there. I am looking forward to the challenge.” After undergoing spine surgery in 2021, Gregory’s journey back to the game hasn’t been easy, but it has made moments like these all more meaningful. Gregory draws his strength from the support of his family. “Thank you to my wife for always being there and supporting me. We are looking forward to a great and successful week.” Nic Ishee Competing in his fourth PGA Professional Championship is Nic Ishee, PGA director of golf at Old Waverly Golf Club. Ishee recently moved to the Gulf States Section, but will still be representing the NTPGA during the Championship. “I’m excited to get back and see everyone,” he says. “I miss the guys for sure.” In August he won the Northern Texas PGA Professional Championship to punch his ticket to the national championship. He won by five strokes at Pinecrest Country Club and finished at 12-under-par, after carding back-to-back rounds of 64. At the time he said “Pinecrest rewards patience” and he is adapting that motto to be “the PGA club pro rewards patience.” Ishee goes into the Championship hoping to return again to the PGA Championship after earning his way there in 2022 at Southern Hills Country Club. “I put too much pressure on myself in 2023 and 2024,” he says. “I just want to go down there, have fun, and win.” J.J. Killeen Competing in his fourth straight PGA Professional Championship is JJ Killeen, PGA general manager at SugarTree Golf and Country Club. The 2011 Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year has qualified every year since earning his PGA Membership in 2021. In 2023 he qualified for the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club after a T17 finish in New Mexico. For Killeen, the PPC is more than just a tournament. “It’s always a great honor to play in the PPC,” he says. “It’s exciting to get to play in it again and play for our Section. I truly believe we are the best in the whole country.” With a large field and a long format, he knows what it takes to stay in the mix. “It’s a long week. If you play solid golf and are patient, usually you have a chance to win it in the end.” More than anything, Killeen remains excited to be a part of the tournament, see friends from the industry and play some good, competitive golf. Jarred Jeter Jarred Jeter, PGA assistant professional at Shady Oaks Golf Club is set to make his debut in the PGA Professional Championship. For Jeter, this event represents one of the highest honors in the club professional ranks. “It was an unbelievable feeling to qualify,” he says. “It’s one of those things you want to check off on the club professional level.” In preparation for the event, he’s been dedicating time in the gym as well as his mental side of the game, knowing that four rounds of competitive golf will require a lot of focus and stamina. “You have to take each challenge as it comes and play the best golf that you can,” he adds. While the pressure will be higher than usual, Jeter credits the Section and its players for putting on highly competitive tournaments. “The level of competition that we have at the NTPGA is great,” he shares. “We may be trying to beat each other on the course, but at the end of the day we are all part of the same team, cheering each other on as it goes.” Sam Randolph Sam Randolph, PGA director of instruction at Mira Vista Country Club is the oldest representative of the NTPGA that is heading to Florida, but probably the most experienced. The 1985 U.S. Amateur Champion has been a staple on leaderboards in the NTPGA’s Senior Division for the past few years. This week he will be on the hunt for his 12th major championship start and a second at the PGA Championship. He knows the course at PGA Golf Club, having played it multiple times in the past, including in the Senior PGA Professional Championship “It's always good for the confidence to shoot some under-par rounds and that has happened there in the past for me [PGA Golf Club], so the more of those the better.” Gabe Reynolds Gabe Reynolds, PGA director of instruction at Topgolf Dallas, earned his way into the field via the alternate list. He began as the Section’s third alternate, but after Matt Ryba and John Sikes declined the invite to play, he was in. Reynolds found this out less than a week before the Championship is set to begin. “I’m excited,” he says. “The PPC is the biggest event on our calendar every year.” He will head to Florida seeking his second major championship start. In 2023 he joined Killeen at Oak Hill Country Club for the PGA Championship. “The PPC will provide an opportunity to get some competitive reps,” he says. When he returns to Texas, Reynolds will immediately tee it up in the PGA TOUR’s THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson. A start which he earned by winning the NTPGA Section Championship in September. Katelyn Sepmoree Katelyn Sepmoree, PGA assistant professional at Willow Brook Country Club is excited to qualify for this year’s PGA Professional Championship. Ahead of the tournament, Sepmoree is looking forward to getting back to the course that she played just a couple of months ago when winning the PGA Women’s Stroke Play Championship in February. “I recently just played there for the first time and it was a pretty successful trip,” she says. With that win she earned a spot in the 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. She will use this week’s Championship as an opportunity to prepare for that. “It’s a perfect time to prepare for KPMG. I will be around really good players,” she says. “I am excited to get the competitive juices going again. I am excited to play against really good players and see where I stand.” Sepmoree believes that the Section has prepared her to play in a tournament of this caliber. “I am very fortunate to play in a Section with strong players. Whether it's seven professionals or three-hundred professionals, you still have to shoot a score. Honestly, being able to play against these guys out here makes me better.” she says. The PGA Professional Championship will take place from Sunday, April 27 to Wednesday, April 30 at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida. To follow along with the PGA Professional Championship, please go to www.go.pga.com/scoring . Golf Channel will also air coverage of each round, see below for more details. Sunday, April 27 - 6-8 p.m. CT (tape-delayed) Monday, April 28 - 2-5 p.m. CT Tuesday, April 29 - 2-5 p.m. CT Wednesday, April 30 - 2-5 p.m. CT

The 55th 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 29 - August 1, 2025, and registration is now open. The 55th 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 17 sites. The deadline to register for qualifying is Thursday, May 29. Exempt players, should they choose to participate, are determined from the following categories: (1) Past Champions, (2) Top 10 professionals and ties from the 2024 Texas State Open, (3) Top 2 amateurs and ties from the 2024 Texas State Open, (4) Low PGA Professional from the 2024 Texas State Open, (5) Top 15 and ties from the 2024 final Northern Texas PGA and Southern Texas PGA Player of the Year Point Standings, (9) Top 10 point earners on the 2025 Northern Texas PGA Players Tour, (10) Top money leader from the All Pro Tour 2024 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: Matthew Watkins - Rockwall, TX; Philip Barbaree Jr. - Shreveport, LA; Ryan Grider - Lewisville, TX; John Sand - Hoquiam, WA; Garrison Smith - Mansfield, TX; Toni Hakula - Round Rock, TX; Hunter Bott - Montgomery, TX; Michael Sanders - Frisco, TX; Sam Murphy - Ruston, LA; Brian Dwyer - Southlake, TX, have all earned a place in this year’s Championship. This is M&P Group’s third year as the title sponsor after signing a multi-year agreement with the Northern Texas PGA. “We are looking forward to hosting the M&P Group Texas State Open at Cascades Country Club for the 14th time,” said Myoung S. Choi, owner of M&P Group. “The last two years have been great, and we value our partnership 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. The M&P Group Texas State Open scholarship is designated for a Ewing Automotive NTPGA Junior Tour Member high school senior from the Tyler area. 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 29. 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. Over 1,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals employed at more than 300 facilities comprise this Section. Its geographic territory includes the State of Texas north of the 31st latitude, or just north of Austin. The Northern Texas PGA headquarters are located on the PGA Frisco campus and feature picturesque office space, a growth of the game pavilion and a golf park designed for junior golfers and families. The Northern Texas PGA staff’s mission is to serve PGA of America golf professionals and grow the game by managing the day-to-day affairs of the Section. The Northern Texas PGA also operates the Northern Texas PGA Foundation and The Ronny Golf Park.

DALLAS, Texas (April 1) – Brian Norman, PGA instructor at Lakewood Country Club, and Bobby Massa (a) fought through a 3-hole playoff to win the 2025 Srixon and Nike Pro-Scratch title. It marks their third victory in four attempts. Starting the final round one-stroke behind the lead, they carded the second lowest round of the day at 8-under-par, 32-32–64. Their five birdies on the back-nine was enough to get them into a playoff. Joining them in the playoff was Peyton Coursey, Associate at Dallas Athletic Club, and David Schultz (a). The pair turned in the lowest round of the day and the Championship at 9-under-par, 31-32–63. Both teams played in the favorable morning conditions, which featured tame winds, compared to the gusty afternoon conditions. This also left them both with lengthy waits to see if their scores would hold up through the afternoon wave. They did. The playoff for the Open Division title began on the par-4, 18th hole. Both teams made par and they proceeded to the par-5, 3rd hole. Two birdies on the par-5, 3rd hole led both teams back to the 18th tee. All four players hit the fairway. Norman was the first to hit his approach and he hit the green. Then the pair from Dallas Athletic Club both missed the green. Finally, Massa (a) hit his approach to 15-feet, just off the green, long left of the hole. Massa (a) was the last to attempt his birdie opportunity and stepped up to the downhill left-to-right putt with a chance to win the Championship. Tracking the whole way, it dropped and the pair had won their third Pro-Scratch title. “We got off to a kind of slow start, but got on the back and got hot and made some birdies,” said Norman about their round this morning. “We were just ham and egging it,” added Massa (a). “We think very similarly about golf so it’s easy to bounce ideas back and forth,” said Massa (a) about the three-time winning duo. The team earned $2,000 ($1,000 each) for the victory today.