Bluffton, South Carolina – Iowa PGA members, John Bermel, Darin Fisher, Judd Gibb, Sean McCarty, Chad Proehl and Jeff Schmid will compete in the PGA Professional Championship at Belfair Golf Club (East and West Courses) in Bluffton, South Carolina on April 28 – May 1.
The 2019 PGA Professional Championship presented by Club Car and OMEGA features 312 PGA Professionals competing in a four-day stroke play event on two different courses (East and West). The field will compete on each course, once in the first two rounds, with the final two rounds contested on the West Course. Following the first 36 holes of play, the field will be reduced to the low 90 and ties.
The total purse of the 2019 PGA Professional Championship comes out too $550,000. In addition to the purse, the 2019 PGA Professional Champion receives exemption into the 2019 PGA Championship, the 2019 PGA Cup and six PGA Tour events over a 12-month period. The top 20 finishers will earn an exemption into the 2019 PGA Championship as well.
John Bermel; Pheasant Ridge Golf Course, Cedar Falls, Iowa
R1 Tee Time – 1:20 p.m. (West Course)*
R2 Tee Time – 7:50 a.m. (East Course)
Player Notes: Making his 17th career appearances in the PGA Professional Championship; has finished in the top-25 three times; best finish is T21… Currently in his 24th year of coaching golf at the University of Northern Iowa… Five-time Iowa PGA Section Champion (1990, 1993, 2000, 2004, 2006)…Five-time Iowa Senior PGA Professional Champion (2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017)…Competed in 16 National Club Professional Tournaments…Played in four Nike/Hogan events and 10 PGA TOUR events…appeared in two PGA Championships (1994, 1996)…Qualified and played in the 2012 U.S. Senior Open…Won the 2018 Senior Iowa Open…Inducted into the Iowa Golf Hall of Fame in 2014…Three-time NCAA Division III All-American…Four-year letter winner at Central College.
“I am really looking forward to the tournament,” said Bermel. “I haven’t played much this spring, so I am hoping to get comfortable with the courses and see what happens. I’m very excited to be here.”
Darin Fisher; The Preserve on Rathbun Lake, Moravia, Iowa
R1 Tee Time – 2:30 p.m. (West Course)*
R2 Tee Time – 9:00 a.m. (East Course)
Player Notes: Making his seventh appearance in the PGA Professional Championship…Three-time Iowa PGA Section Merchandiser of the Year (Resort Courses) (2010, 2012, 2014) …2017-18 Global Golf Post Honorable Mention PGA All Pro Team…Played in the 2017 PGA TOUR John Deere Classic… Qualified to play in the 2019 John Deere Classic… Two-time winner of the Iowa PGA Professional Championship (2016, 2019) – set low score tournament record in 2016…2016 and 2019 Iowa PGA Low Season Scoring Average award…4-Time 2nd Stage qualifier for U.S. Open Qualifier (2004, 2007, 2010, 2018)…3-Time Winner, Iowa PGA Match Play Championship (2012, 2014, 2019)…Winner, 2012 Herman Sani Championship…Advanced to second stage of 2004 PGA Tour Qualifying School…Winner, 2002 Albia Pro-Am, opened the tournament with a 59… (59-67 [-18]— tournament scoring record).
“The tournament is a little earlier this year, so we had to get our games ready quicker,” said Fisher. “It’s a competitive event with 300 of the best players in the country. You have to be ready to play and something that I’m super excited about and that I look forward to every year. It seems like the golf courses are great and I think it will be a great challenge.”
Judd Gibb; Lakeside Municipal Golf Course, Fort Dodge, Iowa
R1 Tee Time – 1:30 p.m. (East Course)*
R2 Tee Time – 8:00 a.m. (West Course)
Making his 11th PGA Professional Championship appearance; best finish is T23…Five-time Iowa PGA Section Player of the Year (2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006) …Two-time Iowa PGA Teacher of the Year (2003, 2005) …Won the Herman Sani Title in 2004…Former Assistant Coach for the Iowa State Men’s Golf Team…Four-year letter winner for the Iowa State golf team…Member of two NCAA Regional teams with Iowa State (1991, 1992)
“I always look forward to the PGA Professional Championship,” said Gibb. “I’ve been lucky enough to play in 11 of them. The venues are always incredible and it’s always great to see friends from all over the country.”
Sean McCarty; Brown Deer Golf Club, Coralville, Iowa
R1 Tee Time – 8:25 a.m. (East Course)*
R2 Tee Time – 1:25 p.m. (West Course)
Player Notes: Making his eighth appearance in the PGA Professional Championship, finished runner up in 2018, qualifying for 100th PGA Championship…Made his first ever PGA Championship appearance in 2018…Nine-time Iowa PGA Section Player of the Year (2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018)…Inducted into the Iowa Golf Hall of Fame in 2019…Four-time winner of the Iowa Open (1997, 2005, 2008, 2013) …Winner, 1998 Waterloo Open…Competed in the 2003 U.S. Open at Olympia Fields…Winner, 2007 October Shoot Out Championship; 2005 Iowa PGA Match Play Championship…Member of 1992 Big Ten Conference Championship Team at the University of Iowa, the only men’s conference champion team in school history…In 1995, was named an All-American alongside Stewart Cink (Georgia Tech) and Tiger Woods (Stanford)…Competed in the 1988 Junior PGA Championship and the 2004 and 2005 PGA Assistant Championship…3-time individual Iowa State champion at West Branch High.
Chad Proehl; Sugar Creek Municipal Golf Course, Waukee, Iowa
R1 Tee Time – 9:00 a.m. (West Course)
R2 Tee Time – 2:30 p.m. (East Course)*
Player Notes: Making his 12th career appearance in the PGA Professional Championship…Best finish in PGA Professional Championship is a T-20 in 2012, but did not emerge from a playoff to earn an exemption to the PGA Championship…Winner, 2017 and 2010 Iowa PGA Section Championship; 2016 Iowa PGA Section Match Play Championship… Iowa PGA Player of the Year (2016, 2012, 2010)…2018 Iowa PGA Section Senior Player of the year…Made his fourth appearance at the John Deere Classic in 2018 (previously competed in the 2008, 2011, 2012)…Played in the 2018 Principal Charity Classic…Qualified for PGA TOUR Champions 3M Championship and Sanford International in 2018…1990 N.A.I.A. All-American and National Champion, 2-time District NAIA Champion…1989 Drake University Relays Champion…1985, State of Iowa High School Champion.
“Every year I look forward to the opportunity to qualify and play in our National Club Professional Championship,” said Proehl. “To have a chance to play in the PGA Championship is a dream of all of our club professionals. The courses we play are some of the top facilities in the country. Belfair is spectacular and takes a back seat to no PNC course. You feel how special it is when you pull through the gate and drive down the avenue with 100-year-old oak trees forming a canopy over the drive to the clubhouse.”
Jeff Schmid; Brown Deer Golf Course, Coralville, Iowa
R1 Tee Time – 1:45 p.m. (West Course)
R2 Tee Time – 8:45 a.m. (East Course)*
Player Notes: Returns to the PGA Professional Championship for the 5th time in 6 years…Former assistant men’s golf coach at the University of Iowa…from 1991-2008 his playing career included tours in Asia, South America, and Canada as well as tournaments throughout the United States including on the PGA TOUR and Web.com…Winner, 2016 Gateway PGA Professional Championship; 2015 Event No. 4 of the PGA Tournament Series (in 9-hole playoff over Adam Rainaud); 2013 Gateway PGA Championship; 2012 Gateway PGA Assistants Championship…served as volunteer assistant coach for the University of Missouri men’s team in 2013, for the Tigers’ women’s program in 2015 and 2016, and for the Stetson (Fla.) University women’s golf team from 2009-11…played collegiately at the University of Iowa (former team captain and 4-time letter winner).
“I’m really looking forward to this week,” said Schmid. “It’s a long shot to make it to the PGA Championship, but it would be cool for me especially because I’m playing in the Senior PGA Championship this year and I can have a nice run of three out of four weeks playing in a couple big tournaments early in the year. Unfortunately, I haven’t been playing much this early in the year, but I’m going to get down early and practice. Hopefully I’ll play well and help prepare myself for the Senior PGA Championship in a couple weeks.”