Lincoln, NE – July 9th, 2019 – Bryan Hughett, PGA of Norfolk, NE, winner of the Nebraska Senior PGA Professional Championship, July 9th, 2019 at Happy Hollow Club will lead 5 Section PGA Professionals to compete Oct. 3-6, in the 31st Senior PGA Professional Championship.
The National Championship, presented by Cadillac and supported by Golf Channel and John Deere, will be held at Omni Barton Creek Resort and Spa in Austin, Texas.
Hughett turned in a winning total of 1-under-par 141 to capture the Nebraska Section Senior PGA Professional Championship presented by Cadillac. Tom Hearn, PGA, Ted DiGiacomo, PGA, Jon Petersen, PGA, and Jim White, PGA MP will join Hughett at the 31st Senior PGA Professional Championship.
The Senior PGA Professional Championship brings together a field of 264 contestants representing the PGA of America’s 41 nationwide Sections and features a total purse of $300,000. The first two rounds will be conducted on the Foothills and Coore Crenshaw Courses. The first cut will be made after 36 holes of play to the low 90 scorers and ties. The second cut will be made after 54 holes of play to the low 70 scorers and ties. The final two rounds will be played on the Foothills Course.
Designed by Tom Fazio, the Foothills Course was recently ranked as one of the top courses in Texas by Golf Magazine. The course is protected by cliffs, waterfalls and creeks, making for a beautiful, scenic round, but also emphasizes the importance of accuracy. Drives from the elevated tee boxes must be precise to hit the fairways, and even more so when approaching the small greens. Previously, the Foothills Course was home to the PGA Tour Champions Legends of Golf tournament from 1990-1994.
A collaboration between course architect Bill Coore and two-time Masters Champion, Ben Crenshaw, the Coore Crenshaw Course is designed with the ideology that nature is the best architect. Although the holes feature lush, wide fairways, the dense trees to their sides will swallow any ball that misses its mark. However, the real challenge is found on the large, undulated greens that are sure to stump and frustrate players. The course’s beauty is really seen on the signature 18th hole. Running slightly uphill, approach shots must carry a creek to the low-lying green which is designed to appear as though it was carved into the hillside.
Begun in 1989, the Senior PGA Professional Championship is modeled after the PGA Professional Championship, with a field of 50-and-older senior PGA Professionals who advanced through 41 Section Championships conducted from June through August this year.
The top 35 finishers in the national Championship earn a berth in the 81st KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, which will be conducted in May 21-24, 2020, at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor, Michigan.
The top five finishers earn an exemption into the final stage of the 2020 PGA Tour Champions National Finals in November 2019. Since its debut, many participants in the Senior PGA Professional Championship have used their success in the event as a springboard to a PGA Tour Champions career.
Nebraska Section Senior PGA Professional Championship Results:
Qualifiers: 4 Alternates: 0
1 Bryan Hughett Albion CC 72-69–141 -1
2 Ted DiGiacomo Golf Galaxy – Omaha 69-74–143 +1
T3 Jon Petersen Tiburon GC 76-71–147 +5
T3 Tom Hearn PGA Tour 73-74–147 +5
5 Mike Antonio Happy Hollow Club 74-74–148 +6
T6 Brad Neunaber Hidden Valley GC 75-78–153 +11
T6 Mike VunCannon Elks Country Club 75-78–153 +11
8 Jim White Fairways at Lincoln 74-80–154 +12
9 Troy Harder Wayne Country Club 77-78–155 +13
10 Greg Neujahr Champions Run 77-79–156 +14
11 Don Germer The Players Club at Deer 79-78–157 +15
T12 Scott Holly UNL PGM Program 82-76–158 +16
T12 Scott Harmelink Green Valley Golf Course 78-80–158 +16
T12 Tony Pesavento Omaha CC 78-80–158 +16
15 Patrick Kilbride Hillside 85-74–159 +17
16 Tim Kruse Golf Galaxy – Omaha 81-80–161 +19
T17 Denis Vontz Highlands GC 85-77–162 +20
T17 Mike Cornell Champions Run 81-81–162 +20
19 James Sieckmann Shadow Ridge CC 84-84–168 +26
20 Joe Finnegan Shadow Ridge CC 89-80–169 +27
21 Greg Johannesen Fairways at Lincoln 83-88–171 +29
22 Mark Mooberry Bent Tree 86-88–174 +32
About Cadillac:
Cadillac has been a leading luxury auto brand since 1902. Today, Cadillac is growing globally, driven by an expanding product portfolio featuring distinctive design and technology. More information on Cadillac appears at www.cadillac.com. Cadillac’s media website with information, images and video can be found at media.cadillac.com.
About the PGA of America
The PGA of America represents the very best in golf. For more information about the PGA of America, visit PGA.org and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Contact: David Honnens, PGA 402) 770-9419 dhonnens@pgahq.com