PGA Professional National Championship / June 28-July 1, 2009
The 2009 PGA Professional National Championship (PPNC) got underway today in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico. The 72-hole tournament begins with a 312-man field representing 43 states and 41 PGA Sections. They will play two golf courses, Twin Warriors Golf Club and Santa Ana Golf Club. The field will be cut after 36 holes to low 70 and ties, and the final two rounds will be contested on the host course, Twin Warriors.
This is the PGA of America's most important championship for club professionals. The top 20 finishers earn spots in the 2009 PGA Championship, the year's final major being played at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota. Just to make the PPNC field is a real honor, and I am proud to have three students in this week's competition:
Billy Anderson, 2008 Carolinas PGA Professional Champion
Jeff Hull, 2008 Georgia PGA Professional Champion
Curt Sanders, 2008 Carolinas PGA Player of the Year