Author: Matt Frey
PGA of America, CBS Sports Announce ‘The Road to Bandon’ Leading Into 2026 PGA Professional Championship
FRISCO, Texas (April 22, 2026) – The PGA of America and CBS Sports present “The Road to Bandon,” a new, 30-minute special airing Sunday, April 26, at 2:00 p.m. ET on the CBS Television Network and streaming on Paramount+.
The program, narrated by CBS Sports On-Course Reporter and former PGA TOUR member Johnson Wagner, features six PGA of America Golf Professionals from across the country as they prepare to compete in the 2026 PGA Professional Championship (PPC) at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, April 26-29, with hopes in earning one of 20 available Corebridge Financial Team spots in the 108th PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club.
“The Road to Bandon” provides an inside look at the journeys of the featured PGA Professionals who balance their role in the industry with their passion to maintain a competitive level of play.
“PGA of America Golf Professionals are the backbone of our sport,” said PGA of America Vice President Nathan Charnes, PGA. “Alongside serving as expert coaches, operators and business leaders within the game, they can still compete at a very high level. We are thrilled to partner with CBS to build excitement for the PGA Professional Championship and showcase these six outstanding PGA Members, whose stories embody the passion and dedication that define our Association.”
PGA of America Golf Professionals featured in “The Road to Bandon”
Riley Wheeldon, PGA Director of Instruction at Aronimink Golf Club, has a goal to become the first PGA of America Golf Professional from a PGA Championship host site to earn a spot in the field through the PPC. Wheeldon, a past winner on the Canadian Tour, has made an immediate impact as a PGA Coach at Aronimink during his first year working alongside Head Professional Jeff Kiddie, the 2023 PGA Golf Professional of the Year. This will be Wheeldon’s first PPC.
Justin Hicks, PGA Teaching Professional at Stonebridge Country Club in Boca Raton, Fla., is the 2025 Senior PGA Professional Player of the Year, thanks in part to his victory in the 2025 Senior PPC. Hicks has played some of the best golf of his career now that he has entered the 50-and-older ranks: He earned Low PGA of America Golf Professional honors with a T17 finish in the 2026 Senior PGA Championship, competed in two Major Championships in 2025, the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow on the Corebridge Financial Team and the 2025 U.S. Open, made an appearance in the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches and Monday qualified for the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational.
Michael Kartrude, PGA Assistant Professional at The Bear’s Club in Jupiter, Fla., secured the final spot in the 2025 PGA Championship on the Corebridge Financial Team after a dramatic 5-hole playoff at PGA Golf Club. The 2025 South Florida PGA Section Professional Champion has earned the respect of many of the PGA TOUR’s players who are members at The Bear’s Club.
Ben Polland, PGA Director of Golf at Shooting Star Golf Club in Jackson Hole, Wy., will come into Bandon as the reigning back-to-back recipient of the PGA of America Professional Player of the Year award. Polland made four-consecutive cuts in his six 2025 PGA TOUR exemptions, highlighted by a top-25 finish at the Barracuda Championship.
Eric Steger, PGA Teaching Professional at Pebble Brook Golf Club in Noblesville, Ind., made his first PGA Championship appearance at Quail Hollow following a T-9 finish in the 2025 PPC. This won’t be his first experience competing at Bandon Dunes, playing in the 2011 U.S. Pub Links, losing his match to reigning U.S. Open Champion JJ Spaun. Eric is the son of PGA Professional Scott Steger, who played in the 1994 PGA Championship as a Club Professional. They work side-by-side as PGA Coaches at Pebble Brook.
Mike Suhre, PGA Owner & Head Professional at Oak Brook Golf Club in Edwardsville, Ill., is the 2025 PGA Youth Player Development Award recipient, stemming from his extraordinary contributions and achievement in youth player development. In addition to being one of the most accomplished PGA Jr. League Coaches in the country, Suhre also dedicates his time to PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere), the flagship military program of the PGA of America REACH Foundation. He will make his third PPC appearance at Bandon Dunes next week.
Additionally, CBS will run a 2026 PGA Championship preview show Saturday, May 9th at 2pm ET, to showcase the season’s next Major featuring the strongest field in golf and a historic return to Aronimink Golf Club for the first time since 1962.
For more information about the PGA Professional Championship, click here.
PGA of America Golf Professional Braden Shattuck Wins 2026 Radnor Golf Foundation Tournament Players Division Championship
Galloway, New Jersey (April 20, 2026) — PGA of America Golf Professional Braden Shattuck of Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield, Pennsylvania, finished with a round of 69 and 29 Stableford points to win the 2026 Radnor Golf Foundation Tournament Players Division Championship at Galloway National Golf Club by two points over Andrew Cornish of Llanerch Country Club and Riley Wheeldon of Aronimink Golf Club. The tournament is the Section’s first Rolex / Haverford Trust Company Philadelphia PGA Player of the Year event of the year.
The event featured a Modified Stableford format, in which players received nine points for an albatross / double eagle, six points for an eagle, three points for a birdie, one point for a par, zero points for a bogey, and negative one point for a double bogey or worse.
“I have been making a lot of swing changes,” Shattuck said following his round. “I changed my equipment too, so I find myself in an ‘experimental phase’ once again. I played well in the Section’s Spring Meeting event, and played well again today, so the experiment is working so far.”
Shattuck (and 13 fellow Philadelphia PGA Professionals) will travel to Bandon Dunes Golf Resort next week to compete in the 2026 PGA Professional Championship, April 26-29, with the hopes of finishing in the top 20 to qualify for the Corebridge Financial Team and the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club, May 11-17.
Shattuck went on to thank his wife Veoletta for helping him with his swing changes, Rolling Green Golf Club, Titleist, the TPD Championship partners, and host facility.
Whitford Country Club’s Anthony Sebastianelli finished in fourth place with 26 points, while Ryan Rucinski, Applebrook Golf Club, and Zac Oakley, Bidermann Golf Club, tied for fifth place with 24 points each.
In the Senior Division, PGA Associate Greg Wolfe, GOLFTEC – Malvern, took home the top prize with 17 Modified Stableford points. Wolfe topped Gulph Mills Golf Club’s Tom Gilbert, PGA, and Kings Creek Country Club’s Chris Krueger by one point, and Applebrook Golf Club’s Dave McNabb, PGA, and Laurel Creek Country Club’s Dave Quinn, PGA, by two points.
To view the full 2026 Radnor Golf Foundation TPD Championship leaderboard, click here. To view photos from the event, click here.
The 2026 Philadelphia PGA Players Division Championship’s title partners is the Radnor Golf Foundation and is supported by KM Golf Sales / Kevin McClellan, and True Linkswear. The Philadelphia PGA Section and its PGA Professionals thank our host, Galloway National Golf Club, their ownership, management, host PGA Professionals, and staff, as well as our partners, as the event would not have been possible without their support.
About the Philadelphia PGA Section
The Philadelphia PGA Section, covering eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware, is one of 41 geographical managing entities of the PGA of America. This Section manages nearly 900 PGA of America Members and Associates who are employed at over 300 golf facilities in our region.
Contact: Matt Frey, PGA, Communications Director, mfrey@pgahq.com
Philadelphia PGA’s John Pillar Joins Corebridge Financial Team Members into Weekend of 86th Senior PGA Championship
Lower Gwynedd, Pennsylvania (April 17, 2026) – PGA of America Golf Professional John Pillar of the Country Club at Woodloch Springs in Hawley, Pennsylvania, will play the weekend in the 86th Senior PGA Championship at the Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida, after successfully making the cut. Ten Corebridge Financial Team Members, including Pillar (T-63, +2), advance to the final two rounds of the men’s senior major championship.
Pillar is one of 36 PGA of America Golf Professionals playing under the Corebridge Financial Team moniker this week. Corebridge Financial has partnered with the PGA of America to sponsor the PGA of Member teams in the Association’s three Major Championships: PGA Championship, Senior PGA Championship and KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. To read more about the Corebridge Financial Team and its PGA of America Members, click here.
Galloway (New Jersey) National Golf Club’s PGA Director of Instruction Frank Bensel also competed in this week’s Senior PGA Championship.
The PGA Director of Golf at Country Club at Woodloch Springs, Section past president, Hall of Fame Member and Playing Legend, Pillar is competing in his second Senior PGA Championship (2021). Pillar finished T-32 in 2025 Senior PGA Professional Championship to earn a spot in the 2026 Senior PGA Championship.
Pillar has twice earned the Section’s title of Rolex / The Haverford Trust Company Robert “Skee” Riegel Senior Player of the Year (2024, 2025) and has won the Philadelphia Senior PGA Professional Championship four times (2019, 2020, 2024, 2025).
Pillar will tee it up in round three at 8:06 a.m. on Saturday, April 18.
Australian Scott Hend and American Brian Gay share the lead at 10-under at the mid-way point of the Championship. Stewart Cink, Ben Crane and Retief Goosen are T3 at 8-under par.
The 86th Senior PGA Championship, golf’s most historic senior Major Championship, will continue April 18-19 at The Concession Club and broadcast on Golf Channel. Follow the action at srpgachampionship.com and @seniorpgachamp on Facebook, Instagram and X.
About the PGA of America
The PGA of America is one of the world’s largest sports organizations, composed of more than 30,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals who love the game, are expert coaches, operators and business leaders, and work daily to drive interest, inclusion and participation in the sport. The PGA of America owns and operates numerous championships and events, including major championships for men, women, seniors and the Ryder Cup, one of the world’s foremost sporting events. For more information, visit PGA.com and follow us on X, Instagram and Facebook.
Media Contacts
Jesse Dodson, PGA – PGA of America, jdodson@pgahq.com
Jared Minski – Mastro Communications, jared@mastrocomm.com
About the Philadelphia PGA Section
The Philadelphia PGA Section, covering eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware, is one of 41 geographical managing entities of the PGA of America. This Section manages nearly 900 PGA of America Members and Associates who are employed at over 300 golf facilities in our region.
Contact: Matt Frey, PGA, Director of Operations, mfrey@pgahq.com
“Off the Green” Documentary to Air on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Lower Gwynedd, Pennsylvania (April 17, 2026) — The Philadelphia PGA is pleased to announce the debut of “Off the Green,” a special documentary premiering on NBC Sports Philadelphia this Sunday, April 19, at 6:30 p.m. The special was created by the Philadelphia PGA Section and its vice president, Eric Kennedy, the PGA head golf professional at Overbrook Golf Club, and was produced by inFocus Enterprises LLC.
The film provides an inside look at the lives of three dedicated PGA of America Golf Professionals: Braden Shattuck, Dave McNabb, and Dustin McCormick. Philadelphia PGA Historian Pete Trenham, PGA, is also featured, providing historical perspective on the career of PGA Professionals. Join us as we follow their unique journeys navigating the challenges and rewards of their careers—both on the course and off.
Be sure to tune in live or set your DVRs to support our local PGA Professionals and get a behind-the-scenes look at the “pro” behind the game.
About the Philadelphia PGA Section
The Philadelphia PGA Section, covering eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware, is one of 41 geographical managing entities of the PGA of America. This Section manages nearly 900 PGA of America Members and Associates who are employed at over 300 golf facilities in our region.
Contact: Matt Frey, PGA, Director of Operations, mfrey@pgahq.com
Philadelphia PGA Section’s Central Counties Chapter, Philadelphia Assistants’ Organization Host Season Openers
Lower Gwynedd, Pennsylvania (April 17, 2026) — The Philadelphia PGA Section’s Central Counties Chapter and Philadelphia Assistants’ Organization (PAO) recently hosted their first events of their 2026 tournament calendars, with LedgeRock Golf Club, Belles Springs Golf Course, and Rolling Green Golf Club, each hosting our PGA of America Golf Professionals.
Following the Central Counties Chapter Spring Membership Meeting and education by Matt Goudie, PGA, Elmhurst Country Club’s Mike Molino, PGA, and Glen Brook Golf Club’s Dustin McCormick, PGA, teamed to win the meeting’s golf event at LedgeRock Golf Club on March 30, thanks to their 8-under-par 64 team score. Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort’s Brian Bergstol, PGA, and Royal Oaks Golf Club’s Terry Hatch, PGA, finished in second place, one stroke behind the champions. Three teams tied for third place at 5-under-par: Brian Kelly,Titleist Fitcrew, and Mike Grabosky, Heidelberg Country Club; Jeff Fick, Moselem Springs Golf Club, and PGA Life Member Rob Rohrbach; and Todd Love, West Shore Country Club, and Steve Swartz, Carlisle Country Club. The event was supported by Chapter partners StickX Golf and Club Prophet. To view the full Chapter Spring Meeting leaderboard, click here.
On April 13, the Chapter hosted the Belles Springs Pro-Am at Belles Springs Golf Course, with Carlisle Country Club’s Stephen Swartz, PGA, and his team of amateurs, AJ Bryant, Mike Fink, and Rob Clements, taking first place with their 17-under-par team score. Two teams tied for second place, one stroke behind the winners: Mountain View Country Club and Belles Springs Golf Club’s Scott Frey, PGA, Matt Dougherty, Jim Pringle, and Randy Czekaj; and PGA Life Member Robert Rohrbach, Josh Grundon, John Hyman, and Scott Justus. Dan Baker, PGA, and team, Don Young, Jim Parsons, and Chris Young finished in fourth place at 15-under-par, while Mountain View Country Club’s John Brennanm Dann Cornali, John Cattoni, and Trent Miller finished in fifth place at 14-under. Click here to view the full Belles Springs Pro-Am leaderboard.
The PAO kickstarted their season on April 13 at Rolling Green Golf Club with their Spring Meeting event. Prior to the golf tournament beginning, PAO members were treated to a panel featuring PGA of America Golf Executive of the Year Sean Palmer of the Union League of Philadelphia, who discussed branding. On the course, Rolling Green Golf Club’s Greg Rhoads teamed with Whitford Country Club’s Anthony Sebastianelli to tie for first place at 7-under-par with Aronimink Golf Club’s Tessa Teachman and Llanerch Country Club’s Andrew Cornish. Three teams tied for third place, two strokes back: the Springhaven Club’s Gary Mackay and Chris Colman; Philadelphia Country Club’s Jack Scholz and Michael Hamilton; and Burlington Country Club’s Logan Hay and John F. Byrne Golf Course’s Rocco Sgrillo. The PAO is supported by Ohana Farm.
The Philadelphia PGA Section and its PGA Professionals thank our partners, host facilities, their memberships, management, and host PGA of America Golf Professionals, and staff, as the event would not be possible without their support.
About the Philadelphia PGA Section
The Philadelphia PGA Section, covering eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware, is one of 41 geographical managing entities of the PGA of America. This Section manages nearly 900 PGA of America Members and Associates who are employed at over 300 golf facilities in our region.
Contact: Matt Frey, PGA, Director of Operations, mfrey@pgahq.com
A Masterpiece for a Cause: Bid on Cassy Tully’s Original Aronimink Painting
We are excited to offer an exclusive opportunity to own a piece of golf history! Renowned golf artist and philanthropist Cassy Tully has created an original oil painting of Aronimink Golf Club’s iconic 11th hole, commissioned by the Philadelphia PGA Section specifically for the 2026 PGA Championship. The piece was created in her signature relief style with sculpted texture and sand from the course.
This stunning masterstroke is currently available for bidding. All proceeds from this auction will directly benefit PGA REACH Philadelphia, supporting our mission to impact lives through the game of golf. To bid, click on the below button.
Bid NowPrint Presale: The foundation is also offering an exclusive presale of 12″ x 24″, 12″ x 16″, and 8″ x 12″ prints of the artwork. Proceeds from the print will go back to support PGA REACH Philadelphia’s mission. Cassy will also be at the Member Center at the PGA Championship on Friday, May 15th to sign copies of the print. To reserve your copy, click on the below button.
Reserve Your Print
Our Online Auction:
This original piece by Cassy Tully is just the beginning. Our online auction will feature a curated collection of world-class golf experiences and memorabilia you won’t find anywhere else. The auction will open May 1st, 2026.
- Auction highlights:
- Inside-the-ropes access at the 2026 PGA Championship
- A playing spot in the “Play Like the Pros” event at Aronimink Golf Club
- Exclusive 2026 PGA Championship+ tickets
- Tee times at premier clubs, including Bidermann and Galloway National
Don’t miss your chance to secure these once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. Click the button below for a sneak peak at the auction.
Auction Sneak Peek
PGA of America Debuts Winners of the Wanamaker: A PGA Championship Interview Series
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pennsylvania (April 15, 2026) 一 The PGA of America today unveiled the first episode of its multi-part video series Winners of the Wanamaker: A PGA Championship Interview Series.
Episode one features series host and 2002 PGA Champion Rich Beem alongside five-time PGA Champion Jack Nicklaus, who looks back on each of his Wanamaker Trophy victories in 1963, 1971, 1973, 1975 and 1980.
“You go out to play to win,” explains Nicklaus. “If you build a record, that’s fantastic. But when you’re announcing me on the tee, I’m there to win. I’m not worried about what’s behind me.”
The series will continue with episodes featuring two-time PGA Champions Gary Player and Lee Trevino, as well as additional celebrated champions.
The 108th PGA Championship will be contested May 11-17, 2026, at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.
About the PGA Championship
The PGA Championship is the only all-professional major in men’s golf. It began in 1916, just months after the birth of the PGA of America, and annually features the strongest field in men’s golf. For more information about the PGA Championship, visit PGAChampionship.com.
Media Contact
Greg Dillard, PGA of America, gdillard@pgahq.com