IMMEDIATE RELEASE



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IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 2, 2013

Contact: Bob Denney

561/624-8582

bdenney@

TWENTY PGA CLUB PROFESSIONALS STAKE THEIR CLAIM AT SEAON’S

FINAL MAJOR, JOINING WORLD-CLASS FIELD FOR 95th PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – PGA Professional National Champion Rod Perry of Port Orange, Fla., who wrote another historic chapter nearly two months ago in a showcase event for his profession, heads a 20-member delegation of PGA Club Professionals competing Aug. 8-11, in the 95th PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y.

Perry, 39, captured the 46th PGA Professional National Championship conducted June 23-26, at Sunriver (Ore.) Resort, becoming the first left-hander and the first graduate of a PGA Golf Management University program (Mississippi State) to win the National Championship. He is making his second consecutive PGA Championship appearance. Five PGA club professionals will make their “rookie” major starts: Caine Fitzgerald of Parker, Colo.; David McNabb of Newark, Del.; David Muttitt of Albuquerque, N.M.; Ryan Polzin of Houston, Texas; and Lee Rhind of Midland, Texas.

The 20 PGA Club Professionals average 42.7 years of age; represent 15 states and 15 PGA Sections. The senior member of the group is 57-year-old Kirk Hanefeld of Acton, Mass., who is returning to the Season’s Final Major for the first time since 1990. Hanefeld, a PGA Life Member, is a two-time Senior PGA Professional National Champion, the 2008 Senior PGA Professional Player of the Year, and finished tied for 36th in the 2013 Senior Open Championship.

Three-time PGA Professional National Champion Mike Small of Champaign, Ill., makes his ninth PGA Championship appearance. He was the Low PGA Club Professional in 2007 and 2011. This will mark the seventh PGA Championship berth for 2004 National Champion Bob Sowards of Dublin, Ohio.

A pair of PGA teaching professionals from the Gateway PGA Section is making return trips to the PGA Championship. Bob Gaus of St. Louis, 52, a PGA teaching professional at Tower Tee Golf Center, marks his fifth Championship appearance. JC Anderson of O’Fallon, Mo., representing Missouri Bluffs Golf Club in St. Charles, Mo., is returning to Oak Hill Country Club after last competing there in the 2003 Championship.

Sonny Skinner of Sylvester, Ga., 52, a PGA Life Member and a three-time Senior PGA Professional Player of the Year, is making his third PGA Championship appearance. Last May, he tied for 35th in the 2013 Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid.

The PGA Championship is one of four premier golf events conducted by The PGA of America. Others include the Ryder Cup, the Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid, and the PGA Grand Slam of Golf, which brings together the winners of golf's four major championships.

Golf's best professionals began competing for the PGA Championship’s Wanamaker Trophy in 1916. Past Champions span both the legendary and recent stars of the game: Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Phil Mickelson, Padraig Harrington and Rory McIlroy.

About The PGA of America

Since its founding in 1916, The PGA of America has maintained a twofold mission: to establish and elevate the standards of the profession and to grow interest and participation in the game of golf. By establishing and elevating the standards of the golf profession through world-class education, career services, marketing and research programs, The PGA enables its professionals to maximize their performance in their respective career paths and showcases them as experts in the game and in the multi-billion dollar golf industry. By creating and delivering world-class championships and innovative programs, The PGA of America elevates the public's interest in the game, the desire to play more golf, and ensures accessibility to the game for everyone, everywhere. As The PGA nears its centennial, the PGA brand represents the very best in golf.

The PGA of America, 100 Avenue of the Champions, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418

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