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PGA News

The Professional Golfers’ Association of America

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IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jamie Carbone

January 25, 2007 561/624-8582

jcarbone@

GOLF INDUSTRY TO HONOR 2006 PGA OF AMERICA AWARD

WINNERS JAN. 25, AT 54th PGA MERCHANDISE SHOW

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – PGA Golf Professional of the Year Jim Manthis of Coon Rapids, Minn., and Ernie Sabayrac Award winner Ron McPherson of Scottsdale, Ariz., head a list of 13 recipients who will be honored Thursday, Jan. 25, at the 2006 PGA of America Awards at the Orange County Convention Center’s Linda W. Chapin Auditorium in Orlando, Fla. The program begins at 5:30 p.m. and followed by a reception.

Award-winning golf announcer/essayist Jim Huber will serve as master of ceremonies. The award program is held in conjunction with the 54th PGA Merchandise Show, the world’s largest golf exhibition, which concludes Saturday, Jan. 27.

The 2006 PGA of America Award winners:

PGA Golf Professional of the Year – Jim Manthis, PGA Master Professional at the University of Minnesota /Les Bolstad Golf Course in St. Paul, Minn., has been named the 53rd recipient of the PGA Golf Professional of the Year Award, the highest annual honor bestowed by The PGA of America on a PGA Professional.

A native of Minneapolis and resident of Coon Rapids, Minn., Manthis, 64, is the third member of the Minnesota PGA Section to be so honored. Manthis turned professional in 1964, and was elected to PGA membership in 1969, the same year that he founded the Assistants Association in the Minnesota PGA Section. For the next two decades, Manthis became one of the most active members of the Section. He served three terms on the Board of Directors from 1974 through 1994; as Section president from 1983-84; as District 8 Director on the PGA national Board (1987-90); as a member of the Board of Control (1993-97); and as a member of the PGA Membership Committee (2001-03).

Ernie Sabayrac Award Winner - Ron McPherson of Scottsdale, Ariz., who transferred his playing skills into pioneering the growth of The Antigua Group, one of the country’s most successful sports apparel companies, is the 16th recipient of the Ernie Sabayrac Award for Lifetime Contributions to the Golf Industry.

McPherson, 56, a native of Kalispell, Mont., is a former PGA Professional, who expanded his background in merchandising and marketing based on his experience in serving the needs of the customer as well as his PGA Professional peers. From humble beginnings where Antigua produced a limited variety of products, the company began to blossom. Under McPherson’s guidance, Antigua is one of the sports apparel industry’s most ambitious companies, supplying corporate and licensed logoed apparel for Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, National Hockey League as well as professional golf.

PGA Teacher of the Year - Bill Forrest, the PGA director of instruction at Troon Country Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., is the second member of the Southwest PGA Section to be named PGA Teacher of the Year – preceded by Jim Flick in 1988. A native of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Forrest began his professional career in the Canadian PGA from 1977-82, before taking a teaching position from 1983-87 at the Bonita Bay Club in Bonita Springs, Fla. After a brief stint at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., in 1987, Forrest was recruited later that year to the TPC of Scottsdale, Ariz., where he became director of instruction.

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Forrest spent 14 years at the club, developing an impressive list of students featuring Tour professionals, accomplished amateurs and celebrity athletes from a variety of sports. In 2004, Forrest moved across town to Troon Country Club. Forrest’s other honors include being named to GOLF Magazine’s “Top 100 Teachers,” and Golf Digest’s “Best Teachers in Your State,” and recipient of the 1992-93 National Golf Foundation Golf Achievement Award.

PGA Horton Smith Award - A contributor to PGA education for more than three decades, PGA Master Professional Tom Tatnall of Ridgeland, Miss., is the second member of the Gulf States PGA Section to be named the national Horton Smith Award winner. A native of Itasca, Ill., the 64-year-old Tatnall is the owner of Tatnall Associates LLC of Ridgeland, Miss., and founder of Golf Expert Group, which specializes in resolving legal issues regarding golf. The group features national award winners, Certified Professionals, Master Professionals and a past PGA President who provide professional communications and testimony that reflect the highest standards of the profession. Tatnall also is a consultant to Skygolf GPS, where he serves as director of professional program development.

Bill Strausbaugh Award - The PGA director of golf at Secession Golf Club in Beaufort, S.C., Michael Harmon never got to meet Bill Strausbaugh, the namesake for the national award for PGA Professionals who distinguish themselves by mentoring their fellow professionals and improving employment situations. But, Harmon heard much about Strausbaugh through his members at Secession Golf Club, several of whom had taken lessons from the man they called “The Coach,” and who inspired many to become the best that they could be in golf. Harmon, in his 20th season at Secession Golf Club, and is the third Carolinas PGA Section member to be honored with the Bill Strausbaugh Award. Elected to PGA membership in 1986, the 52-year-old Harmon also received national recognition in 2004 as the PGA Merchandiser of the Year for private facilities.

PGA Junior Golf Leader - Francis “Frank” Selva, 65, is a PGA head professional at Race Brook Country Club in Orange, Conn. A native of Derby, Conn., Selva is a former caddie and baseball player. He served in the U.S. Army from 1963-66, and began a career in golf after his discharge. He earned PGA membership in 1972, and is the second Connecticut PGA Section member to capture a PGA Junior Golf Leader Award. Selva became involved in Special Olympics golf in 1993. His work elevated in 1995, when he supported the event staff at Yale University in New Haven, Mass., site of the Special Olympics World Games. He is a member of the national Special Olympic Golf Board and followed his duties at the 1999 World Games at Duke University. In 2003, Selva became a teaching delegate for the 2003 Special Olympics World Games in Dublin, Ireland.

President’s Plaque – Since 1997, Bob Baldassari of Fredericksburg, Va., has served as public relations chair for the Middle Atlantic PGA Section and national chair for The PGA of America’s Public Relations Task Force, leading the Section and its members in recognizing the critical role that PGA Professionals play in attracting new players to the game. Baldassari’s home course, Cannon Ridge Golf Club, was host to the Section’s Play Golf America Day in 2006. Elected to PGA membership in 1991, Baldassari is president of the Middle Atlantic PGA Section and has followed his father’s example in bringing passion to teaching and to grow the game. In 2001, Baldassari was named the Middle Atlantic PGA Golf Professional of the Year. The President’s Plaque is presented to individuals for extraordinary and exemplary contributions and achievements in Player Development.

Herb Graffis Award - A trend-setter among its nationwide peers, the Northern California PGA Section elevated its pursuit of growth of the game initiatives in 2006 to become the recipient of the national Herb Graffis Award for extraordinary efforts in player development that support Play Golf America. Since 2003, the Northern California PGA Section have developed programs geared toward consumers, featuring clinics, expositions, including community outreach efforts at Tour events. Currently, there are 11 ongoing programs in place within the Section. The events are devoted to help Section professionals in player development, while also encouraging the support of allied associations. This is the first year the PGA Board of Directors present the award for exemplary contributions the Player Development. The Herb Graffis Award is named in honor of the golf historian and founder of several golf magazines, who died at the age of 95 in 1999.

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Merchandiser of the Year (Private) – The PGA head professional at Kalamazoo (Mich.) Country Club, Dick Stewart was elected to PGA membership in 1979. A native of Petoskey, Mich., Stewart, 54, began his professional career working for his brother, Tom, at Lakewood Shores in Oscoda, Mich. (in the summer) and at the Bay Valley Golf Club in Bay City, Mich. From 1975-78, he was an assistant professional at Jupiter Hill Club in Jupiter, Fla., during the winter and PGA head professional at Birchwood Farms Golf Club Country Club in Harbor Spring, Mich. In 1978, Stewart was named head professional at Kalamazoo Country Club, a facility founded in 1909 and what he terms an “outstanding family-oriented club, where members embrace you as friends.” The national award, said Stewart, “means that all the hard work that has been accomplished recently, but is really a collaboration of what my former staff has done to set the standard.” Thirteen former assistant professionals, who came under Stewart’s wing, have gone on to become PGA head professionals.

Merchandiser of the Year (Public) - Brad Braden, 33, is in his fourth season as the PGA head professional at Poppy Ridge Golf Course in Livermore, Calif. He is a resident of Discovery Bay, Calif. A native of St. Louis, Mo., Braden has lived in Northern California since he was 6 months old. He was elected to PGA membership in 1998. Braden turned professional in 1993, and is a 1996 graduate of the PGA Professional Golf Management program at New Mexico State University. He began his professional career in 1997 at Chardonnay Golf Course in Napa Valley, Calif., before joining the staff in 2002 at Poppy Ridge Golf Course. Braden said that his staff’s goal to be one of the finest golf shops possible is based on the fundamentals of exceptional service. That feeling of treating the customer well, he said, flows through from the golf shop, food & beverage and to the course maintenance staff. Together, Poppy Ridge Golf Course provides customers with the best possible golf experience.

Merchandiser of the Year (Resort) - Brian Gerard, 42, is in his 20th season at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort in Kiawah Island, S.C., and is the PGA director of golf, who oversees the operations of five courses at one of the world’s high-profile golf destinations. A native of Eureka, Ill., and a 1986 graduate of Western Illinois University, Gerard was elected to PGA membership in 1989. He has been a member of the Kiawah Island Golf Resort staff since 1986. He served as PGA assistant professional at Turtle Point Golf Club until 1990, then as PGA head professional at Turtle Point through 1995. He became head professional in 1995 at the Ocean Course, site of the 2007 Senior PGA Championship and the 2012 PGA Championship. He was named director of golf for the resort this month. Golf World Business recognized The Ocean Course as one of the 100 best golf shops in the country in listings from 1997-2001, and from 2003 through 2005.

PGA Professional Player of the Year – One of the most dominant players in Illinois PGA history, Mike Small has won the Illinois PGA Championship five of the past six years (2001, ’03, ’04, ’05, ’06) and captured the 2003, ’05 and ’06 Illinois Opens, considered the state championship of golf. He finished fourth in the PGA Professional National Championship, despite holding the lead until the final four holes. He was the 2005 National Champion and runner-up in 2004. He is only member of his Section to win both the national championship and PGA Professional Player of the Year honors. Elected to PGA membership in 1996, the 40-year-old Small is in his sixth season as the head men’s golf coach at the University of Illinois in Champaign. He earned 1,436.5 points in the PGA Professional Player of the Year standings, outdistancing reigning PGA Professional National Champion Ron Philo Jr. of White Plains, N.Y., who was runner-up with 1,100. Small has competed in 52 career PGA Tour events, competing in a full schedule in 1998 and making the cut in 18 events. Small has captured four consecutive Illinois PGA Section Championships, and five in the past six years. His five titles match Illinois golf legends Bill Ogden and 1935 PGA Champion Johnny Revolta as the only players with five Illinois PGA Championship titles. No player before Small has ever won four titles in a row in the 84-year history of the event. He is the only person in Illinois PGA history to win the Illinois Open and Illinois PGA Section Championship in the same year (2003, ’05 and ’06).

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Senior PGA Professional Player of the Year - One of the most consistent performers in the Southern California PGA Section for over a decade, Chris Starkjohann (“pronounced Stark-John”) is a PGA Teaching Professional at Hodges Golf and Learning Center in Escondido, Calif. Last summer, while competing in the 39th PGA Professional National Championship, Starkjohann finished fifth to match his previous career-best performance of 1992. Elected to PGA membership in 1983, Starkjohann completed the 2006 season with 1.414.67 points in the Senior PGA Professional Player of the Year standings. This total included 376.17 points for making the cut in the eight Tour events he entered. His highest finish was a share of 10th in the 3M Championship on the Champions Tour. That list of events on the 50-and-older circuit also included a tie for 55th in both the U.S. Senior Open and the Senior British Open. Starkjohann, 50, finished 82nd in the PGA Tour’s Buick Invitational, his lone appearance on the PGA Tour. Overall, he has made two cuts in 13 PGA Tour events from 1987 through last year.

The PGA of America is the world's largest working sports organization comprised of 28,000 men and women golf Professionals who are the recognized experts in growing, teaching and managing the game of golf while serving millions of people throughout its 41 PGA Sections nationwide. Since its founding in 1916, The PGA of America has enhanced its leadership position in a $62 billion-a-year industry by growing the game of golf through its premier spectator events, world-class education and training programs, significant philanthropic outreach initiatives, and award-winning golf promotions. Today's PGA Professional is the public's link to the game, serving an essential role in the operation of golf facilities throughout the country.

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