AVIDGOLFER

Is It Fair For A Tour Player To Win A PGA Club Pro Event?

Rick Arnett /

Omar Uresti played in 346 PGA Tour events without winning a single tournament. In fact, his greatest claim for fame might be when he was paired with Tiger Woods when Woods hit his famous ace on the 16th hole at the Phoenix Open in 1997 causing it morph into a exuberant ticker tape parade on the stadium hole.

Anyway, Uresti won the PGA Professional Championship on Wednesday after a two-hole playoff.

“So many good players in this association and so many good people,” he said. “It means a lot to come out on top. It’s been 10 years. I’m very proud to represent the PGA of America.”

The PGA Professional Championship is the major for the club professionals, 312 of whom qualified to compete in it. The championship is notable for having one champion, but 20 winners. The top 20 finishers all receive an invitation to play in the PGA Championship.

Uresti, incidentally, never qualified to play in the PGA Championship in his 11 years playing the PGA Tour full time. But he’s qualified three times now via the PGA Professional Championship, having finished fifth, third and first in the last year years.

This from 2014…

“I started paying my PGA of America dues just in case there was ever a shot in the dark,” Uresti said. “And lo and behold, here I am 22 years later. I’m doing it a different route, not quite the way I expected to get in the PGA, but it is still my first PGA.”

But some Tour and club pros believe Uresti shouldn’t be allowed to compete with club pros. When Uresti lost his Tour card in 2013, he decided to teach golf. If that’s now your main endeavor, why not compete with your golf teaching peers? Of course, some would like to audit Uresti’s lesson schedule. If its truly merely a ruse to qualify in these events, shame on Uresti and the PGA for allowing it.

Hit the above Tweet and go through the numerous passionate responses–some from former Tour players.

 

Omar Uresti