(Loudon, TN) – The 54th Tennessee PGA Professional Championship is now complete and a champion has been crowned. Over the course of the three day championship 52 players were tested at Tennessee National Golf Club. Players battled for four qualifying spots in the 2023 PGA Professional Championship at Twin Warriors & Santa Ana Pueblo Golf Clubs in New Mexico. In addition, professionals played for a total purse of $38,250 with the first place prize of $6,500 up for grabs. After a grueling 54-hole event in hot and humid conditions, Casey Flenniken, PGA, of Tansi Golf Course, took home a well-deserved victory at the 2022 Tennessee PGA Professional Championship.
The course showed its teeth over the three rounds with a scoring average of 75.08. Holes 16 and 17 proved to be the most difficult holes for players and the par-three seventeenth would be the difference maker down the stretch. The 442 yard par-four sixteenth played the second hardest posting a scoring average of 4.57. In addition, over the course of the event the hole allowed only allowed nine birdies, the least amount of birdies over the course. The 180 yard par-three seventeenth played the most difficult on the course this week with a scoring average of 3.60. The seventeenth provided drama as Johan Kok, PGA and Casey Flenniken, PGA were tied going down the stretch.
Bobby Cochran, PGA, of Colonial Country Club, posted the low round for the first day carding a bogey free round and seven birdies to finish at 7-under par (65). Cochran was able to gain his lead by seeing some putts drop early, opening his tournament with three birdies through his first four holes.
Golfers were greeted with similar conditions in the second round with another hot August day, but that didn’t stop some from posting low rounds.
Bill Breen, PGA of Harpeth Valley Golf Center, fired a 67 (-5) to add to his 4-under par first round performance to take over first place after 36-holes. Breen carried a one shot lead over Braxton Hunter, PGA going into the final round. Four professionals were tied for third at 7-under par through 36 holes.
Going into the final round Johan Kok, Scott Moran, Bobby Cochran, and Casey Flenniken all were two shots off the leader Bill Breen. Kok came out of the gate firing, opening his round with three birdies through his first four holes. Kok moved to 10-under par overall to hold a two-shot lead when storms began to roll in suspending play.
After a three hour weather delay, Kok came out just as hot, carding back-to-back birdies on holes five and six to move to 12-under par. Kok made the turn at 6-under par on the round and 13-under overall. Kok would give a shot back on the 10th to drop to 12-under overall as Casey Flenniken made the turn at 4-under par and 11-under overall.
Kok would answer back with another streak of birdies on holes 11 through 13 to move to 15-under overall. Going blow for blow Flenniken carded his second eagle of the tournament on the par five eleventh to get to 13-under.
Flenniken saw the door open after recording back to back birdies on thirteen and fourteen to move into a tie with Kok at 15-under. Both Flenniken and Kok would drop a shot on the par four fifteenth to sit at 14-under going down the stretch.
The par three seventeenth proved to be the difference going down the stretch. Kok would drop a shot after not being able to get up-and-down moving him to 14-under par going into the 54th hole. Flenniken went on to make par on the hole to take a one-shot lead heading into the final hole.
Kok’s opportunity for birdie on eighteen slid by getting him in the clubhouse at 14-under par for the tournament leaving Flenniken only needing a par to win. Flenniken would go on to par the hole to win the 54th Tennessee Professional Championship by one-shot at 15-under par overall, 202.
Throughout the championship Flenniken played the par threes the best among the field recording 7 pars and 4 birdies. Flenniken also tied for most eagles in the tournament after recording two eagles on the par five eleventh.
Kok went on to finish runner-up posting a final score of 14-under par, 203.
Bill Breen, PGA, finished third after posting rounds of 68-67-71 to finish 10-under par overall, 206.
McCabe Golf Course Professional Loren Personett finished in fourth at 9-under par overall, 207.
Flenniken, Kok, Breen, and Personett round out the team of four that will represent the section at the 202 PGA Professional Championshipat Twin Warriors & Santa Ana Pueblo Golf Clubs in New Mexico.
Josh Bevell, PGA, of Profectus Golf will be the first alternate for the tournament, Allie Knight, PGA, of Fairways and Greens, will be the second alternate, Bobby Cochran, PGA, of Colonial Country Club, is the third alternate, and Braxton Hunter, PGA will be the fourth alternate.
The 54th Tennessee PGA Professional Championship is an official TN Rolex Player of the Year points event.
Partners
This event would not be possible without the support of the Presenting Sponsors for this year’s Section Professional Championships.
Cadillac
Cadillac is the Official Vehicle of the PGA of America.
Our mission is to earn our Customer’s loyalty by delivering sales and service experiences with high quality, excellent value, integrity and enthusiasm. We will function as a team, work ethically, and focus on meeting and striving to exceed the expectations of our Customers.
https://www.cadillac.com
Club Car
Club Car is the Official Golf Car of the PGA of America.
Club Car boasts nearly 60 years of industry-leading innovation and design, initially focused on golf cars and then expanding to commercial utility vehicles and personal-use transportation.
https://www.clubcar.com/en-us
Rolex
Rolex is the Official Timekeeper of the PGA of America.
- A way of doing things unlike any other. 2. The way we make watches, the only thing we will ever make. 3.‘Precise’ is too imprecise for our attention to detail. 4. ‘Tradition’ is too conventional for the innovation we undertake. 5. We sculpt, paint and explore. But sculptors, painters and explorers we are not. 6. There is no word for what we do. 7. There is only a way. 8. The Rolex Way.
https://www.rolex.com
The TNPGA expresses its gratitude to the following Supporting Sponsors.
Titleist / FootJoy
We are the steward of two of the most revered brands in golf – Titleist, one of golf’s leading performance equipment brands, and FootJoy, one of golf’s leading performance wear brands.
https://www.titleist.com
Nike
Nike’s mission statement is, “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.” And as co-founder Bill Bowerman once said, “If you have a body, you are an athlete.” Sports is a great business to be in, and an even better business to lead.
https://www.nike.com/golf
TaylorMade
At TaylorMade, we are driven by the pursuit of product innovation and reaching new thresholds of performance.
https://www.taylormadegolf.com
The TNPGA expresses its gratitude to the following PGA of America Supporting Partners.
Golf Channel
Co-founded by Arnold Palmer and Joe Gibbs on January 17, 1995, Golf Channel in 2011 became part of the NBC Sports Group and – serving the most-affluent audience in all of television – now is available to nearly 500 million viewers in nearly 80 countries and nine languages around the world.
www.golfchannel.com
PGA TOUR
The PGA TOUR is a Supporting Partner of PGA of America Professional Tournaments.
By showcasing golf’s greatest players, we engage, inspire and positively impact our fans, partners and communities worldwide.
www.PGATour.com
In addition, we thank our Section Supporting Partners for their involvement.
Maui Jim
Maui Jim got its start in 1980 as a small company selling sunglasses on the beach in Lahaina, Hawaii. Seeing a need in the market for technology that could combat intense glare and harmful UV while bringing the brilliant colors of the island to life, we engineered the revolutionary PolarizedPlus2® lens. Incorporated into seven new sunglass styles, our Classic Collection was introduced. We now offer over 125 styles of sunglasses, 100% of which are polarized and protect from 100% of UVA and UVB rays.
Inspired by the beauty and culture of Maui, our mission is to spread aloha through vivid color, clarity, and detail. For those who appreciate the sun, Maui Jim provides more vibrant colors of the world while protecting your eyes from the harsh effects of glare and harmful rays.
We always show our true colors – true colors that come shining through in our superior customer service. We promise that you will always be greeted with a friendly voice and a dedicated representative. We want you to be happy. That’s why we stand behind every pair of sunglasses we make.
https://www.mauijim.com/
Premier Golf Services
Premier signage provider for charity, club, college, competitive, and corporate events. Leave your guests with a gift that shows how much you appreciate their participation. We have selected only the highest quality, on trend items, sure to leave your guest smiling.
https://www.premiergolfservices.com/
About Tennessee National Golf Club
Tennessee National Golf Club is ranked by Golf Digest as one of the Top 10 golf courses in Tennessee. With five holes playing to or from the water, beautiful views of Watts Bar Lake are not hard to find. This, in addition to 13 water features and stacked sod bunkers reminiscent of Scottish links, make Tennessee National refreshingly different from other courses in the southeast. With five sets of tees, generous landing areas, and a delightfully walkable layout, our Greg Norman Signature course is uniquely playable, yet challenging to accomplished golfers.
https://www.tennesseenational.com/play-here/golf
About Tennessee PGA
The PGA of America is the world’s largest sports organization, comprised of 28,000 men and women golf Professionals who are the recognized experts in teaching and growing the game. Founded in 1916, the PGA of America has enhanced its leadership position by conducting premier spectator events – PGA Championship, Ryder Cup, KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship and KPMG Women’s PGA Championship – as well as significant philanthropic outreach initiatives, and award-winning golf promotions.
Formed in 1968, The Tennessee Section PGA is one of the 41 sections that comprise the Professional Golfers’ Association of America. It is one of the largest sections, with over 500 members and associates. Tennessee PGA seeks to elevate the standards of the professional golfers’ vocation, to promote the interest in the game of golf, to protect and advance the mutual interest of the Members, to conduct tournaments and offer educational opportunities for the employment and benefit of the Members and to promote good relations with clubs and communities within the Tennessee Section’s boundaries. For more information, contact Brandon Moore, Marketing and Communications Manager, at 615-686-3397 or bamoore@pgahq.com