BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — Tennessee PGA Professionals captured the 59th Tennessee Challenge Cup Matches at Nashville Golf & Athletic Club.
On October 26 and 27, sixteen of the Tennessee PGA Section’s finest professionals faced off against sixteen of the Tennessee Golf Association’s top Amateurs for the 59th playing of the Tennessee Challenge Cup Matches.
The Professionals leaned heavily on decades of experience, anchored by Captain Mark Houser, PGA. A Tennessee PGA Life Member and recipient of the Section’s Distinguished Career Award, Houser brought an unmatched perspective to the roster. His career began at Warriors’ Path State Park Golf Course in 1971, where he served the facility across a legendary 47-year tenure before retiring in 2018 as the longest-tenured PGA Professional in Tennessee State Park history. This year marked Houser’s 26th career Challenge Cup appearance, including 25 as a competitor, and his second time at the helm, having previously served as Playing Team Captain in 2010. Houser was supported by experienced Vice Captains that set the tone for the Professional team. Kelvin Burgin, PGA, General Manager at The Bear Trace at Cumberland Mountain and a 24-year PGA Member, contributed to having 15 career Challenge Cup appearances under his belt.
Kevin Snell, PGA, Superintendent at Henry Horton Golf Course and a six-year PGA Member, provided steady leadership throughout the matches. Rounding out the captains, host PGA Head Professional Chad Reeder supplied critical local knowledge of Nashville Golf & Athletic Club’s layout.
The matches commenced Monday with morning Four-Ball play, where the Professionals immediately set the pace. The Professional team started out to an early 5.5 to 2.5 point advantage. The Tennessee Golf Association Amateurs performed a swift comeback during afternoon Foursome matches, battling through alternate-shot play to split the remaining points and pull the overall tally even at 8–8 entering the final day Singles matches.
Singles matches opened in a tightly contested fashion on Tuesday morning, with early points traded across the board to leave the contest even through the early afternoon. That is when the Professional team stepped up to tilt the
board decisively in their favor.
Ryan Botts, PGA sparked the early momentum, locking down a 2-up victory over Scotty Hudson (a) behind five birdies in a grueling match that went to 18 holes. Josh Bevell, PGA of Profectus Golf delivered one of the dominant rounds of the Cup Matches, never losing a match and pouring in two birdies to close out Jack Smith (a) with a 5 & 4 win.
The victory clinching moment arrived on the 18th green in a wire-to-wire match between Allen Fennell, PGA, and Alan Jones (a). Fennell calmly put in a par putt to secure his match and push the Professionals past the threshold needed to reclaim the trophy. Bill Breen, PGA, and Greg Wyatt, PGA, finalized the triumph shortly after, with each closing out their respective opponents 2 & 1 on the 17th green to lock in the 11–5 singles margin. The PGA Professionals were able to extend their historical series lead to 35–24.
First contested in 1968, the Tennessee Challenge Cup continues to celebrate the highest standard of competitive golf, sportsmanship, and camaraderie between the Section’s PGA Professionals and the state’s leading Amateur talent.