Sports
Summit Golfer Qualifies For 2017 PGA Championship
Summit resident, Alex Beach is among PGA professionals to qualify for the 2017 PGA Championship.
SUMMIT, NJ — Summit resident Alex Beach is among the Professional Golf Association members to qualify for the 2017 PGA Championship.
Omar Uresti of Austin, Texas, who won the 2017 PGA Professional Championship in a playoff on Wednesday, will lead a contingent of 20 PGA Professionals to the 99th PGA Championship, August 10 to 13, at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina.
A 48-year-old PGA life member, Uresti will be playing in his third consecutive PGA Championship after edging Dave McNabb of Newark, Delaware on the second playoff hole at Crosswater Club.
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Uresti’s string of three straight PGA Championship berths is tied with Matt Dobyns of Glen Head, New York for the longest active streak among PGA Club Professionals. Dobyns (2012, 2015-17) will be playing in his fourth PGA Championship this August.
McNabb, the PGA head professional at Applewood Golf Club in Malvern, Pennsylvania will be making his third career PGA Championship appearance (2013, 2014, 2017) at Quail Hollow.
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By earning a trip to Quail Hollow, Mike Small of Champaign, Illinois punched the 10th PGA Championship ticket of his career and first since 2013.
Stuart Deane of Arlington, Texas and David Muttitt of Albuquerque, New Mexico earned the final two PGA Championship exemptions available this week, as they emerged from a tense eight-player playoff.
For Muttitt, it was the second straight year he emerged with a PGA Championship exemption via a playoff after the PGA Professional Championship.
Eight of the 20 PGA Club Professionals at Quail Hollow in August will be making their PGA Championship debuts:
| Player | Hometown | Club/Facility | PGA Section | PGA Championship Experience |
| Alex Beach | Summit, NJ | Baltusrol G.C. | New Jersey | None |
| Rich Berberian Jr. | Hooksett, N.H. | Vesper C.C. | New England | 2016 |
| Jamie Broce | Ottawa Hills, Ohio | College Coach | Northern Ohio | 2014 |
| Paul Claxton | Claxton, Ga. | PGA Life Member | Georgia | None |
| Stuart Deane | Arlington, Texas | University of Texas-Arlington | Northern Texas | 2014 |
| Matt Dobyns | Glen Head, N.Y. | Fresh Meadow C.C. | Metropolitan | 2012, 2015, 2016 |
| Greg Gregory | Joshua, Texas | Hidden Creek G.C. | Northern Texas | None |
| Jaysen Hansen | Solon, Ohio | Beechmont C.C. | Northern Ohio | None |
| Scott Hebert | Traverse City, Mich. | Traverse City G.&C.C. | Michigan | 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 |
| Dave McNabb | Newark, Del. | Applewood G.C. | Philadelphia | 2013, 2014 |
| Chris Moody | Provo, Utah | Riverside C.C. | Utah | None |
| David Muttitt | Albuquerque, N.M. | Los Altos, G.C. | Sun Country | 2013, 2016 |
| Rod Perry | Port Orange, Fla. | Crane Lakes G.&C.C. | North Florida | 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016 |
| Kenny Pigman | Norco, Calif. | Goose Creek G.C. | Southern California | None |
| Adam Rainaud | Chester, Conn. | Winged Foot G.C. | Metropolitan | 2015 |
| Mike Small | Champaign, Ill. | University of Illinois | Illinois | 2004-07, 2009-13 |
| Brian Smock | Coronado, Calif. | Coronado G.C. | Southern California | None |
| Omar Uresti | Austin, Texas | PGA Life Member | Southern Texas | 2015, 2016 |
| Ryan Vermeer | Omaha, Neb. | Tiburon G.C. | Nebraska | None |
| J.J. Wood | Houston | Golf Performance Group | Southern Texas | None |
(Image via Shutterstock)
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