American Marconi Wireless News - Twenty PGA of America Golf Professionals to Compete in 108th PGA Championship as Part of Corebridge Financial Team

NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA / ACCESS Newswire / May 12, 2026 / Twenty PGA of America Golf Professionals will compete this week in the 108th PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club as members of the Corebridge Financial Team.

The 20 low scorers of the PGA Professional Championship at Bandon Dunes, held April 26-29, earned entry into the Championship and will compete in the strongest field in golf.

Jesse Droemer, PGA Teaching Professional at Riverbend Country Club in Sugar Land, Texas, leads the team as the 2026 PGA Professional Champion, making his third PGA Championship appearance (2023, 2025).

"Our 20 PGA of America Golf Professionals at Aronimink this week embody the commitment of our Association nationwide with their expertise and dedication to the game," said PGA of America Vice President Nathan Charnes, PGA. "Their impact in our industry is immeasurable, shaping the future of golf at every level. They now hold a special part of PGA Championship history as we proudly return to Aronimink for the first time since 1962. We're proud of the way they represent the PGA of America and look forward to watching them compete."

Corebridge Financial has partnered with the PGA of America as the sponsor of the PGA of America Member teams in the Association's three Major Championships: PGA Championship, Senior PGA Championship and KPMG Women's PGA Championship. The three groups are recognized collectively as the Corebridge Financial Team.

2026 PGA Championship Corebridge Financial Team

Derek Berg (Monroe, Wash.) - PNW Golf Academy, Pacific Northwest Section
Francisco Bide (Duluth, Ga.) - Capital City Club Brookhaven, Georgia Section
Michael Block (Mission Viejo, Calif.) - Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club, Southern California Section
Tyler Collet (Vero Beach, Fla.) - John's Island Club, South Florida Section
Jesse Droemer (Houston, Texas) - Riverbend Country Club, Southern Texas Section
Bryce Fisher (Oregon City, Ore.) - Arrowhead Golf Club, Pacific Northwest Section
Chris Gabriele (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.) - Old Westbury Golf & Country Club, Metropolitan Section
Mark Geddes (Coronado, Calif.) - Coronado Golf Course, Southern California Section
Zach Haynes (Bowling Green, Ky.) - The Club at Olde Stone, Kentucky Section
Austin Hurt (Bainbridge Island, Wash.) - Wing Point Golf & Country Club, Pacific Northwest Section
Jared Jones (Dublin, Ohio) - Scioto Country Club, Southern Ohio Section
Michael Kartrude (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) - The Bear's Club, South Florida Section
Ben Kern (Columbus, Ohio) - Hickory Hills Golf Club, Southern Ohio Section
Ryan Lenahan (New Hudson, Mich,) - Walnut Creek Country Club, Michigan Section
Paul McClure (Mobile, Ala.) - Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Magnolia Grove, Alabama-NW Florida
Ben Polland (Wilson, Wyo.) - Shooting Star of Jackson Hole, Rocky Mountain Section
Garrett Sapp (Cypress, Calif.) - San Gabriel Country Club, Southern California Section
Braden Shattuck (Chadds Ford, Pa.) - Rolling Green Golf Club, Philadelphia Section
Ryan Vermeer (Elkhorn, Neb.) - Happy Hollow Club, Nebraska Section
Timothy Wiseman (New Albany, Ind.) - Different Strokes Golf Center, Indiana Section

Select storylines from the PGA of America Members getting ready to compete at Aronimink:

Braden Shattuck, PGA Director of Instruction at nearby Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield, will proudly represent the Philadelphia PGA Section, the host Section of the PGA Championship. Shattuck will make his third PGA Championship appearance (2023, 2024). He made the cut in the 2024 PGA Championship and finished as the Low PGA of America Golf Professional, finishing 72nd overall, 1-under for the week. Shattuck rebuilt his swing from the ground up following a car accident in 2019 which resulted in multiple herniated disks in his lower back.

Chris Gabriele, PGA Head Golf Professional at Old Westbury Golf and Country Club in New York, will make his first Major Championship appearance this week. At the PPC, he eagled the 72nd hole to secure his position on the Corebridge Financial Team. He traveled to Bandon, Ore., to compete in large part thanks to his wife Caitlin, who stayed in Old Westbury to look over the pro shop, which they own and operate together. Gabriele grew up playing in the same Metropolitan PGA Section junior golf tournaments as Cameron Young and even worked for his father, David Young, PGA, at Sleepy Hollow as the lead assistant professional from 2019-22.

Ryan Lenahan, PGA Director of Instruction at Walnut Creek Country Club in South Lyon, Mich., will make his second consecutive PGA Championship appearance. While at Bandon Dunes, for motivation, he continually replayed a video of his three sons wishing him luck and telling him they want to go back to the PGA Championship. This PGA Championship will also be an emotional one for Lenahan as his mentor, and long-time Michigan PGA Section stalwart, Dave Kendall, PGA, died from cancer in September. Kendall gave Lenahan his first teaching professional job from 2022-25 at the Kendall Academy of Golf before he became the Director of Instruction at Walnut Creek.

Francisco Bide, PGA Head Golf Professional at Capital City Club in Atlanta, Ga., will make his PGA Championship debut following a T10 finish at Bandon Dunes. Bide was born and raised in Argentina and played collegiate golf at Georgia College. Prior to his career as a PGA of America Member, Bide competed in 59 events on PGA TOUR Americas.

Michael Kartrude, PGA Lead Assistant Professional at The Bear's Club in Jupiter, Fla., will make his second-consecutive appearance in the PGA Championship following his debut at Quail Hollow. Kartrude enjoyed a practice round in 2025 with Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, members of The Bear's Club.

Bryce Fisher, PGA Owner and General Manager of Arrowhead Golf Club in Molalla, Ore., will make his PGA Championship debut at the age of 46, following his debut in the PPC. His brother Robert will caddie for him at Aronimink.

Michael Block, PGA Head Golf Professional at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in MIssion Viejo, Calif., holds the most PGA Championship appearances of the 20 at eight (2014, '16, 18, '22-'26). In his fifth-consecutive showing, Block is also the most senior at age 49. He is widely recognized for his hole-in-one and T15 finish in the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill.

Seven Members of the Corebridge Financial Team will be making their PGA Championship debut (Haynes, Sapp, Fisher, Bide, Gabriele, Berg and McClure).

For more information on the Corebridge Financial Team competing at the 2026 PGA Championship, click here

About the PGA of America
The PGA of America is one of the world's largest sports organizations, composed of more than 30,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals who love the game, are expert coaches, operators and business leaders, and work daily to drive interest, inclusion and participation in the sport. The PGA of America owns and operates numerous championships and events, including major championships for men, women, seniors and the Ryder Cup, one of the world's foremost sporting events. For more information, visit PGA.com and follow us on X, Instagram and Facebook.

Media Contacts
Jesse Dodson, PGA - PGA of America, [email protected]
Jared Minski - Mastro Communications, [email protected]

SOURCE:

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

B.Finley--AMWN