Ben Polland leads group of 21 Club Professionals to Compete with World’s Best at Valhalla Golf Club
Editors:
For a photo of the Corebridge Financial Team at Valhalla Golf Club, click here.
For individual photos, click here.
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky – The 106th PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club will feature the Corebridge Financial Team, composed of 21 PGA of America Golf Professionals who dedicate their careers as expert coaches, administrators and business leaders within the game.
Ben Polland, PGA, the 33-year-old Director of Golf at Shooting Star in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, won the 2024 PGA Professional Championship, which took place April 29 – May 1 at Fields Ranch at PGA Frisco. He will lead the remainder of the team of top-20 finishers at the 2024 PGA Professional Championship and Michael Block, PGA, who qualified through his T-15 finish in the 2023 PGA Championship.
Polland will compete in his fourth PGA Championship following appearances in 2015, 2016 and 2021. After a number of close calls at the PGA Professional Championship, including finishing runner-up in 2015 to Matt Dobyns, PGA, his mentor, and former boss at Deepdale Golf Club in Manhasset, New York, Polland heads to Valhalla with a long-sought-after victory under his belt. Dobyns will also compete in this year’s PGA Championship after a T-16 finish at Fields Ranch.
Corebridge Financial has broadened its partnership with the PGA of America to include the title sponsorship of the PGA of America Member teams, formerly known as the Team of 20 (PGA Championship); Team of 35 (KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship); and Team of 9 (KPMG Women’s PGA Championship). Each group will now be recognized as the Corebridge Financial Team.
“One of the most treasured opportunities for our more than 30,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals is the chance to compete with the world’s best in the PGA Championship,” said PGA of America President John Lindert, PGA Director of Golf of the Country Club of Lansing (Michigan). “Our Corebridge Financial Team not only can play at a high-level, but they do it amidst full-time careers within the golf industry, enabling individuals all over the country to experience our great game.”
Tracy Phillips, PGA, Director of Instruction at Cedar Ridge Country Club in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, will make his PGA Championship debut at age 61. A Member of the PGA of America since 1992, Phillips stopped playing competitive golf for 20 years (1988-2008) following a collegiate golf career at Oklahoma State University. This year, he’ll compete at Valhalla Golf Club as well as at the 2024 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship at Harbor Shores as a member of its respective Corebridge Financial Team.
Larkin Gross, PGA, Assistant Golf Professional at Westwood Country Club in Vienna, Virginia, is the youngest to earn a spot in the field via the Corebridge Financial Team. The 26-year-old is making his second start in the PGA Championship after competing in 2021 on The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort. His wife, Paige, is also a PGA of America Golf Professional and caddied for Larkin during the 2024 PGA Professional Championship. She will be on the bag at Valhalla as well. Paige is the Assistant Professional at The Club at Creighton Farms in Aldie, Virginia.
Preston Cole, PGA, Lead Assistant Professional at Quail Hollow Club, site of the 2025 PGA Championship, will head into his first PGA Championship at Valhalla after host responsibilities at the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow, days prior to PGA Championship week. Saturday morning he was helping Matt Fitzpatrick find a replacement shaft for his driver. Today, he’s on the grounds at Valhalla preparing to compete amongst Major champions. He earned a berth in the PGA Championship and a spot on the Corebridge Financial Team with a T-8 finish at the PGA Professional Championship.
Tyler Collett, PGA, Assistant Professional at John’s Island Club in Vero Beach, Florida, will play in his third PGA Championship (2022, ‘21) after a T-6 finish in the 2024 PGA Professional Championship. He will be in familiar territory at Valhalla as a 2017 graduate from the PGA Golf Management program at Eastern Kentucky University. Collet played in the PGA TOUR’s 2024 Cognizant Classic and made the cut in the 2024 Puerto Rico Open.
2024 PGA Championship Corebridge Financial Team
Josh Bevell, PGA (Nashville, Tenn.) – Profectus Golf – Tennessee Section
16Michael Block, PGA (Mission Viejo, Calif.) – Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club – Southern California Section
Evan Bowser, PGA (Naples, Fla.) – LaPlaya Golf Club, South Florida Section
Preston Cole, PGA (Charlotte, N.C.) – Quail Hollow Club, Carolinas Section
Tyler Collet, PGA (Vero Beach, Fla.) – John’s Island Club, South Florida Section
Matt Dobyns, PGA (Jericho, N.Y.) – Meadow Brook Club – Metropolitan Section
Larkin Gross, PGA (Fairfax, Va.) – Westwood Country Club, Middle Atlantic Section
Jared Jones, PGA (Houston, Texas) – River Oaks Country Club, Southern Texas Section
Jeff Kellen, PGA (Glenview, Ill.) – North Shore Country Club, Illinois Section
Brad Marek, PGA (Berkeley, Calif.) – Corica Park, Northern California Section
Kyle Mendoza, PGA (Oceanside, Calif.) – Hacienda Golf Club – Southern California Section
Jesse Mueller, PGA (Phoenix, Ariz.) – Grand Canyon University Golf Course, Southwest Section
Zac Oakley, PGA (King of Prussia, Pa.) – Bidermann Golf Club – Philadelphia Section
Ben Polland, PGA (Jackson Hole, Wyo.) – Shooting Star of Jackson Hole, Rocky Mountain Section
Tracy Phillips, PGA (Tulsa, Okla.) – Cedar Ridge Country Club, South Central Section
Braden Shattuck, PGA (Aston, Pa.) – Rolling Green Golf Club – Philadelphia Section
John Somers, PGA (Trinity, Fla.) – Southern Hills Plantation Club, North Florida Section
Josh Speight, PGA (Locust Hill, Va.) – The Club at Viniterra, Middle Atlantic Section
Andy Svoboda, PGA (Oak Brook, Ill.) – Butler National Golf Club, Illinois Section
Jeremy Wells, PGA (Estero, Fla.) – Cypress Lake Golf Club, South Florida Section
Wyatt Worthington II, PGA (Las Vegas, Nev.) – Eastside Golf – Southwest Section
For more information on the Corebridge Financial Team competing at the 2024 PGA Championship, click here.
About 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, formerly known as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Media Contacts
Jesse Dodson, PGA of America, jdodson@pgahq.com
Jared Minski, Mastro Communications, jared@mastrocomm.com
