Four members of the Northern Ohio Section of the Professional Golfers Association of America will compete in a national event beginning this Sunday, April 30th in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico.
The four qualified for the 56th PGA Professional Championship by virtue of their finish in the 2022 NOPGA Professional Championship, held in August at Westfield Country Club.
The four men are Jim Troy (The Golf Dome), Randy Dietz (Windmill Golf Center), Jaysen Hansen (Beechmont Country Club) and Jason Carbone (Canterbury Golf Club).
Approximately 300 players have qualified for the 72-hole tournament, which will be played at the Twin Warriors and Santa Ana Pueblo Golf Clubs.
Brief biographies of the qualifying NOPGA members:
JIM TROY
Residence: Strongsville
Age: 42
Affiliation: Instructor & Head Club Fitter, The Golf Dome, Chagrin Falls
College: University of Nebraska (Sociology)
Years qualified for National: Six consecutive years.
Best finish: T-29.
How qualified in 2023: Was the medalist in the event at Westfield with rounds of 71-64-70—205 (5-under).
RANDY DIETZ
Residence: Tallmadge
Age: 43
Affiliation: Director of Instruction, Windmill Golf Center & Randy Dietz Golf Academy.
College: Kent State (Leisure Service/Marketing)
Years qualified for National: Third time.
Best finish: MC
How qualified in 2023: Finished T2 at Westfield with rounds of 67-70-70—207 (3-under).
JAYSEN HANSEN
Residence: Twinsburg
Age: 44
Affiliation: Head Professional, Beechmont Country Club
College: Eastern Michigan (Accounting)
Years qualified for National: 10th
Best finish: T9 in 2017 and T6 in 2018
How qualified in 2023: Finished T4 at Westfield with rounds of 68-69-71—208 (2-under).
JASON CARBONE
Residence: Hudson
Age: 49
Affiliation: Head Professional, Canterbury Golf Club
College: Bowling Green (Marketing)
Years qualified for National: Third
Best finish: MC
How qualified in 2023: Finished T4 at Westfield with rounds of 68-67-73-208 (2-under).
Additional Notes:
– Darin de Lelys, former assistant professional at Westfield Country Club, qualified as a NOPGA member but has since relocated to his native Florida. He no longer is a NOPGA member
– Several members of the Southern Ohio Section of the PGA also have qualified, including reigning Ohio Senior Open champion Bob Sowards (Dublin) and runnerup Sam Arnold (Cincinnati)
– Another qualifier with local ties is former Hudson resident and University of Akron graduate Greg Boyette, now the head professional at Bulls Bay Golf Club in Awendaw, S.C.
– The event will be televised by the Golf Channel, 8-10 p.m. on Sunday (April 30) and 2 to 5 p.m. the final three days
– Last year’s winner, Jesse Mueller of Phoenix, Ariz., won $60,000
– The top 20 finishers qualify for the 105th PGA Championship, to be played at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y., May 15-21.
COVERAGE & RESULTS
For full tournament coverage and a live leaderboard, log on to PGAProChampionship.com.
