PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- Sonny Skinner of Sylvester, Ga., and Kirk Hanefeld of Acton, Mass., who elevated their games in national competition this past year, captured their first titles as the respective 2008 PGA Professional and Senior PGA Professional Players of the Year.

The final standings were determined following reports from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2008, from the 41 PGA Sections. Skinner is the first Georgia PGA Section member to win the award, while Hanefeld is the first New England PGA Section member to win the Senior PGA Professional honor. Mike San Filippo, formerly of Harvard, Mass., won the 1993 PGA Professional Player of the Year award as a member of the New England PGA.

Skinner and Hanefeld will be honored in Orlando, Fla., Jan. 29 at 5:30 p.m., during the 2008 PGA of America Awards program, which is conducted at the Linda W. Chapin Auditorium and in conjunction with the 56th PGA Merchandise Show at the Orange County Convention Center.

Skinner, 48, a PGA teaching professional at River Pointe Golf Club in Albany, Ga., earned 1,349.8 points to top Rick Schuller of Chester, Va., who had 965.67 points; and reigning PGA Professional National Champion Scott Hebert of Traverse City, Mich., who finished with 950 points. Alan Morin of Royal Palm Beach, Fla., was fourth with 905.71 points, while two-time PGA Professional National Champion Tim Thelen of College Station, Texas, was fifth with 812.5.

One of the most consistent performers in recent years in the Georgia PGA Section, Skinner was runner-up to Hebert in the PGA Professional National Championship, earning 375 points, an additional 120 points for finishing 11th in the TaylorMade adidas Golf PGA Stroke Play Championship and collecting 250 for finishing second in the Georgia PGA Player of the Year standings. Skinner earned 604.8 points for competing in 10 Tour events, including making the cut in three Nationwide Tour events. He competed in the 90th PGA Championship at Oakland Hills Country Club last August, his first career major appearance, and missed the 36-hole cut.

"It was definitely a good year for me, and to play in my first PGA Championship, which also was my first major was an experience I will not forget and one that I wish I could have enjoyed earlier in my career," said Skinner. "I don't have the power and am one of the shortest hitters in the field, and I don't swing as fast or walk as fast. What I am is very proud to be a PGA member and represent The PGA of America."

Hanefeld, 52, is a PGA Life Member and former PGA director of golf at The International Golf Club in Bolton, Mass. He capped his season last October by winning the Senior PGA Professional National Championship presented by Callaway Golf in Palm Desert, Calif., collecting 200 points.

He finished with 1,371.84 over points, which included 1035.51 points for making the cut in the 10 Champions Tour events he entered. He also tied for 34th in the Senior PGA Championship, earning 111.33 points, and picked up an additional 25 points for local U.S. Open qualifying.

"That [the Senior PGA Professional] National Championship was a terrific win," said Hanefeld. "To win something of that magnitude was a surprise, a pleasant surprise. I have continued to work on my game the past couple of years. I am proud to be among a select group of club professionals who have won this award. I have had the pleasure to have played with several of them. I have been a PGA member for 25 years and am proud of that. The PGA of America offers us many playing opportunities that enable me to keep my game in shape."

About The PGA of America
Since 1916, The PGA of America's mission has been twofold: to establish and elevate the standards of the profession and to grow interest and participation in the game of golf.

By establishing and elevating the standards of the golf profession through world-class education, career services, marketing and research programs, the Association enables PGA Professionals to maximize their performance in their respective career paths and showcases them as experts in the game and in the $76 billion golf industry.

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