Campbell University ready for title defense at 2015 PGA Jones Cup

 

Click here to return to the 2015 PGA Jones Cup home page

 

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – The 14th PGA Jones Cup will be contested Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 3-4, at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida, with 19 teams representing PGA Golf Management Universities nationwide. The 36-hole National Championship for PGA Golf Management Universities features 95 players (five from each school).

 

Defending champion Campbell University of Buies Creek, N.C., has won a record four titles, including two in the last three years (also 2012). Mississippi State University, which last won in 2010, has thrice won the Jones Cup and can match Campbell's four titles with a victory this week on Florida's Treasure Coast.

 

All participating universities in the PGA Jones Cup are schools accredited by the PGA of America to offer the PGA Golf Management University Program for aspiring PGA Professionals. There are currently 2,284 students enrolled in the program nationwide.

 

"Our top playing PGA Golf Management University students have relished the opportunity to showcase their skills in the Jones Cup," said PGA Secretary Suzy Whaley. "On the golf course, individual talent, team play, and the ideals of sportsmanship form a healthy balance. Off the course, our participants are also encouraged to begin the process of networking with fellow, future PGA Professionals that will soon be their colleagues."

 

Campbell returns to the Tom Fazio-designed Wanamaker Course at PGA Golf Club after winning last year's Jones Cup by 11 shots over Florida State University.

 

"We have been fortunate to win four Jones Cups, and I promise you that we talk about this event year-round. It's part of our recruiting pitch and it's always part of our mindset here at Campbell," said Ken Jones, the Director of PGA Golf management at Campbell. "We value education, of course, but we also take great pride in cultivating good players because our credibility as PGA Professionals hinges on it. Some of our students strive for years to be part of Campbell's Jones Cup team. They use it as motivation because this is a special event."

 

This year's Jones Cup field includes two women, Tiana Jones from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Kurstyn Mills of the University of Central Oklahoma. 

 

Jones, who has won three consecutive PGA Minority Championships, paced the Hawks with a final-round 74 in last year's Jones Cup. Mills, meanwhile, is competing in the Jones Cup for the first time. She played golf previously at Oklahoma City College.

 

The PGA Jones Cup is named for the first PGA Golf Management University Program Director at Mississippi State, Dr. S. Roland Jones, who held the position from 1985 until his passing in 1997. The event provides a platform where participants can display professionalism, integrity, character and camaraderie; all characteristics Dr. Jones instilled in PGA Golf Management students. Students in the PGA Golf Management University Program study a combination of golf and business-related subjects; serve a minimum of 16 months in on-course internships within the golf industry; and are eligible for direct election to PGA membership upon graduation and eligible employment.

 

PGA JONES CUP CHAMPIONS

2014: Campbell University

2013: Ferris State University

2012: Campbell University

2011: North Carolina State University

2010: Mississippi State University

2009: Campbell University

2008: University of Idaho

2007: Campbell University

2006: New Mexico State University

2005: Coastal Carolina University

2004: Coastal Carolina University

2003: Mississippi State University

2002: Mississippi State University

 

TOTAL JONES CUP TITLES

4: Campbell University

3: Mississippi State University

2: Coastal Carolina University

1: Ferris State University

1: University of Idaho

1: North Carolina State University

1: New Mexico State University