Editorial

Meet the Team of 20 Competing at the 2021 PGA Championship - Part III

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The 2021 PGA Championship is fast approaching and the ‘Team of 20’ PGA Professionals competing will be looking forward to facing The Ocean Course head on at Kiawah. We've been taking a look at the ‘Team of 20’ ahead of next week. Meet the rest of the #TeamOf20: Meet the #TeamOf20 - Part I Meet the #TeamOf20 - Part II Here are five more of the PGA Professionals who will be teeing it up in Kiawah, May 20-23. Rob Labritz Club/Facility: GlenArbor Golf Club, Bedford Hills, NY Metropolitan PGA Section Rob Labritz is no stranger to playing in majors. He is set to make his eighth career start in the PGA Championship, sixth in 12 years dating to 2010. This makes him tied with Danny Balin for most among the 2021 Team of 20 at The Ocean Course. Of these appearances, he has twice finished as the PGA Championship’s Low PGA Club Professional: 2010/Whistling Straits (T-68) and 2019/Bethpage Black (T-70). Brad Marek Club/Facility: Corica Park, Alameda, CA Northern California PGA Section Despite making his PGA Professional Championship debut in 2021, Marek is one of 10 members of the Team of 20 to be making his career PGA Championship appearance at The Ocean Course. Marek played professionally for nine years on a variety of tours, winning 15 times during his run. He played college golf at Indiana University and was a three-time NCAA Academic All-American. Tim Pearce Club/Facility: Birmingham Country Club, Birmingham, MI Michigan PGA Section Like Marek, Tim Pearce also made his PGA Professional Championship debut in 2021 and is now headed to his his first PGA Championship (though he attended at Oakland Hills when he was 13 years old). Pearce previously won his section's 2019 Michigan PGA Section Assistants Championship, which doubled as his first professional win and came via a 72-64 finish, with the 64 being a career low and tournament course record at Eagle Crest GC, home course of Eastern Michigan University. He as a Professional Golf Management University Major at Ferris State. Ben Polland Club/Facility: Shooting Star Golf Club, Teton Village, WY Rocky Mountain PGA Section Consistency is key. Polland has earned a berth in the PGA Championship in each of his three career PGA Professional Championship starts, though his last appearance was in 2016. Ben is a graduate of Campbell University’s PGA Golf Management University Program; while he was there, he played a vital role as his Campbell squad won the 2012 PGA Jones Cup. During his professional career, he has been a member of the 2015 PGA Cup Team and won PGA Tour Latinoamerica's 2018 Guatemala Stella Artois Open. Patrick Rada Club/Facility: McArthur Golf Club, Hobe Sound, FL South Florida PGA Section Patrick Rada survived a five players-for-four spots playoff in April’s PGA Professional Championship (his first career entry) and will make his PGA Championship debut on The Ocean Course, though it may not be unfamiliar. Rada grew up in Anderson, South Carolina, approximately 3 hours from Kiawah Island. He played collegiately at the University of South Carolina.