Fireside chat to honor 93rd PGA Championship, Popp's 61 years as a PGA Member

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Bob Popp, 82, a four-time PGA Championship entrant; three-time Senior PGA Championship participant; and the 1982 PGA Golf Professional of the Year, will be the next featured speaker in the PGA Museum of Golf Speaker Series at PGA Village in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

Popp will take part in a special fireside chat on Wed., Aug. 3, from 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m., in the Museum Rotunda, located at I-95, Exit 121 (St. Lucie West Blvd.). The event is open to the public with complimentary admission, and held in celebration of the 93rd PGA Championship, Aug. 8-14, at Atlanta Athletic Club.

A member of the PGA Golf Professional Hall of Fame, a past member of the PGA Board of Directors and a longtime resident of PGA Village, Popp served as PGA head professional for 31 years at Omaha (Neb.) Country Club, as part of his 61 years as a PGA member. Popp currently ranks 46th among the more than 27,000 PGA members for service, after earning membership on Oct. 5, 1949. Virtually born into golf, Popp worked for his father, Ted Popp, at the nine-hole Oak Hills Golf Course in Bellevue, Ill. The family lived in an apartment in the clubhouse and survived a New Year's Eve fire in 1943. In the post-WWII era, Ted and Bob were known for designing greens made with a base of sand and oil. Later, Popp competed on the PGA Tour for four years, including the 1960 Palm Springs Golf Classic, won by Arnold Palmer. Popp has recorded 17 holes-in-one and is the fifth participant in the PGA Museum of Golf Speaker Series, joining Hall of Fame Members Dr. Gary Wiren, Dow Finsterwald, Errie Ball and Walker Inman Jr.

"It is a great honor to have Bob Popp recount his memories of the PGA Championship and trace his 61 years of service to the game of golf as a PGA member," said Bob Baldassari, PGA Senior Director, Player Development and for the PGA Center for Golf Learning and Performance. "Bob Popp is one of the most highly revered and respected of all PGA Professionals, as his wealth of experience and dedication to the game over six decades is one of legend among PGA circles."

Attendees will also be able to review the Museum's new 93rd PGA Championship Exhibit, which debuts on Friday, July 29. While Museum hours are typically 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday - Sunday, through Christmas, the facility will be specially opened for the Speaker Series event. Admission is free year-round.

For more information, please visit www.pga.com/museum or call 800-800-GOLF (4653). The PGA Museum of Golf is located at 8555 Commerce Center Drive, adjacent to the PGA Center for Golf Learning and Performance, in PGA Village.

About PGA Village
The Ryder, Wanamaker, and Dye Courses form a trio of world-class courses at PGA Golf Club, at PGA Village in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Named by Golf Digest as one of the "75 Best Golf Resorts in North America," PGA Village also features the award-winning, 35-acre PGA Center for Golf Learning and Performance and the PGA Museum of Golf. PGA Golf Club exists to be one of the premier public-access resort facilities in America, complete with a Private Members Club, and serves as the home club for our 27,000 men and women PGA Professionals.

For more information, please visit pgavillage.com.

About The PGA of America
Celebrating its 95th year, The PGA of America has maintained a twofold mission of its founders: 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 PGA enables its professionals to maximize their performance in their respective career paths and showcases them as experts in the game and in a multi-billion dollar golf industry.

By creating and delivering dramatic world-class championships and exciting and enjoyable promotions that are viewed as the best of their class in the golf industry, The PGA of America elevates the public's interest in the game, the desire to play more golf, and ensures accessibility to the game for everyone, everywhere. The PGA of America brand represents the very best in golf.