Bob Sowards-Ben Kern Cruise to Another PGA Senior-Junior Team Championship

Mother Nature proved to be the only way to delay Bob Sowards and Ben Kerns’ inexorable march to victory in the PGA Senior-Junior Team Championship at PGA Golf Club.

A 45-minute frost delay prior to Thursday’s final round only slowed the inevitable: The dynamic duo of Sowards and Kern holding the plaques for the fourth time in the last six years.

They combined to shoot a 5-under 66 to finish at 33-under 253 and cruise to a five-shot win over the team of Chris Haarlow of Greensboro, N.C., and Brandon Einstein of Clemmons, N.C.

“We team so well together because we think about golf the same way,” said Sowards, the PGA Director of Instruction at Kinsale Golf and Fitness Club. “We have the same routine, same mannerisms, think about shots the same way. And for me, I'm playing with the best player in the PGA. I just got to help him a little bit.”

“Chemistry is a big thing,” said Kern, General Manager at Hickory Hills Golf Club. “It’s very easy for us to stay in our flow and play good golf together. It's easier for us to kind of communicate. If he asked me a question, because he's in between something, we have a quick response for each other.”

The championship seemed over when the pair of Ohio-based PGA Golf Professionals shot 59 – yep, a 59 – on the Ryder Course in Monday’s first round to take a three-shot lead over defending champions Mike Stone-Patrick Wilkes-Krier.

The fast start conjured images of Tiger Woods during his prime. Once Woods got an early lead, he knew he was going to win, and so did the rest of the field.

Same goes for the pairing of Sowards and Kern. Once they reached the top of the leaderboard, the other 155 teams knew they were playing for second place.

A 63 on the Dye Course stretched their lead to four at the halfway point. A 65 on the Wanamaker Course padded their lead to eight entering the final round.

Once Mother Nature’s frost disappeared Thursday, it took a while for Sowards and Kern to warm up. They started with three pars, then birdied the next three holes to maintain their sizable advantage, before making eight consecutive pars.

Not that it mattered; the closest any team came was four shots when Haarlow-Einstein birdied the 18th to finish off their 10-under 61, the low round of the day.

“Our goal was to get to 40 (under). We wanted to stay aggressive,” Sowards said. “We knew realistically we would have had to shoot over par to have a chance to let anybody else win it. We weren’t playing conservatively. We just didn’t make any putts.”

Six years ago, Kern approached Sowards about becoming partners, saying he wanted to see their names up on the winner’s board for the PGA Winter Championships in the PGA Golf Club lobby. Their names will soon appear for the fourth time.

“Whenever I first come down here, I walk by there and look for our names,” Kern said. “It's a nice thing to see and get the good flows going.”

Sowards and Kern won the Senior-Junior in 2021, 2022 and 2024 before Kern sat out last year’s championship. They split the $10,000 first prize.

Haarlow and Einstein shot the low round of the day, a 10-under 61, to finish second. Rod Perry of Port Orange, Fla., and Jeff Sorenson of Blaine, Minn., were third at 26-under with a 64. Bill Van Orman of Watkinsville, Ga., and Dylan Newman of Jericho, N.Y., were fourth (66-262).

The PGA Winter Championships are presented by GolfPass and On Location. The Four-Ball Stableford Team Championship starts Sunday where – you guessed it – Sowards and Kern will again be the favorites.

“Anytime I tee it up with him, I feel like we're the team to beat,” Sowards said.

For more information about the 2026 PGA Winter Championships, visit the event website.