Category - Major Events

Meet the PGA Professionals Competing at the PGA Championship: Part 1

By Ryan Adams, PGA
Published on
2023 PGA Professional Champion Braden Shattuck is playing in his first PGA Championship this week.

2023 PGA Professional Champion Braden Shattuck is playing in his first PGA Championship this week.

The 2023 PGA Championship has finally arrived.

The strongest international field in major championship golf is taking on the historic East Course at Oak Hill Country in Rochester, New York, and that includes the newly-minted Corebridge Financial PGA Team. Twenty PGA Professionals a part of the team earned their spot at the PGA Professional Championship last month in New Mexico.

Among the 20, eight are veterans of the PGA Championship while the 12 others — including 2023 PGA Professional Champion Braden Shattuck — will be making their debuts at Oak Hill.

Below is part 1 of a closer look at the 20 members of the Corebridge PGA Financial Team, so you can get to know them before they tee it up on the East come May 18th.

Braden Shattuck, PGA
2023 PGA Professional Champion
Club/Facility: Rolling Green Golf Club, Springfield, Pa.
PGA Championship appearance: 1st
Philadelphia PGA Section
PGA Director of Instruction at Rolling Green Golf Club...He is set to make his debut in the PGA Championship...Winner, 2023 PGA Professional Championship; 2022 Philadelphia PGA Player of the Year...Winner, 2022 Philadelphia PGA Doylestown Open...Winner, 2022, ‘21 Burlington Classic...Winner, 2022 Philadelphia PGA Jack Jolly & Son Championship...Winner, 2022 Philadelphia PGA F. Edward DeBaufre Trophy for Scoring Average...Winner, 2021 GALV Lehigh Valley Open...Winner, 2019 Philadelphia PGA William Hyndman III Memorial Classic...Winner, 2018 New England Open...Winner, 2018 Delaware Open...He is a former Philadelphia PGA Junior Tour member, where he won the 2011 and 2012 Boys 16-18 Player of the Year...Played college golf at the University of Delaware...Named the 2011-12 Daily Times Player of the Year in high school. 

Alex Beach, PGA
Club/Facility: Westchester Country Club, Rye, N.Y.
PGA Championship appearance: 5th
Metropolitan PGA Section
PGA Assistant Professional at Westchester Country Club...Playing in his sixth PGA Championship (2017, ‘19, ‘20, ‘21, ‘22)...Clinched a spot in the 2022 PGA Championship during the four-players-for-three-spots playoff at Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas, after finishing T-18...Winner, 2022 Metropolitan PGA Player of the Year, and 2022 Metropolitan PGA Champion- ship...Member of the victorious 2022 U.S. PGA Cup Team...Winner of the 2019 PGA Professional Championship, becoming the second left-hander and the second PGA Golf Management University Program alum to capture the national title...Winner of the 2019 National Car Rental Assistant PGA Professional Championship, becoming the first PGA Member to win both the PPC and Assistant PPC in the same calendar year...Helped the U.S. Team win the 2019 PGA Cup...Named 2019 Metropolitan PGA Assistants Player of the Year...Honored as 2017 New Jersey PGA Section Player of the Year...2017 Titleist Staff Player of the Year...2017 New Jersey PGA Section Professional Champion (2nd year in a row)...2017 Turnpike Team Captain (2nd year in a row)...2016 New Jersey PGA Player of the Year...Winner, 2016 New Jersey PGA Section Professional Championship...Beach is ambidextrous and says that he can swing a golf club better right-handed most days...Has served at some of the country’s finest venues: Congressional Country Club; Burning Tree; Desert Mountain, The Ridgewood Country Club, and Baltusrol.

Michael Block, PGA
Club/Facility: Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club, Mission Viejo, Calif.
PGA Championship appearance: 5th
Southern California PGA Section PGA Section
PGA Head Professional at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club...He is competing in his fifth PGA Championship…Finished T-2 in the 2023 PGA Professional Championship, which was his ninth consecutive PGA Professional Championship since debuting in 2014...Finished T-2 at the 2022 PGA Professional Championship to qualify for the PGA Championship for the fourth time (2018, ‘16, ‘14)...His 2018 PGA Championship appearance at Bellerive came in his hometown of St. Louis...Winner, 2022 PGA Professional Player of the Year; Southern California PGA Player of the Year for the 10th time (2013, ‘14, ‘15, ‘16, ‘17, ‘18, ‘19, ‘20, ‘21 & ‘22)...Played for the U.S. Team at the 2022 PGA Cup in Surrey, England...Rallied from a four-hole deficit in the opening singles match on the final day to earn a crucial point and help the U.S. win its first overseas PGA Cup since 2009...Won his third Southern California PGA Professional Championship by five strokes (2-under par 214)...Winner 2014 PGA Professional Championship after a two-hole playoff with Jamie Broce in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina...Winner, 2021 Southern California PGA Section Match Play Championship; 2019 Southern California PGA Section Stroke Play Championship; 2017 & ‘18 Southern California PGA Section Professional Championship; 2001 California State Open...Member of the 2015 U.S. PGA Cup Team (3-1-0 record)...Qualified for the 2007 (Oakmont) and 2018 (Shinnecock Hills) U.S. Opens...In 2007, made a 22-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a Sectional playoff...Has played in over 20 PGA Tour events and made four cuts, with the most recent coming at the 2015 Barbasol Championship (71st)...He has imprinted on his TaylorMade golf balls the words, “WHY NOT?”

Matt Cahill, PGA
Club/Facility: Seminole Golf Club, Juno Beach, Fla.
PGA Championship appearance: 1st
South Florida PGA Section
PGA Head Professional at Seminole Golf Club, succeeded Bob Ford in 2021…Making his PGA Championship debut…Finished T-2 in the 2023 PGA Professional Championship, his third career PGA Professional Championship...Finished T-9 at the 2022 South Florida PGA Professional Championship...Competed in the 2008 U.S. Junior Amateur and the 2009 U.S. Amateur Championship...Attended Florida State and graduated from the school’s PGA Golf Management program...Played the Florida Junior Tour and Florida State Golf Association as a junior golfer. Played in 26 South Florida PGA junior tour events from 2003 - 2008. He was the 2008 South Florida PGA Junior Tour Player of the Year (4 rounds under par that year). He won the 2008 Ed Ficker Sportsmanship Award - Celebrating his dedication to the game of golf, and outstanding etiquette on and off the course.

Anthony Cordes, PGA
Club/Facility: Cherokee Town & Country Club, Atlanta, Ga.
PGA Championship appearance: 1st
Georgia PGA Section
PGA Assistant Professional at Cherokee Town & Country Club...He is competing in his first career PGA Championship...Finished T-2 at the 2022 Georgia PGA Professional Championship...Winner, 2021 Georgia PGA Section Professional Championship, 2021 Georgia PGA Section Milton Martin Honda Classic; 2020 Georgia PGA Section Player of the Year; 2020 Georgia PGA Section Assistants Match Play Championship; 2017 Championship at Berkeley Hills C.C...Earned a berth in his first PGA Tour event, the 2020 RSM Classic at Sea Island, Georgia, in November of 2020...Played college golf at Miami (Ohio) University.

Jesse Droemer, PGA
Club/Facility: Lakeside Country Club, Houston, Texas
PGA Championship appearance: 1st
Southern Texas PGA Section
PGA Assistant Professional at Lakeside Country Club...Making his PGA Championship debut...Winner, 2022 Southern Texas PGA Memorial Championship; 2017 Southern Texas PGA Professional Championship; 2017 Southern Texas Assistant PGA Professional Championship...Finished T-4 at the 2022 Southern Texas PGA Professional Championship...Played in the PGA Tour’s 2018 Valero Texas Open missing the cut...Played college golf at the University of Houston (2010-14).

Chris French, PGA
Club/Facility: Aldeen Golf Club, Rockford, Ill.
PGA Championship appearance: 1st
Illinois PGA Section
PGA Head Professional at Aldeen Golf Club...He is making his first start in the PGA Championship…Runner-up, 2022 Illinois PGA Assistant Champi- onship...Finished T-3 at the 2022 Illinois PGA Players Champion- ship...Winner, 2019 Illinois PGA Players Championship; 2019 Illinois PGA Section Assistant Professional Player of the Year; 2014 Rockford Country Club Classic...Has played on the Asian Developmental Tour...Played from 2018-19 on the PGA Tour LatinoAmerica, in ten events and made one cut (T-47th at the 2018 Volvo Abierto de Chile)...Was a two-time NJCAA All-America selection at Rock Valley College in Rockford, Illinois.

Russell Grove, PGA
Club/Facility: North Idaho College, Coeur d’'Alene, Idaho
PGA Championship appearance: 1st
Pacific Northwest PGA Section
Head Men’s and Women’s Golf Coach at North Idaho College...He is appearing in his first PGA Championship...Winner, 2017, ‘18 & ‘19 Pacific Northwest PGA Section Player of the Year; 2017 & ‘18 Pacific Northwest PGA Section Professional Championship; 2017 Oregon Open...Coached the Lady Cardinals to a Northwest Athletic Conference Championship title in 2016 and the NIC Men’s team to the NWAC championship title in 2017, ‘18, ‘19 & ‘22...Played college golf at the University of Idaho, where he served as a team captain and led the Vandals to their best finish in the history of the Western Athletic Conference at the time...Was a three-time recipient of the WAC Scholar-Athlete Award and a three-time selection on the WAC Academic All-Conference team...He set the UI course record with a 62.

Steve Holmes, PGA
Club/Facility: Rustic Canyon Golf Course, Moorpark, Calif.
PGA Championship appearance: 1st
Southern California PGA Section
PGA Teaching Professional at Rustic Canyon Golf Course...He is playing in his first PGA Championship...Named to Golf Digest’ s Top-50 Instructors list and Operation36’s Top-50 Junior Instructor in the World lists in 2022...Has served as a Volunteer Assistant Women’s Golf Coach at UCLA since 2013, during which he helped guide three players to No. 1 World Amateur rankings...Winner, 2022 Southern California PGA Players Championship (Senior Division); 2016 Southern California PGA Match Play Championship; 2016 Southern California PGA Four-Ball Championship; 2009 Southern California PGA Callaway Golf PGA Assistant Championship...Runner-up, 2022 Southern California PGA Professional Championship...Competed in two PGA Tour events: the 2014 Northern Trust Open and the 2010 Justin Timberlake Shiners Hospitals for Children Open (missed cut in both)...Obtained Korn Ferry Tour status by competing in the 2002 and 2010 PGA Q-School Final Stage...Played full time in 2002, participated in 28 Korn Ferry tour events, best finish T-17th in the 2002 Utah Classic. Played college golf at UC Irvine, where he earned All-Conference honors.

Colin Inglis, PGA
Club/Facility: Shadow Hills Country Club, Junction City, Ore.
PGA Championship appearance: 2nd
Pacific Northwest PGA Section
PGA Assistant Professional at Shadow Hills Country Club...He is appearing in his second PGA Championship...Finished T-6 at the 2022 PGA Professional Championship to earn his first start in the PGA Championship...Winner, 2021 Pacific Northwest PGA Section Professional Championship; 2021 Pacific Northwest Rosauers Open Invitational; 2022 and ‘20 Washington Open Invitational; 2019 Pacific Northwest PGA Section Assistant Professional Championship; 2018 Pacific Northwest PGA Section/Oregon Chapter Championship and Assistants Championship; 2018 Oregon Open; 2021 Northwest PGA Section Player of the Year...Sister, Caroline Inglis, plays on the LPGA Tour.