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New Mexico's Storied History with PGA of America's Member Championships

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A course scenic of hole 15 at Twin Warriors Golf Club in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico, USA, on Wednesday, July 23, 2008. The site of the 42nd PGA Professional National Championship. (Photo by Montana Pritchard/The PGA of America)

A course scenic of hole 15 at Twin Warriors Golf Club in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico, USA, on Wednesday, July 23, 2008. The site of the 42nd PGA Professional National Championship. (Photo by Montana Pritchard/The PGA of America)

Last year, the PGA of America announced that two of the most celebrated golf facilities in the SouthwestーTwin Warriors Golf Club and Santa Ana Golf Club, both in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexicoーwould host the 2022 Senior PGA Professional Championship.
Champion Mike Small with the Walter Hagen Cup at the awards ceremony on hole 18 green following the final round of the 42nd PGA Professional Championship at Twin Warriors Golf Club in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico, USA, on Wednesday, July 1, 2009. (Photo by Montana Pritchard/The PGA of America)
Champion Mike Small with the Walter Hagen Cup at the awards ceremony on hole 18 green following the final round of the 42nd PGA Professional Championship at Twin Warriors Golf Club in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico, USA, on Wednesday, July 1, 2009. (Photo by Montana Pritchard/The PGA of America)

The pair of facilities have previously hosted a variety of notable events and tournaments, including the PGA Professional Championship in 2003 and 2009. Additionally, the 2022 Women’s PGA Cup will be played at Twin Warriors in just two weeks.
“Twin Warriors and Santa Ana Golf Club have supported our Member Championships since 1999 when they first hosted our Western Regional PGA Professional Championship,” said Senior Director, Member Championships, Rules & Competitions, Mark Tschetschot, PGA. “Derek Gutierrez, PGA and his staff have been welcoming, gracious and supportive hosts. In fact, the entire community and Pueblo have embraced our Championships, allowing the PGA to showcase their courses while providing an excellent test of golf.”

Twin Warriors Golf Club, designed by Gary Panks and opened in 2001, plays through the high desert and is routed in and around 20 ancient cultural sites. Other attributes include beautiful grassy knolls, ridges dotted with Juniper and Pinon Pine, dry washes (arroyos) and eroded land features, along with the sacred butte known as Tuyuna or "Snakehead.”
A course scenic of hole 4 at Twin Warriors Golf Club in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico, USA, on Wednesday, July 23, 2008. The site of the 42nd PGA Professional Championship. (Photo by Montana Pritchard/The PGA of America)
A course scenic of hole 4 at Twin Warriors Golf Club in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico, USA, on Wednesday, July 23, 2008. The site of the 42nd PGA Professional Championship. (Photo by Montana Pritchard/The PGA of America)

Santa Ana Golf Club was designed by Ken Killian and former PGA Tour Player Ken Green. At just over 7,300 yards and overlooking the Rio Grande River, Santa Ana couples significantly mounded border fairways with minimal forced carries from the tee. The course, which opened in 1991, has very little elevation change, but severely sloping greens serve as its greatest defense.
The low 35 scorers in the 2022 Senior PGA Professional Championship earn a berth in a truly historic 2023 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship at PGA Frisco in Frisco, Texas.
“Our top Senior PGA Professionals look forward to competing for these coveted spots every year,” said Tschetschot. “This year marks a first for our field, with a chance to advance into the inaugural Championship hosted at PGA Frisco’s Fields Ranch East Course at the 2023 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship.”