Tyler Collet Headlines 20 PGA of America Golf Professionals
CHARLOTTE, NC / ACCESS Newswire / May 13, 2025 / The 107th PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, will feature the Corebridge Financial Team, composed of 20 PGA of America Golf Professionals who are expert coaches, administrators and business leaders within the game.
Tyler Collet, PGA Assistant Golf Professional at John's Island Club in Vero Beach, Florida, made history at the 2025 PGA Professional Championship, April 27 - 30, at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, when he set the Championship record for largest margin of victory, finishing 15-under and winning by 10-strokes in the 72-hole Championship. This is Collet's fourth PGA Championship appearance.
Collet, 29, a graduate of the Eastern Kentucky University Professional Golf Management program, will lead the other top-20 finishers from the 2025 PGA Professional Championship. Ten members of the Corebridge Financial Team will be competing in the PGA Championship for the first time.
Corebridge Financial has partnered with the PGA of America as the sponsor of the PGA of America Member teams in the Association's three Major Championships: PGA Championship, Senior PGA Championship and KPMG Women's PGA Championship.The three groups are recognized collectively as the Corebridge Financial Team.
"What an incredible opportunity for these 20 PGA of America Golf Professionals to compete in the PGA Championship among the world's best golfers at Quail Hollow Club," said PGA of America President Don Rea Jr., PGA Master Professional and Owner/Operator of Augusta Ranch Golf Club (Mesa, Arizona). "They represent our more than 30,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals, who are the tangible connection to golf for millions. This incredible group maintains a high level of play while dedicating their careers to helping others enjoy this great game we love. We are excited to see what they can do this week."
Among the PGA of America Members getting ready to tee it up at Quail Hollow:
Eric Steger, PGA Teaching Professional at Pebble Brook Golf Club in Noblesville, Ind., is making his PGA Championship debut and following in the footsteps of his father, Scott, a 38-year PGA of America Member who played in the 1994 PGA Championship at Southern Hills. This is the seventh father-son duo to have competed in the PGA Championship since 2020. The Stegers work together at Pebble Brook GC, where Scott is the Director of Instruction. They are the second-ever father-son duo to be inducted into the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame and the only ones to win the Indiana State Open and Indiana State Amateur in the history of the Indiana PGA Section.
Rupe Taylor, PGA Teaching Professional at Virginia Beach National Golf Club in Virginia, will make his PGA Championship debut after a T-9 finish at the PPC. Born in Asheville, N.C., and a graduate of North Carolina State University, Taylor is no stranger to the state. However, his path to the PGA Championship wasn't always smooth. At the age of 23 in 2013, he woke up in a hospital bed with restraints on his arms and legs after driving under the influence. Around the same time, his father and grandfather passed away within 10 days of each other. Now 35, and nearly 12 years sober, Taylor is thriving.
Jesse Droemer, PGA Teaching Professional at Riverbend Country Club, in Houston, Texas, broke his ankle at 13 playing football. Thinking contact sports were out of the question, he started playing golf while still in a cast. In 2020, he broke his tailbone in a skateboarding accident and thought his competitive golf career was over. Droemer, a PGA of America Member since 2016, will make his second PGA Championship appearance following his runner-up finish at the PPC.
Michael Kartrude, PGA Lead Assistant Professional at The Bear's Club in Jupiter, Fla., received some notable support after surviving a four-man, five-hole playoff at the PPC to get into the PGA Championship. Making his first appearance in the PGA Championship, Kartude received messages from a number of PGA Tour Players who play out of The Bear's Club, including Camillo Villegas, Lucas Glover and Shane Lowry. Among the Corebridge Financial Team, The South Florida PGA Section has the most representatives, including Kartrude, Justin Hicks, PGA, and Collet.
Tom Johnson, PGA Director of Instruction at Meadow Club in Fairfax, Calif., will make his debut in the PGA Championship at the age of 43. A two-time All-American (2001, ‘03) and three-time All-Big Ten selection at Northwestern University, Johnson was teammates with 2023 & ‘25 European Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald, who is also in the field at Quail Hollow this week.
Michael Block, PGA Head Golf Professional at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, Calif., will play in his fourth-consecutive PGA Championship and seventh overall (2014, ‘16, 18, ‘22, ‘23), following his T-3 finish at the PPC. Block is widely recognized for his hole-in-one and T-15 finish in the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y.
Bob Sowards, PGA Director of Instruction at Kinsale Golf and Fitness Club in Powell, Ohio, will make his 12th PGA Championship appearance, tying the record for most PGA Championship appearances by a PGA of America Golf Professional. His first PGA Championship appearance since 2020, Sowards is also the oldest on the Corebridge Financial Team at 56. Sowards will also compete at the 2025 Senior PGA Championship as a Corebridge Financial Team member at Congressional Country Club next week in Bethesda, Maryland.
2025 PGA Championship Corebridge Financial Team
Brian Bergstol (Nazareth, Pa.) - Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort, Philadelphia Section
Brandon Bingaman (Dallas, Texas) - Gleneagles Country Club, Northern Texas Section
Michael Block (Mission Viejo, Calif.) - Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club, Southern California Section
Andre Chi (Queens, N.Y.) - Deepdale Golf Club, Metropolitan Section
Tyler Collet (Vero Beach, Fla.) - John's Island Club, South Florida Section
Jesse Droemer (Houston, Texas) - Riverbend Country Club, Southern Texas Section
Bobby Gates (The Woodlands, Texas) - Summit Golf School, Southern Texas Section
Larkin Gross (Fairfax, Va.) - Westwood Country Club, Middle Atlantic Section
Justin Hicks (Wellington, Fla.) - Stonebridge Golf & Country Club, South Florida Section
Nic Ishee (Columbus, Miss.) - Old Waverly Golf Club, Gulf States Section
Tom Johnson (San Francisco, Calif.) - Meadow Club, Northern California Section
Michael Kartrude (Port. St. Lucie, Fla.) - The Bear's Club, South Florida Section
Greg Koch (Orlando, Fla.) - Ritz-Carlton Golf Club-Grand Lakes Orlando, North Florida Section
Ryan Lenahan (New Hudson, Mich.) - Walnut Creek Country Club, Michigan Section
Dylan Newman (Westbury, N.Y.) - Meadow Brook Club, Metropolitan Section
John Somers (Trinity, Fla.) - Southern Hills Plantation Club, North Florida Section
Bob Sowards (Dublin, Ohio) - Kinsale Golf and Fitness Club, Southern Ohio Section
Eric Steger (Westfield, Ind.) - Pebble Brook Golf Club, Indiana Section
Rupe Taylor (Virginia Beach, Va.) - Virginia Beach National Golf Club, Middle Atlantic Section
Timothy Wiseman (Corydon, Ind.) - Old Capital Golf Club, Indiana Section
For more information on the Corebridge Financial Team competing at the 2025 PGA Championship, click here.
About the PGA of America
The PGA of America is one of the world's largest sports organizations, composed of more than 30,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals who love the game, are expert coaches, operators and business leaders, and work daily to drive interest, inclusion and participation in the sport. The PGA of America owns and operates numerous championships and events, including major championships for men, women, seniors and the Ryder Cup, one of the world's foremost sporting events. For more information, visit PGA.com and follow us on X, Instagram and Facebook.
Editors:
For a photo of the Corebridge Financial Team at Quail Hollow Club, click here.
For individual photos, click here.
Media Contacts
Jesse Dodson, PGA of America, jdodson@pgahq.com
Jared Minski, Mastro Communications, jared@mastrocomm.com
SOURCE: PGA of America
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