PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Brett Sterba of Westlake, Ohio, has been named the championship director of the 70th Senior PGA Championship, the most prestigious and historic event in senior golf, which will make its first visit next spring, May 18-24, 2009, at Canterbury Golf Club in Beachwood, Ohio.
Sterba, 29, the on-site championship director of the 68th Senior PGA Championship in 2007 at The Ocean Course in Kiawah Island, S.C., will be returning to familiar surroundings in his new position. He is a native of Cleveland, a 1996 graduate of St. Ignatius High School, where he was a place-kicker for the school’s 1995 national championship football team. Sterba went on to become a standout place-kicker at the College of William & Mary, where he was selected a Division 1-AA first team All-American.
Following graduation in 2001 with a business degree in finance and information technology, Sterba signed as a free agent with the Green Bay Packers. A year later, he joined the staff of the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla., and worked at the Slammer and Squire Courses. From March through July 2003, Sterba spent time traveling nationally serving as a volunteer at PGA Tour and Champions Tour events in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Ohio, Maryland and Illinois.
Following his travels, Sterba worked at TPC at Sawgrass in 2004, where he became an operations intern for The Players Championship. In June of that year, he was named operations manager by The PGA of America for the 2005 Senior PGA Championship. He went on to become operations manager for the 2006 PGA Championship. In 2006, he was named director for the 2007 Senior PGA Championship and operations manager for the 2009 PGA Championship.
Since 1937, golf’s best professionals have been competing for the Senior PGA Championship’s coveted Alfred S. Bourne Trophy. Past Champions include Gene Sarazen, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino, as well as Raymond Floyd, Hale Irwin, Gary Player and Tom Watson.
The Senior PGA Championship will mark its second appearance in Ohio, and first since 2002 when Fuzzy Zoeller triumphed at Firestone Country Club in Akron.
Since 1916, The PGA of America’s mission has been twofold; 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 Association enables PGA Professionals to maximize their performance in their respective career paths and showcases them as experts in the game and in the $76 billion golf industry.
By creating and delivering dramatic world-class championships and exciting and enjoyable golf 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.
Contact:
Julius Mason
561/624-8444
jmason@pgahq.com
The Professional Golfers’ Association of America
100 Avenue of the Champions
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418
Phone: (561) 624-8400 ? Fax: (561) 624-8452
www.pga.com
