35 PGA of America Golf Professionals tee it up with world’s best senior golfers
Editors: For a photo of the Corebridge Financial Team, click here.
BRADENTON, Florida — The 35 PGA of America Golf Professionals who comprise the Corebridge Financial Team will compete in the 2026 Senior PGA Championship at The Concession Golf Club, April 16-19 in Bradenton, Fla.
The PGA of America Members earned their way into the 86th edition of the Championship based on their finishes in the 2025 Senior PGA Professional Championship at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla., won by Justin Hicks, PGA, Teaching Professional at Stonebridge Country Club in Boca Raton, Fla.
Hicks’ victory propelled him to receive 2025 PGA of America Senior Player of the Year Honors and his first invitation to the Senior PGA Championship. Among his other 2025 highlights, Hicks competed in the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow following a T-9 finish in the 2025 PGA Professional Championship and qualified for the U.S. Open at Oakmont. The South Florida PGA Section Member’s strong play has continued into 2026, playing in the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches in February and Monday qualifying for the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational in March.
Corebridge Financial sponsors the teams of PGA of America Members in the Association’s three Major Championships: Senior PGA Championship, PGA Championship (May 11-17, 2026, Aronimink Golf Club) and KPMG Women’s PGA Championship (June 25-28, 2026, Hazeltine National).
“We are excited for our PGA of America Golf Professionals to compete this week at the Senior PGA Championship,” said PGA of America Vice President Nathan Charnes, PGA. “Not only do they maintain the highest level of competitive play within the Association, they also make arrangements with their facilities and daily responsibilities to ensure everything runs smoothly while they take this opportunity to compete in a senior Major Championship. We wish them the best of luck and thank them for representing the PGA of America well.”
2026 Corebridge Financial Team
Rohan Allwood (Prosperity, S.C., Chester Golf Club, Carolinas Section)
Frank Bensel (Jupiter, Fla., Galloway National Golf Club, Philadelphia Section)
Greg Bisconti (South Salem, N.Y., The Saint Andrew’s Golf Club, Metropolitan Section)
Mark Brown (Hobe Sound, Fla., The Yacht & Country Club, South Florida Section)
Tim Cantwell (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., PGA National Golf Club, South Florida Section)
Jim Deiters (Midland, Mich., Midland Country Club, Michigan Section)
Kyle Dobbs (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., Ardsley Country Club, Metropolitan Section)
Brad Elder (Dallas, Texas, PGA Life Member, Northern Texas Section)
Frank Esposito (Florham Park, N.J., Mountain Ridge Country Club, New Jersey Section)
Jeff Gove (Sandpoint, Idaho, PGA Life Member, Pacific Northwest Section)
Justin Hicks (Wellington, Fla., Stonebridge Country Club, South Florida Section)
Craig Hocknull (Queen Creek, Ariz., Westchester Country Club, Metropolitan Section)
Steve Holmes (Ventura County, Calif., Rustic Canyon Golf Course, Southern California Section)
Grover Justice (Lexington, K.Y., Bluegrass Golf Academy, Kentucky Section)
Brennan Little (Plano, Texas, PGA TOUR, Northern Texas Section)
Ryan Malby (Kalispell, Mont., PGA Life Member, Pacific Northwest Section)
Jeff Martin (Attleboro, Mass., Wollaston Golf Club, New England Section)
Alan Morin (Royal Palm Beach, Fla., The Club at Ibis, South Florida Section)
Warren Pineo (Reno, Nev., Montreux Golf & Country Club, Northern California Section)
Tracy Phillips (Tulsa, Okla., Cedar Ridge Country Club, South Central Section)
John Pillar (Hawley, Pa., CC at Woodloch Springs, Philadelphia Section)
Rod Perry (Port Orange, Fla., Crane Lakes Golf & Country Club, North Florida Section)
David Roesch (Menomonee Falls, Wis., Storm’s Golf Range, Wisconsin Section)
Todd Sapere (Cobbtown, Ga., Ohoopee Match Club, Georgia Section)
Paul Scaletta (Jupiter, Fla., The Bear’s Club, South Florida Section)
Matt Schalk (Erie, Colo., Colorado National Golf Club, Colorado Section)
Jeff Schmid (Iowa City, Iowa, Brown Deer Golf Club, Iowa Section)
Mike Small (Champaign, Ill., University of Illinois, Illinois Section)
Mick Smith (Summit, Wis., Mick Smith Golf, Wisconsin Section)
Brian Smock (Coronado, Calif., Coronado Golf Course, Southern California Section)
Bob Sowards (Dublin, Ohio, Kinsale Golf & Fitness Club, Southern Ohio Section)
Mike Stone (Toledo, Ohio, Belmont Country Club, Northern Ohio Section)
Neil Thompson (Hoover, Ala., Pine Tree Country Club, Alabama-NW Florida Section)
Brian Thornton (Sumner, Wash., Meridian Valley Country Club, Pacific Northwest Section)
Omar Uresti (Austin, Texas, PGA Life Member, Southern Texas Section)
Notable storylines from the Corebridge Financial Team include:
Brennan Little, PGA will play in his second consecutive Senior PGA Championship this week. A professional caddie since 1999 and on the bag for Gary Woodland since 2016, Little helped guide Woodland to an emotional victory at the Texas Children’s Houston Open in March, Woodland’s first since brain surgery in 2023 and recently opening up about dealing with PTSD. He was also on the bag for Woodland’s 2019 U.S. Open title at Pebble Beach and Mike Weir’s Masters victory in 2003. Last week, Little was on the bag for Woodland at the Masters Tournament and now will be the one hitting the shots this week at the Senior PGA Championship. Little is a Member of the Northern Texas PGA Section.
Mike Small, PGA, the men’s head golf coach at the University of Illinois, will make his second appearance in the Championship following his debut in 2022. Small is one of the most decorated competitors within the Association with 10 PGA Championship appearances, finishing as the low PGA Professional twice (2011, 2007). He’s one of just two players all-time to win the PGA Professional Championship three times and a winner of a record 14 Illinois PGA Professional Championships, making him the winningest PGA Professional at a Section Championship across all 41 PGA Sections. Small has led his Fighting Illini men’s golf team, currently ranked 10th in the country, for more than 25 years. Following play in the Senior PGA Championship, he heads to Bandon Dunes to compete in the PGA Professional Championship for the 17th time and then to Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in Portland for the Big Ten Conference Championship. Small and 2023 Senior PGA Champion Steve Stricker, were college golf teammates at Illinois and served as groomsmen at each other’s weddings.
Rod Perry, PGA, the Head Golf Professional at Crane Lakes Golf & Country Club in Port Orange, Fla., will represent the South Florida PGA as the sole Section Member on the Corebridge Financial Team. He is playing in his third-consecutive Senior PGA Championship and has competed in seven PGA Championships, most recently the 2020 Championship at Harding Park. Perry will hit the Championship’s opening tee shot Thursday at 7:30 a.m. on hole no. 1.
John Pillar, PGA, the Director of Golf at the Country Club of Woodloch Springs in Hawley, Penn., will compete in his second Senior PGA Championship (2021). The Philadelphia PGA Section Member served on the PGA of America Board of Directors as District 2 Director from 2020-2023 representing the Philadelphia, Metropolitan and New Jersey Sections. Pillar competed in the 2017 U.S. Senior Open and 1997 U.S. Open.
Jim Deiters, PGA, the Head Golf Professional at Midland Country Club in Midland, Mich., has turned his third Senior PGA Championship appearance into a family affair, recruiting his son Austin Deiters as his caddie. Austin is a PGA Associate in pursuit of becoming a Member of the Association. Jim is the 2025 Michigan PGA Senior Player of the Year and a three-time winner of the Section’s Senior PGA Professional Championship.
Bob Sowards, PGA and Tracy Phillips, PGA have the most Senior PGA Championship experience among the Corebridge Financial Team, both set to make their 7th appearance. The pair will also compete in the PGA Professional Championship next week at Bandon Dunes. Sowards will make his 23rd PGA Professional Championship appearance and Phillips will make his 9th.
Eleven members of the Corebridge Financial team are making their first appearance in the Senior PGA Championship: Allwood, Dobbs, Elder, Hicks, Hocknull, Justice, Martin, Pineo, Roesch, Scaletta and Thornton.
Following play at The Concession, 18 will travel cross country to compete in the 2026 PGA Professional Championship at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in hopes of finishing in the top 20 and making the Corebridge Financial team at the 108th PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club: Allwood, Bensel, Hicks, Holmes, Hocknull, Justice, Martin, Morin, Perry, Phillips, Pineo, Schalk, Schmid, Small, Smith, Smock, Sowards and Stone.
For more information about the Senior PGA Championship and Corebridge Financial Team, click here.
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Media Contacts:
Jesse Dodson, PGA – PGA of America, jdodson@pgahq.com
Jared Minski – Mastro Communications, jared@mastrocomm.com
