FRISCO, Texas – After a wild ride on the 72nd Hole of the 2023 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship—which included a extremely rare ricochet on the fly— Mark Brown, PGA opened the door during Sunday’s final round to jointly share Corebridge Financial PGA Team Low Club Professional Honors with Tim Weinhart, PGA.
Thanks to some divine intervention along Panther Creek, they also both became the first Low Club Professionals entered into the brand new Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco history books.
On his final hole, Brown had a two-shot lead over both Weinhart and Northern Texas PGA Section Vice President Cameron Doan, who hit the first shot ever in competition at Fields Ranch on Thursday.
A double bogey on No. 17 would end Doan’s chance for a three-way tie.
A different kind of double would absolutely make Weinhart’s day.
First, Brown outdrove Ernie Els off the No. 18 tee, straight down the middle of the fairway of the par 5, 548-yard finishing hole. Sitting between a 5-iron and 6-iron, Brown chose the 5-iron, only to find the creek’s ravine.
After a drop, Brown’s wedge from 95 yards to the 18th green looked spot on, only to land directly on Ricardo Gonzalez’s ball. The two balls ricocheted hard in opposite directions. Brown had the worst of their luck as he rolled off the green onto the fringe.
Gonzalez was able to place his ball back where it started; Brown had to play his ball where it lay.
A chip and two putts later, Brown and Weinhart unexpectedly found themselves knotted together in the first major championship at Fields Ranch East, as Brown dropped two shots to 6-over.
A day before, Brown’s wife, Debbie, reminded him that they needed new kitchen appliances. After all, the ones he won at the 2019 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship for finishing as co-PGA Low Club Professional were sold in a house sale when they moved from New York to Hobe Sound, Florida.
For earning Low Club Pro honors at Fields Ranch East, both Brown and Weinhart will be able to upgrade their homes with brand new KitchenAid appliances. In addition, each earned $6,450 for their T-55 finish.
Among the major champions they finished ahead of were two-time U.S. Ryder Cup Captain and 1997 PGA Champion Davis Love III and 2016 KitchenAid Senior PGA Champion Rocco Mediate.
Weinhart got in the 156-player field as the next-to-last alternate into the 36-member Corebridge PGA Team of PGA Professionals. A total of 11 PGA Members made the cut and played the weekend.
“I didn’t expect to be here, for sure,” Weinhart said while holding the crystal Corebridge Financial PGA Team Low Club Professional trophy. “I was really ecstatic when I got in on Monday. I’m very humbled, very proud.”
Brown, 56, PGA Teaching Professional at the Yacht & Country Club in Stuart, Florida, and Weinhart, 53, PGA Director of Instruction at Heritage Golf Links, in Tucker, Georgia, were celebrated outside the Fields Ranch clubhouse live on NBC Golf Channel.
“Anytime you can get Low Club Professional at a major championship is awesome,” said Brown. “It means the world, and it’s kind of the goal coming here, make the cut and then try to get Low Club Pro. To represent all the Club Professionals out there, any one of them could fill our shoes right now. It’s a dream come true.”
Weinhart will go back to Heritage Golf Links with a full-slate of lessons to teach, the day after competing in a major championship. Brown heads to Des Moines, Iowa, for the Tuesday qualifier for the Principal Charity Classic PGA Tour Champions event.
The two PGA Members finished at 6-over, 294 for the week, tied for 55th overall in the most prestigious championship in senior golf.
This is the second time Brown tied for Low Club Professional honors in the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship. Four years ago, he shared the stage with Bob Sowards, PGA at Oak Hill Country Club.
Corebridge Financial PGA Team Results:
***Tim Weinhart, PGA (6-over 294, T-55) – Canton, Ga., Heritage Golf Links, Georgia Section
***Mark Brown, PGA (6-over 294, T-55) – Hobe Sound, Fla., Yacht & Country Club, South Florida Section
Jeffrey Schmid, PGA (8-over 296, T-63) – Iowa City, Iowa, Brown Deer Golf Club, Iowa Section
Dave McNabb, PGA (8-over, T-63) – Malvern, Pa., Applebrook Golf Club, Philadelphia Section
Jeff Brehaut, PGA (9-over 297, T-68) – Park City, Utah, Life Member Utah PGA, Utah Section
Cameron Doan, PGA (9-over 297, T-68) – Dallas, Texas, Preston Trail Golf Club, Northern Texas Section
Bob Sowards, PGA (10-over 298, T-70) – Dublin, Ohio, Kinsale Golf and Fitness Club, Southern Ohio Section
Tim Fleming, PGA (11-over 299, 75th) – Oklahoma City, Okla., Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club, South Central Section
Chad Proehl, PGA (13-over 301, 77th) – Urbandale, Iowa, Sugar Creek Golf Course, Iowa Section
Mike Genovese, PGA (16-over 304, 80th) – Loxley, Ala., Steelwood Country Club, Alabama-NW Florida Section
Tracy Phillips, PGA (17-over 305, 81st) – Tulsa, Okla., Cedar Ridge Country Club, South Central Section
***Co-PGA Low Club Professional
Steve Stricker, Current U.S. Ryder Cup Vice Captain and Captain of the victorious U.S. Team at the 2021 Ryder Cup won the 2023 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship to claim the historic Alfred S. Bourne trophy, finishing 18-under 270 for the week, and beating 54-hole leader Padraig Harrington in a one-hole playoff.
About PGA of America
The PGA of America is one of the world’s largest sports organizations, composed of nearly 28,000 PGA Professionals who work daily to grow interest and inclusion in the game of golf. For more information about the PGA of America, visitPGA.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
About PGA of America
The PGA of America is one of the world’s largest sports organizations, composed of nearly 28,000 PGA Professionals who work daily to grow interest and inclusion in the game of golf. For more information about the PGA of America, visit PGA.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Media Contacts: Jesse Dodson PGA of America jdodson@pgahq.com
Michael Abramowitz PGA of America mabramowitz@pgahq.com
