PGA of America Golf Professionals’ Steve Delmar (Gaithersburg, Md.) OPEN Division;
Ashley Grier (Hagerstown, Md.) WOMEN’S Division; Brendan McGrath (Centreville, Va.) SENIOR Division;
and Larkin Gross (Center Cross, Va.) ASSISTANT PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION Division Capture 2023 POY Honors
Stafford, Va. – The Middle Atlantic Section of the PGA of America (MAPGA) has announced their 2023 Players of the Year (POY) Award Winners, including PGA of America Golf Professionals’ Steve Delmar (Gaithersburg, Md.; pictured above) OPEN Division; Ashley Grier (Hagerstown, Md.) WOMEN’S Division; Brendan McGrath (Centreville, Va.) SENIOR Division; and Larkin Gross (Center Cross, Va.) ASSISTANT PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION Division.
“Each year the MAPGA recognizes its most outstanding players, competing across four divisions that make up the region’s premier professional golfers,” said Jon Guhl, Executive Director, Middle Atlantic PGA. “This year’s Players of the Year represent the best of our Association, as they not only compete at the highest level, but excel as elite players while maintaining their day jobs as PGA of America Golf Professionals managing the business of golf at their respective facilities.”
OPEN DIVISION
Steve Delmar, a resident of Gaithersburg, Md., and the Head PGA Professional at Columbia Country Club, in Bethesda, Md., is the MAPGA 2023 Open Division Player of the Year. Across 8 POY qualifying events in 2023, Delmar earned six Top 10 finishes, while capturing the Jani-King Match Play Championship and maintaining a 70.3 scoring average. A longtime and decorated MAPGA member, Delmar was named Head Golf Professional at historic Columbia Country Club in 2022, replacing longtime Head Golf Professional Bob Dolan, and making him only the fourth individual to hold the position in the 125-year history of the club. A graduate of Coastal Carolina University, where he was a member of the Men’s Golf Team, and the former Assistant Men’s Golf Coach at the University of Maryland, Delmar assumed the Head Golf Professional position at Columbia Country Club after serving as the Club’s Assistant Golf Professional for the past six years. In addition to his teaching and business acumen, Delmar is an accomplished player, having won four MAPGA Major titles, including the Section Championship in 2019, Assistant Championship in 2019 and 2020, and the Players Cup in 2021. He was also named the MAPGA Player of the Year in 2019.
WOMEN’S DIVISION
Ashley Grier, a resident of Hagerstown, Md., and the Assistant PGA Professional at Yinglings Golf Center, in Hagerstown, is the 2023 MAPGA Women’s Player of the Year. Grier earned Top 10 finishes across all 8 POY qualifying events, while capturing the Northern Chapter Championship and the Women’s Championship and earning a T-1 in the Stroke Play Championship #1 and #2 events. She also maintained a 72.4 scoring average. The daughter of a PGA of America Professional, Grier’s Father David has played a meaningful role in his life for over 40 years. A Graduate of the University of Central Florida where she played on the Women’s Golf Team, Grier began her professional career competing on the Future’s Tour (now the Symetra Tour) for over five years. In 2014, Grier earned her PGA Membership, and began her career on the teaching side of the business, while continuing to compete at a very high level. In fact, she has enjoyed a successful playing career, competing in five major championships (four KPMG Women’s PGA Championships and one U.S. Women’s Open), while earning many awards, including 2021 Philadelphia PGA Assistant Player of the Year and 2020 Rolex Women’s PGA Professional Player of the Year honors. She’s also played for her country on two victorious U.S. Women’s PGA Cup teams.
SENIOR DIVISION
Brendan McGrath, a resident of Centreville, Va., and the Assistant PGA Professional at Trump National Golf Club, in Sterling, Va., is the MAPGA 2023 Senior Division Player of the Year. McGrath earned Top 10 finishes across all 9 POY qualifying events, while capturing the Central Chapter Championship, the Senior Open of Virginia and the Maryland Senior Open Championship, while maintaining a 72.2 scoring average. McGrath, who didn’t play college golf or start teaching in earnest until after he turned 40, has enjoyed a stellar career as a senior player capturing numerous championships, including the Senior Open of Virgina in both 2023 and 2021, as well as the 2023 Maryland Senior Open. In 2017, McGrath was one of 34 players to qualify for the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, which took place at his home club, Trump National Golf Club, and where he competed alongside the game’s greatest players, such as Bernard Langer, Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, and many others.
ASSISTANT PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION DIVISION
Larkin Gross, a resident of Center Cross, Va., and the Assistant PGA Professional at Springfield Golf and Country Club, in Springfield, Va., is the 2023 MAPGA Assistant Professional Association Division Player of the Year. Gross earned Top 3 finishes across all 7 POY qualifying events, while capturing championships at the Stroke Play @ Spring Creek and Stroke Play @ Federal Club, and a T-1 at the Better Ball @ Chevy Chase, while maintaining a 70.8 scoring average. Gross played four years on the Methodist University Golf Team which won the DIII National Championship in 2018. He also finished 4th in a field of 312 PGA Professionals at the 2021 Club Professional National Championship which qualified him for the 2021 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island Ocean Course. In addition to winning the 2021 MAPGA Player of the Year, he was recognized as the 2021 PGA of America Player of the Year.
In determining the POY division winners, the MAPGA tracks three Rolex POY races, and continually updates them throughout the season. Players may earn Rolex POY points by competing in specific tournaments that are considered Rolex POY events. These events include the Match Play Championship, Chapter Championships, Stroke Play Championship #1, Stroke Play Championship #2, Pro-Scratch, Section Championship, Silvercrest Cup, Players Cup, Senior Championship (Senior POY only), and Women’s Championship (Women’s POY only).
For more information on the Middle Atlantic PGA, visit www.mapga.com.
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About Middle Atlantic PGA
The Middle Atlantic PGA Section (MAPGA), located in Stafford, Virginia, is one of 41 Sections of The Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA), headquartered in Frisco, Texas. The MAPGA has been a part of The PGA since 1925 and consists of over 1,100 members and apprentices in Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia and small portions of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. There are over 900,000 golfers playing more than 16.5 million rounds of golf a season in the Middle Atlantic region. As player development remains a driving force in the golf industry, the MAPGA provides a wide variety of programs and assistance to support its members who teach the game, promote goodwill and share the game’s values to their golfing customers and their communities in general. Locally, MAPGA Professionals assist in raising over $6 million annually for charities.
