First Community STPGA Team Announced for 2025 PGA Professional Championship!

Southern Texas PGA • April 1, 2025

SPRING, TEXAS (April 1, 2025) – The Southern Texas PGA (STPGA) is proud to announce the nine PGA of America Members who have earned their place on the inaugural First Community STPGA Team. Based on their outstanding performances in the 2024 STPGA Section Championship, these elite professionals will represent the Section at the 2025 PGA Professional Championship at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida, from April 27-30, 2025.


We will showcase this team throughout April, with the support of First Community Credit Union.

MEET THE FIRST COMMUNITY STPGA TEAM

Jesse Droemer, PGA
Teaching Professional, Riverbend Country Club


Jesse Droemer, originally from Sealy, Texas, began playing golf at the age of 12 and went on to play for the University of Houston from 2010 to 2014, becoming a PGA Member in 2016. His playing accomplishments include Houston Golf Association Player of the Year, Texas Junior Golf Tour Player of the Year, AJGA Champion, and victories at the 2023 TPX Player’s Cup, the 2023 Veritex Bank Spring Classic, and the 2022 Memorial Championship. Jesse has competed in numerous prestigious events, including the 2025 VidantaWorld Mexico Open, 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open, and 2018 Valero Texas Open, as well as five PGA Professional Championships. Jesse achieved four top-five finishes in 2024, including second-place honors at the Veritex Bank Spring Classic and Southern Texas PGA Section Championship.

Darrell Fuston, PGA

General Manager, Westwood Golf Club


Darrell Fuston, a Dallas native and former collegiate golfer at North Texas State University, has dedicated over three decades to the golf industry as a 33-year member of the PGA of America. His career spans prominent roles, including positions with Four Seasons Hotels, Troon Golf, and leadership at elite clubs such as The Woodlands Country Club and Kingwood Country Club. He has directed operations for nine PGA Tour events, including the Byron Nelson Classic and Insperity Invitational, and continues to compete as an accomplished player, having qualified for numerous PGA and Senior PGA Professional Championships. Darrell has qualified to represent Team STPGA in 11 Texas Joe Black Cup Matches. Currently serving as the STPGA Vice President and has been a proud member of the Board of Directors since 2013.

Bobby Gates, PGA

Director of Instruction, Summit Golf School


A Gainesville, Florida, native, Gates developed into a highly competitive golfer during his youth. He played collegiate golf at Texas A&M University, where he graduated in 2008 with a degree in agriculture. Turning professional the same year, Gates played on the Gateway Tour, Canadian Tour, and Nationwide Tour, where he won the 2010 Michael Hill New Zealand Open. He later earned PGA Tour status through Q School and the Web.com Tour Finals, competing at the highest level for multiple seasons. His experience includes multiple PGA Tour events. Gates earned his spot on the First Community STPGA Team by finishing T6 at the Southern Texas PGA Section Championship and looks forward to showcasing his skills at the 2025 PGA Professional Championship.

Greg Hiller, PGA

Director of Instruction, TPC San Antonio


Greg Hiller, originally from North Dakota, began playing golf on sand greens at the age of 11 and has been a PGA Member since 2014. His career includes six years as a Head Professional and nine years as a Director of Instruction at facilities ranging from public to private, currently serving as the Director of Instruction at TPC San Antonio. An accomplished player, Greg has competed in two majors (the U.S. Open and Senior PGA Championship) and seven PGA Professional Championships. Highlights from 2024 include second-place honors at the STPGA Senior PGA Professional Championship, a sixth-place finish at the GolfStatus Tradition Championship, and top-ten finishes at the Southern Texas PGA Section Championship and TPx Player’s Cup.

Jared Jones, PGA

Director of Instruction, River Oaks Country Club


Jared Jones, originally from Kenova, West Virginia, was a scholarship player at The Ohio State University, where he earned a degree in Personal Finance in 2008. Pursuing a career in golf, Jared gained experience at prestigious private clubs like Scioto Country Club, The Golf Club, Belle Meade Country Club, and PGA West under renowned instructor Jim McLean. In recent years, Jared has excelled in tournaments, qualifying for two PGA Championships (2022 – Southern Hills Country Club, 2024 – Valhalla Golf Club), finishing in a tie for second in the PGA Professional Championship in 2022 and 2024, and representing the victorious PGA Cup teams in 2022 and 2024. Additionally, he secured wins at the Southern Texas PGA Section Championship in 2019 and 2024 and achieved top placements at the Veritex Bank Spring Classic and Boxto Memorial Championship in 2024.

Steve Jurgensen, PGA

Teaching Professional, Westwood Golf Club


Steve Jurgensen, a proud Member of the Southern Texas PGA, played competitively through the age of 40, travelling the world playing golf, including four years on the PGA Tour. Now dedicated to teaching, Steve finds immense joy in helping students achieve their goals while continuing to compete himself. In 2024, he earned five top-five finishes, highlighted by victories at the Texas Senior Open Qualifying Series at Landa Park and the STPGA Senior PGA Professional Championship. He also secured a second-place finish at the Golf Status Tradition Championship, a T3 at the Boxto Memorial Championship, and fifth at the Southern Texas PGA Section Championship.

Robert Scott, PGA

Teaching Professional, Royal Oaks Country Club


Robert Scott, a native of Sugar Land, Texas, now residing in Richmond, Texas, began playing golf at the age of 14 to continue his passion for sports prior to a growth spurt. Currently serving as the Assistant Director of Instruction at Royal Oaks Country Club in Houston, Robert loves coaching players of all skill levels to help them achieve their goals and solve challenges in various aspects of the game. As a player, he has achieved personal highlights such as shooting 63 three times and will compete in his third PGA Professional Championship in four years. In 2024, Robert secured a T6 placement at the Southern Texas PGA Section Championship and a T15 finish at the Boxto Memorial Championship.

Ben Willman, PGA

Teaching Professional, Axis Golf Academy


Ben Willman, Co-Owner of Axis Golf Academy, was born and raised in England, where he began playing golf at the age of 13 and turned professional at 21. A Member of the British PGA since 2004, Ben achieved his dream of playing professionally by earning his European Tour Card in 2006, competing on prestigious tours like the PGA Tour and European Tour before transitioning to coaching in 2009 as a Member of the PGA of America. Ben has been recognized as one of Golf Digest’s Best Teachers in Every State in 2022-23 and 2024-25. Despite focusing on instruction, Ben remains a competitive player, securing titles such as Southern Texas PGA Player of the Year in 2014, 2016, and 2019. While qualifying for events like the Shell Houston Open, Valero Texas Open, and Mexico Open. In 2024, he achieved five top-ten finishes, including T3 placements at the Southern Texas PGA Section Championship and TPx Player’s Cup. Ben has also competed in two PGA Professional Championships.

JJ Wood, PGA

Director of Instruction, Golf Performance Group


JJ Wood, originally from San Diego, California, excelled as a junior golfer with a top 25 national ranking, earning golf scholarships to Pepperdine University and the University of Oklahoma, where he was ranked in the Top 75 World Amateur Golf Ranking and obtained his master's degree in sports psychology for peak performance. His professional career includes playing on the PGA Tour, participating in one major championship, and founding Golf Performance Group as its Director of Instruction. Renowned for his coaching philosophy shaped by insights from elite instructors like Chris Como and Neale Smith, JJ has guided over 100 players to college scholarships and professional careers. A two-time Southern Texas PGA Player of the Year, he achieved standout tournament placements, such as T3 at the TPx Player’s Cup, T3 at the STPGA Section Championship, and T9 at the Veritex Bank Spring Classic, and will compete in his sixth PGA Professional Championship in 2025.

The First Community STPGA Team represents the highest level of professional golf within the Southern Texas PGA Section. As these accomplished professionals head to Florida in April, they will showcase the skill, dedication, and sportsmanship that define the STPGA.

About First Community
First Community was founded in 1954 with Spring Branch ISD as their founders. Their corporate office is in Houston, TX. First Community has over 455 employees serving over 170,000 members with 18 locations in Texas and over $2.5 billion in assets. First Community is a full-service, federally insured financial institution serving Texas counties from Houston to the DFW area. To find a First Community location near you, please visit FCCU.org.

First Community membership is open to anyone that lives, works, attends school or worships in one of the Texas counties we serve, FCCU.org/counties, any person employed by a Select Employee Group, FCCU.org/seg-list, or any relative or family member of an FCCU member or employee.

About the Southern Texas PGA

The Southern Texas PGA is a member-based organization with a mission to serve its 900 PGA of America Members and Associates, grow the game through STPGA programs, and elevate the Association. We are part of the PGA of America and one of 41 Sections across the country.


Our PGA of America Members and Associates are world-class professionals that are experts in the game and business of golf and are located at over 250 facilities throughout Southern Texas. The STPGA Headquarters is in Spring, TX, and employs 14 full-time employees and over 100 part-time employees.


We look forward to watching the First Community STPGA Team compete at the 2025 PGA Professional Championship and wish them the best of luck!

Meet the Member: Lonny Alexander, PGA

By Southern Texas PGA • October 29, 2025
Lonny Alexander, PGA – Faith, Family, and Fairways

STPGA Staff Announcements

By Southern Texas PGA • October 15, 2025
Special message from your Executive Director around exciting times ahead as your dedicated staff continues to develop! SPRING, TX (October 15, 2025) – As the Southern Texas PGA looks to finish out 2025 in style and kickstart 2026 on the right foot, I have some important announcements to share regarding your hard-working STPGA Staff. As announced in September, Tuesday, November 4 th will be Scott Archer’s last day at the Southern Texas PGA. He has accepted a job with the PGA of America in Frisco, TX, and we wish him nothing but the best. Since Scott’s announcement, I have spent a lot of time on our team, planning moving forward, and overall organizational structure to ensure we uphold all aspects of our business. When making decisions on staffing moving forward, three items were at the center of my decisions. Growth opportunities for current staff members Ensuring institutional knowledge within the team stays connected Overall efficiency within our operation

Meet the Member: Scott Olsen, PGA

By Southern Texas PGA • October 15, 2025
Scott Olsen, PGA – Hospitality Beyond the Game

And the Winners Are... Southern Texas PGA Unveils 2025 Section and Chapter Award Honorees

By Sarah Lummus • October 14, 2025
SPRING, TX (October 14, 2025) – The Southern Texas PGA is proud to announce that Jim Nittoli, PGA Director of Golf at San Antonio Country Club, has been named the 2025 STPGA Golf Professional of the Year. This prestigious honor recognizes Nittoli’s exceptional leadership, dedication to growing the game, and his impactful contributions to both his facility and the broader golf community. He leads a distinguished group of award winners honored at both the Section and Chapter levels, each exemplifying the values, professionalism, and service that define the Southern Texas PGA. Elected to PGA Membership in 1993, Nittoli has dedicated more than three decades to elevating the private club experience and shaping the next generation of golf professionals. For the past 16 years at San Antonio Country Club, he has led the club as they have seen record growth in rounds played, tournament participation, and golf association membership, while also building a golf culture that members and staff alike are proud to call their own.

Uresti Wins Back to Back Energy Transfer Texas Senior Open

By Southern Texas PGA • October 10, 2025
MONT BELVIEU, TX (October 10) – What a week, what a playoff, and what a Champion! Congratulations to PGA Life Member Omar Uresti for winning back-to-back Energy Transfer Texas Senior Opens presented by the City of Mont Belvieu, OPD, Vortech Contracting and Riceland. With this win, Uresti becomes the first ever back-to-back winner of this prestige Championship. Known as the largest State Senior Open in the country, this year’s event once again drew some of the nation’s best senior professionals and amateurs to Eagle Pointe Golf Club in Mont Belvieu, Texas. With competitors representing 21 different states and traveling a combined 62,000 miles to be here, this year’s field showcased depth, high quality golf, and a remarkable Champion. The 54-hole Championship was not enough to crown a Champion as the event needed to go into a three-way playoff between Uresti, Guy Boros from Plantation, FL (2022 Champion), and Wes Short from Buda, TX. The playoff hole was the par-5 18 th hole and Uresti was first to play. “My mindset was to attack,” said Uresti, who is now heading to the Senior PGA Professional Championship in Florida as his next event. “I wanted to apply as much pressure as possible to the other two players with hitting high quality shots and I am happy I was able to do that.” Uresti had 51 yards to the flag for his third shot and hit an unbelievable shot to 10 inches to make birdie to win the Energy Transfer Texas Senior Open. “It feels great to win as this is the highlight of my year. I have not played that well this year and it was great to get off to a fast start on Wednesday and then deliver in the playoff for the victory.” Uresti was leading the event from the beginning of the week when he shot a low tournament round of 7-under 64. While the leaderboard saw lots of people trying to catch Uresti, Boros and Short were the only two but fell just a little short in the playoff. Eagle Pointe Golf Club and the City of Mont Belvieu have served as home to the championship since 2014, and their continued partnership with the Southern Texas PGA has helped elevate the event to new heights. This year also marked the continued growth of a strong alliance between Energy Transfer, the City of Mont Belvieu, Eagle Pointe, and the Southern Texas PGA, which recently extended its collaboration for another three years, ensuring the Energy Transfer Texas Senior Open will remain in Mont Belvieu through 2028. Earlier in the week, the Energy Transfer Texas Senior Open Pro-Am officially kicked off the festivities, featuring 23 teams in support of PGA REACH Southern Texas and the Energy Transfer Scholarship Fund. The Pro-Am exemplifies the community spirit that drives the event, uniting players, partners, and supporters to make a lasting impact through the game of golf. The Southern Texas PGA extends its sincere gratitude to Energy Transfer, the City of Mont Belvieu, Riceland, Vortech Contracting, OPD, and Scott Olsen, PGA Head Professional, alongside his entire team at Eagle Pointe Golf Club for their continued hospitality year after year. This year’s event featured a purse of $100,000 with $20,000 going to the winner. This purse along with the Pro-Am and its partners showcases why this is the largest State Senior Open in the country. The 30th Energy Transfer Texas Senior Open will take place October 7-9, 2026 with the Pro-Am taking place October 6. Thank you again to Energy Transfer and congratulations to Omar Uresti. We will see everyone again next year. Click here for the final results.

Energy Transfer Texas Senior Open Week Begins and the Legacy Grows!

By Southern Texas PGA • October 7, 2025
MONT BELVIEU, TX (October 7, 2025) – The stage is set and players are ready to go. It is officially the week of the Energy Transfer Texas Senior Open! For the 29th time, over 120 Senior Professionals and Amateurs are set to play in the largest State Senior Open in the country. Hosted at Eagle Pointe Golf Club in Mont Belvieu, TX, since 2014, players will be faced with a golf course in fast and firm conditions. The event commenced today with the famous Energy Transfer Texas Senior Open Pro-Am. This featured 23 incredible teams that support the event and the philanthropic initiatives of the PGA of America REACH Foundation Southern Texas. We would like to congratulate the winning team of Barbers Hill Education Foundation, featuring Fred Skinner, George Barrera, Clay Fullick, and Clint Pipes, led by Anthony Rodriguez.  Prior to the Pro-Am starting, the STPGA, in partnership with Energy Transfer and the City of Mont Belvieu, announced a partnership extension for the next three years, keeping the Energy Transfer Texas Senior Open at Eagle Pointe each October. “We could not be more excited to continue our relationship to host this event, but also give back to the local community,” said Thomas Hutton, Executive Director for the STPGA. “This partnership with Energy Transfer started in 2015 and continues to grow each year, and we are extremely grateful for their support.”

MARK YOUR CALENDARS – 2026 SCHEDULE UNVEILING

By Southern Texas PGA • October 1, 2025
2026 looks to continue record participation from 2025, but also find new ways to engage with PGA Members throughout the year! SPRING, TX (October 1, 2025) – As we enter the final quarter of an amazing 2025 year, the Southern Texas PGA is excited to announce our schedule and important dates for the upcoming year. When building this schedule, the Southern Texas PGA continued to keep our Members as our top priority, considered the overall flow with many moving parts, and tried a few new ideas. While not all host facilities are finalized, we felt it was important to share as much as possible at this point in the year. Opening Stretch – Hello 2026! January and February are filled with an exciting start to the year with new Chapter offerings, high-quality education, one-day events, our very popular Golden Nugget Pro-Pro-Am-Am events, and our new STPGA Merchandise Suite Show.

Presidential Points: STPGA Q3 Update

By Dr. Rich Ballinger, PGA • September 23, 2025
STPGA Q3 UPDATE Mentoring, Chapter Growth, and More Dear STPGA Members and Associates, I wanted to provide an update following our September board meeting at The Big Easy Ranch. As your President, my goal is to keep you informed about our progress and the key initiatives we're working on. Associate Mentoring Program One of my top priorities has been to launch an Associate Mentoring Program to align with national PGA initiatives. I'm excited to announce our first Pro-Associate Event on October 6 at The Big Easy Ranch. This event is open to all Level 1 Associates and is a great opportunity for them to learn about industry best practices, the benefits of PGA membership, and the resources available to them. After the educational session, Associates will be paired with a select PGA member for a round of golf to help them build their network and form valuable relationships. Associates can learn more and register for this event below.

HOMETOWN GLORY AT THE 2025 STPGA SECTION CHAMPIONSHIP

By Southern Texas PGA • September 16, 2025
COLUMBUS, TX (September 16) – Over the last two days, the Southern Texas PGA proudly hosted its premier event, the 58th STPGA Section Championship, at The Covey at Big Easy Ranch in Columbus, Texas. 112 PGA of America Members from across the Section competed in a two-day championship not only to crown the 2025 STPGA Section Champion but also served as the pathway to the national PGA Professional Championship, Player of the Year Honors, and the last opportunity to climb our points list and earn a spot on #TeamSTPGA for the Joe Black Cup Matches and Levy Cup Matches. Congratulations to Casey Russell, PGA Director of Golf at Big Easy Ranch, for winning this year’s Section Championship at Big Easy Ranch. The home-field advantage would serve Casey well as he would finish with a tournament total of 70-71–141 (-3) After round one, the leaderboard was extremely tight with a three-way tie for first at 2-under (70) between Alan Hodde, PGA Director of Instruction at Axis Golf Academy & Fitting Center, Greg Hiller, PGA Director of Instruction at TPC San Antonio, and Casey Russell, PGA, and another 16 people within three strokes of the lead. With the added pressure of a tie, Casey would be put at ease with his course knowledge and the perfect pairing to go to battle with.

Meet the Member: Ricky Lyons, PGA

By Southern Texas PGA • September 11, 2025
Ricky Lyons, PGA – Building Community, On and Off the Course
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