WIRE-TO-WIRE FOR KEENER & JURGENSEN

Southern Texas PGA • August 27, 2025

AUSTIN, TEXAS (August 26) — The 2025 TPx Player’s Cup concluded today at Austin Country Club, where the Section’s top professionals battled across two competitive divisions — Senior and Open — for one of the Southern Texas PGA’s most prestigious titles.


In the Senior Division, Steve Jurgensen, PGA Teaching Professional at Westwood Golf Club, delivered a wire-to-wire victory, finishing at 3-under-par for the championship after rounds of 69-72. Jurgensen sealed the win in dramatic fashion, rolling in a birdie on the par-5 18th to close out his championship run.


Reflecting on the victory, Jurgensen said,

“It always feels incredible to get a win because we have such a strong Section of players and competitors. It feels amazing to be a part of something that you are constantly learning and adapting throughout the entire year, because we are able to play in great events frequently here at the STPGA. So I am thankful for the opportunities and ability to compete with everyone here.”

In the Open Division, Jimmy Keener, PGA Associate at Briggs Ranch Golf Club, claimed the title after rounds of 66-70, finishing at 8-under-par for the championship. After opening with a flawless, bogey-free 6-under 66 in Round One, Keener faced a tense second round as Austin Wylie, Assistant Professional at Mac Wylie Golf Center, came charging up the leaderboard with an impressive 6-under-par 66 of his own, setting up a back-and-forth battle for the top spot throughout the day.


Reflecting on his win, Keener said,

“I took a peek at the leaderboard and saw Austin Wylie climbing up — there is something about him and the second day when he goes crazy. Death, taxes, and Austin shooting 66. I guess when I checked, it kind of fired me up and thankfully things started going right for me on 13. I went on to birdie 14 and 15, so I checked again in 18 fairway to see if I needed to be aggressive or not — but the only thing going through my head was, ‘DO NOT GO LEFT.’”


With the TPx Player’s Cup now complete, the race toward the Joe Black Cup and Levy Cup teams continues to intensify, as valuable points were on the line throughout the championship.

The Southern Texas PGA extends its sincere appreciation to TPx Communications, the proud Title Sponsor of the TPx Player’s Cup. The Section also thanks our Presenting Sponsors — Vortex, GT Golf Supplies, Prize Possessions, Surf & Turf Golf, Club Car, Bobby Jones & Sunice, and Blue Moon — for their outstanding support in making this event possible.


A special thank you goes to Austin Country Club and C.W. Canfield, PGA, for their incredible support and hospitality in hosting this year’s championship and helping make the event a success.


To view the photo gallery, click here.
To view the final results, 
click here.

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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
By Southern Texas PGA September 11, 2025
Ricky Lyons, PGA – Building Community, On and Off the Course
By Southern Texas PGA September 9, 2025
A proud PGA Member that impacted so many people!
By Southern Texas PGA September 5, 2025
Lisa Fleming Edgmon, PGA – Built on Mentorship, Driven by Heart
By Southern Texas PGA August 18, 2025
HOUSTON, TEXAS (August 18, 2025) – Mother Nature had different plans at Champions Golf Club, where drawn-out lightning delays ultimately forced the cancellation of Round Two and shortened the 2025 Southern Texas Assistant PGA Professional Championship to 18 holes. Taking advantage of his strong opening round, Jake Sitterle, Assistant Professional at Lakecliff Country Club, earned the victory with a score of 70 (-1) on the par-71 layout, securing his place at this year’s champion. “This wasn’t the way anyone wanted this championship to end. Gilbert was playing great in the second round, but I am happy I could get the win,” Sitterle reflected. “With how the last major ended, I was always confident in my game and that I could be up at the top, but this field is strong, and I just wish all the guys who qualified the best of luck.” The tournament, hosted at Champions Golf Club, featured over 50 Assistant Professionals from across the Section, competing for qualifying spots into the Assistant PGA Professional Championship, set to be played at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida, November 13-16, 2025.
By Southern Texas PGA August 6, 2025
Alden Wallace, PGA – Rookie Member with a Veteran Mentality
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