In the News

Southwest PGA’s Marty Jertson & Craig Hocknull Set for 101st PGA Championship

For the second consecutive year, Southwest PGA Professionals Marty Jertson and Craig Hocknull will be competing in the PGA Championship, one of golf’s four major championships. The 101st PGA Championship is taking place May 16-19 at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y. Both qualified for the PGA at the 52nd PGA Professional Championship held two weeks ago at Belfair in Bluffton, S.C.

Jertson, 38, PGA Professional and Vice President of Fitting & Performance at PING Golf, will be making his fourth PGA Championship start (2011, 2012, 2018). He finished T8 (70-75-73-69—287 E) in the PPC.

“There is no substitute for playing against what it, quite literally, the strongest field of any tournament in golf this year,” said Jertson.  “I have a very high excitement level, I love the challenge of the course, the championship setup and the overall gravity of the tournament.”

In addition to being an outstanding player in the Southwest PGA, Jertson is also a designer and engineer. He is credited with the design of many clubs at PING with more than 125 patents having his name on them. Jertson created the new PING G410 driver, which he used in the PPC.

In the first round on Thur., May 16, Jertson will begin at 8:46 a.m. (EDT) off the 10th tee, two groups behind defending champion Brooks Koepka, Francesco Molinari and Tiger Woods. For the second round on Fri., May 17, Jertson will start at 2:11 p.m. (EDT) off the 1st tee.

“Playing in PGA Tour events, let alone a major, is a dream of almost every PGA Professional,” said Hocknull. “It is a tremendous honor and life time dream to be competing in the PGA Championship with the best players in the world for the second consecutive year.”

Hocknull, 44, PGA Director of Instruction at Saber Golf, finished T17 (72-73-71-73—289 +2) at the PPC and will be competing in his second PGA Championship. He has won every Southwest PGA major over his career: Southwest PGA Championship (2016), Southwest PGA Professional Championship (2011, 2017), Arizona Open Championship (2013) and Southwest PGA Match Play Championship (2013, 2018). He was previously honored as the 2013 Southwest PGA Player of the Year and the 2014 Southwest PGA Teacher of the Year.

Hocknull begins his PGA Championship in Thursday's opening round at 2:22 p.m. (EDT) off the 10th tee and Friday at 8:57 a.m. (EDT) off the 1st tee in the second round.