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THE 64TH SOUTHWEST PGA CHAMPIONSHIP/PPC ON DECK AT WE-KO-PA

FORT MCDOWELL, Ariz. – September 11, 2021 – The 64th edition of the Southwest PGA Championship/PPC is slated for Sept. 13-15 on the Cholla course at We-Ko-Pa Golf Club in Fort McDowell. In addition to the prestige of winning the title, the champion earns an exemption into the 2022 Waste Management Phoenix Open Championship and the event also serves as a qualifier for the National PGA Professional Championship (PPC).

Defending champion Jesse Mueller returns having earned his second Southwest PGA Championship title last year after scoring a one-stroke victory over Chris Dompier at SouthShore Country Club in Henderson, Nev. With a repeat victory this year, Mueller would become the ninth Professional to win back-to-back titles, a feat last accomplished by Dean Vomacka in 2008 and 2009.

Mueller, PGA Director of Golf at Grand Canyon University Golf Course, won last year’s Southwest PGA Championship/PPC with a 54-hole total of 203 (-10), that included a final round 5-under-par 66. He leads the 2021 Southwest PGA Player of the Year points race with only two events remaining.

Dompier, PGA Head Golf Professional at Skyline Country Club in Tucson, looks for his first Southwest PGA Championship title after his runner-up finish in 2020. He is coming off a busy week, first finishing as the runner-up in the Southern Chapter PGA Match Play Championship. Immediately following the championship match on Wednesday, Dompier raced off to the airport to compete the following day in the Montana Open only to promptly head back to the airport to return to Arizona for the Southwest PGA Championship.

“It’s a lot of competitive golf in a pretty short period,” said Dompier. “Four rounds in two days at the Chapter Match Play, then three rounds in the Montana Open and hopefully, three rounds in the Section Championship. All tournaments are big but the Section Championship is the huge one and I’m looking forward to it.”

We-Ko-Pa hosts the Southwest PGA Championship for the first time in event history. Both of the courses at We-Ko-Pa – Sagurao and Cholla – are fixtures on national publication's Top 10 lists for best courses in Arizona. Golfweek’s most recent Best in State rankings has Sagurao as No. 1 in Arizona. The best public course title it has held for 14 of the last 15 years. Cholla came in at No. 7, making We-Ko-Pa the highest ranked 36-hole facility in the state. We-Ko-Pa previously hosted the Southwest PGA Assistant Championship, among other top events in Arizona.

The starting field is comprised of 70 participants including eight past champions: Dennis Downs (2015), Glen Griffith (2012), Craig Hocknull (2016), Michael Hopper (2018, 2014), Marty Jertson (2019), Mueller (2017, 2020), Jon Stanley (2011) and Jeff Yurkiewicz (2002).

The first and second rounds will be held Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 13-14, respectively, at 7:30 a.m. off Nos. 1 and 10. Following 36 holes of play, the field will be cut to the low 30 scorers plus ties for the final round on Wednesday, Sept. 15.

The winner of the 64th Southwest PGA Championship will receive an exemption into the Waste Management Phoenix Open, scheduled to take place February 10-13, 2022 at TPC Scottsdale (Ariz.). In addition, the top five (5) finishers, plus the Southwest PGA Player of the Year, advance to the 55th PGA Professional National Championship scheduled to take place at Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa on April 17-20, 2022 in Austin, Texas.

About The Southwest Section PGA:
The Southwest Section of the PGA of America is a professional organization serving the men and women golf professionals in Arizona and Southern Nevada who are the recognized experts in growing, teaching and managing the game of golf. The Southwest PGA is responsible for the administration of competitive golf tournaments, junior golf programs and events, educational opportunities, support programs and growth of the game initiatives. With 1219 members and associate Professionals, the Southwest PGA is the fifth largest of the 41 regional entities or Sections that comprise the PGA of America. For more information about the Southwest PGA, please visit our website and join us on social media at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.