2025 Southwest PGA Players of the Year

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.. – 11-25-25 – The Southwest PGA has announced its 2025 Player of the Year award winners, with Marty Jertson as Player of the Year, D.K. Kim as Assistant Player of the Year, and Jim Carter as Senior Player of the Year – marking a record-setting seventh time he has won the award.

The Player of the Year honors are determined based on points accumulated from designated events held between January 1 and December 31. Standings for all three categories are tracked and updated throughout the year.

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Jertson, PGA Vice President of Fitting & Performance at PING, claimed the lead in the 2025 Player of the Year race after a strong start to the season, highlighted by a third-place finish in the Spring Masters Championship—the Section’s first major. He followed that performance with a victory in the first PING Player Series event at Talking Stick Golf Club. Jertson continued his consistent play with a runner-up finish to five-time Player of the Year Jesse Mueller in the 50th Match Play Championship, the second major of the season, and capped off the year with a tie for second at the 68th Southwest PGA Championship/PPC at Moon Valley Country Club.

The 2025 title marks Jertson’s third career Player of the Year honor in the Southwest PGA. Mueller, PGA General Manager at Grand Canyon University Golf Club in Phoenix, finished second with 902.79 points – 91.04 points behind Jertson’s winning total of 993.83. Michael Hopper, PGA Head Golf Professional at Lookout Mountain Golf Club in Phoenix, finished third with 890.66 points.

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Kim, PGA Assistant Golf Professional at Desert Mountain in Scottsdale, competed in every designated assistant points event in 2025, including all four major championships. His season featured steady performances, with a T15 finish in the Spring Masters Championship, a semifinal appearance in the 50th Match Play Championship, T27 at the 82nd Arizona Open Championship, and T16 in the 68th Southwest PGA Championship/PPC.

Kim also delivered consistent results in the four PING Player Series events, placing 6th, T6, T13, and T7, respectively. The highlight of his season came with a victory in the Southwest PGA Assistant Championship at Camelback Golf Club in Scottsdale, earning him a spot in the 2025 Assistant PGA Professional Championship at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida. This marks Kim’s first career Assistant Player of the Year honor in the Southwest PGA.

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Carter, PGA Life Member, kicked off the 2025 season with a runner-up finish at the Arizona Senior Open Championship held at Verde River Golf & Social Club. He went on to compete in two national senior major championships – the Senior PGA Championship at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland, and the U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In the four PING Senior Series events, Carter had an impressive run with finishes of T3, 1st, 1st, and a tie for 1st. He wrapped up the season with a T9 finish at the Southwest PGA Senior Championship/PPC at Camelback Golf Club and an 8th place showing at the Southwest PGA Championship/PPC at Moon Valley Country Club. With this year’s honor, Carter has now earned his seventh Senior Player of the Year title, surpassing Joe Huber for the most in Section history.