PGA Professional Championship Tyler Collet 10-shot victory

PORT ST. LUCIE — It’s never been about Tyler Collet’s talent. It’s about opportunity.

Collet showed off his talent the past four days, running away for a record-setting, 10-shot victory Wednesday in the 57^th PGA Professional Championship at PGA Golf Club. That will provide him with a precious commodity – opportunities to play in the PGA Championship and six other events on the PGA Tour.

Collet, 29 and the PGA assistant professional at John’s Island Club in Vero Beach, broke the record for the largest winning margin previously held by Matt Dobyns in 2012 (eight). Collet shot a 15-under 272 on the Wanamaker and Ryder courses after a final-round 70 on the Wanamaker, punctuated by a 25-foot bogey putt on the final hole.

“My mindset all week was to play to win,” Collet said. “We had a game plan, and we stuck to it religiously. We didn’t back down. We played the smart, safe shots. Tiger (Woods) won 82 championships by playing to the middle of the greens, and that’s what we did this week.”

Collet led 20 PGA professionals to make the Corebridge Financial Team by qualifying for the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, on May 15-18. He was tied for the lead after opening with a 7-under 65, pushed it to three shots after 36 holes, seven after 54 and double digits at the end. Jesse Droemer of Houston (74-282) was a distant second.

It was a virtuoso performance by Collet during a week when shifting 20- to 30-mph winds made club selection difficult, not to mention firm greens that had players searching for their ball marks.

“That was next-level stuff,” Michael Block, who finished tied for third with Brian Bergstol (72-283), said to Collet after the round.

Collet got to lift the Walter Hagen Cup after earning the first prize of $66,700 from the $750,000 purse. More importantly for someone who has been on the edge of playing on the major tours, he also earned six exemptions into selected PGA Tour events in the next 12 months.

“That’s huge,” said Collet, who had conditional status on the DP World Tour last year and will be playing in his fourth PGA. “It was in the back of my mind out there, but I tried my best not to think about it. It means a lot to get those six starts plus the major. I believe I also get into second stage of (Korn Ferry Tour’s) Q-School. It’s big to me when I have goals in life.”

Collet becomes the second player from the South Florida PGA – long considered one of the toughest in the U.S. – to win the PPC, joining Bruce Fleisher in 1989. His victory also gave the South Florida PGA a sweep of the three PGA of America’s national tournaments – Alan Morin from The Club at Ibis won the PGA Senior Professional Championship and Domenico Geminiani of Naples won the PGA Assistant Professional Championship.

Also qualifying for the PGA was 50-year-old Justin Hicks from Wellington. Hicks, the reigning South Florida PGA Player of the Year, shot 70 Wednesday to finish ninth at 2-under 285. Hicks qualified for his first PGA Championship.

Hicks has played in six U.S. Opens – he was tied for the first-round lead in 2008 – a British Open, a Players Championship and a pair of FedEx Cup playoffs. Who would have thought he’d made his first PGA at 50?

“I know, crazy,” said Hicks, the PGA teaching professional at Stonebridge Golf & Country Club in Boca Raton. “It’s really hard to get in the majors. It’s not intended for just anybody to have a seat at the table.

“There’s certainly pressure on a day like today. I had a couple of bogeys pop up, and I just wanted to keep trying to do my best. It’s not always in your control, as much as golfers want to try and control things. Here I am at 50, still learning things, but that’s what keeps it so interesting.”

Things really became interesting Wednesday for Michael Kartrude of the Bear’s Club and Dakun Chang of Seminole Golf Club. Both players finished early at even-par 287, which left them just out of the top 20 at the time. They waited several hours to find out if they would make a playoff, the wait no doubt longer for Kartrude, who three-putted his final hole from 60 feet.

They got a second chance when they moved into a tie for 20^th, leaving them in a four-for-one playoff with Andrew Svoboda and Brad Lardon. Svoboda’s bogey on the first hole eliminated him, making it a three-for-one. Chang’s bogey on the second hole dropped it to two-for-one.

“I played great, but my putting was a little shaky,” Chang said. “It would have been a great privilege to play in the PGA. It’s something I’ve been dreaming about.”

That left Kartrude, playing on his first PPC, and Lardon battling for the final PGA spot. Kartrude didn’t show any after-effects of his final-hole three-putt by making a pair of clutch par putts on the first two playoff holes. Lardon could have earned the PGA spot on the third hole, but he left his 10-foot putt an inch short.

They went to the par-5 13^th hole, where Kartrude’s length gave him a big advantage over the 60-year-old Lardon. Putting from over the green, Lardon was walking in his birdie try, until the ball somehow bounced off the pin, leaving Kartrude with a 3½-foot birdie putt to advance to Charlotte.

Lardon had his hat off, expecting to congratulate Kartrude – but Kartrude missed the putt and had to make a 3-footer to stay alive.

They went to the par-4 14^th, where Kartrude missed the fairway but hit a great recovery shot to 20 feet. Kartrude two-putted and won with a par when Lardon didn’t get up-and-down after missing the green. Kartrude did a celebration dance after winning the five-hole playoff.

“Best moment of my golfing life, for sure,” an emotional Kartrude said. “I didn’t make it easy. I just hit one of the best shots of my life out of the trees, and I’m playing in my first major.”