Ben Kern makes cut as 20 PGA Professionals play in the PGA Championship

We tracked the 20 PGA Professionals who earned a spot in the 2018 PGA Championship field at Bellerive outside St. Louis. Ben Kern made the cut and finished the Championship 3-under par.

Ryan Vermeer shot 5-under to win the 2018 PGA Professional Championship at Bayonet Golf Club in Seaside, Calif., where the top 20 players earned spots in the 100th PGA Championship. There was a nine-player playoff to determine the final five spots, as they were all tied at 3-over.

"Highlight of the week is definitely just playing in front of all these people," Kern said. "It's a blast seeing the grand stands up, people cheering when you make a putt. That's not something I get week-in and week-out."
 

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2018 PGA Championship: The 20 PGA Professionals

Danny Balin

Round 1 score: 72 (+2)
Round 2 score: 75 (+7 for Championship)

Age: 36
Hometown: Rockville, Md.
Facility/Affiliation: Westchester Country Club (Rye, N.Y.)
PGA Section: Metropolitan
PGA Championship experience: 2010-13
Notes: Won final PGA Championship berth on the seventh extra hole...Leading money winner and lowest stroke average at the 2017 PGA Tournament Series...At 2011 PGA Professional Championship, posted a course-record 63 for the lowest final round in a national championship.

Rich Berberian, Jr.

Round 1 score: 74 (+4)
Round 2 score: 74 (+8 for Championship)

Age: 30
Hometown: Hooksett, N.H.
Facility/Affiliation: Vesper Country Club (Tyngsborough, Mass.)
PGA Section: New England
PGA Championship experience: 2016-17
Notes: Winner of the 2016 and 2017 PGA Professional Player of the Year Awards...Won 2016 national championship on 69th birthday of his father, Richard Berberian Sr....Made cut at 2017 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Puerto Rico Open and Barbasol Championship.

Michael Block

Round 1 score: 75 (+5)
Round 2 score: 75 (+10 for the Championship)

Block had the first shot of the 2018 PGA Championship, as he was in the first group.

"I'll tell you what, it hasn't even sunk in yet, what just occurred," Block said. "Still in the clouds for the moment. This is something I'll cherish the rest of my life without a doubt. I can't believe it's even real for PGA members such as myself that grew up a mile from this course, came to the 1992 PGA as one of the patrons, a 15-year-old kid, just in awe of these guys. To be that guy on the other side now is pretty surreal.

"Not to mention running into a lot of my high school friends and college teammates when I'm out there. It's pretty surreal since I haven't seen anyone in over 20 years."

Age: 42
Hometown: Aliso Viejo, Calif.
Facility/Affiliation: Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club (Mission Viejo, Calif.)
PGA Section: Southern California
PGA Championship experience: 2014, 2016
Notes: Lone PGA Club Professional to compete at 2018 U.S. Open...Is first PGA Club Professional to play in the U.S Open and PGA Championship in the same year since Brian Gaffney in 2012...Attended high school not far from Bellerive Country Club.

Matt Borchert

Round 1 score: 74 (+4)
Round 2 score: 74 (+8 for Championship)

Age: 41
Hometown: Windermere, Fla.
Facility/Affiliation: Isleworth Country Club (Windermere, Fla.)
PGA Section: North Florida
PGA Championship experience: None
Notes: Competed at the 2016 U.S. Open and 1999 U.S. Amateur...Member of the 2009 PGA Tour...Competed on the Web.com Tour in 2010.

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Craig Bowden

Round 1 score: 75 (+5)
Round 2 score: 74 (+9 for Championship)

Age: 50
Hometown: Bloomington, Ind.
Facility/Affiliation: PGA Life Member
PGA Section: Indiana
PGA Championship experience: None
Notes: Won three times on the Web.com Tour: 2006 Northeast Pennsylvania Classic, 2003 Miccosukee Championship, 1998 NIKE Miami Valley Open...Made the cut in 54 of 150 PGA Tour events...Finished tied for 50th at the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black.

Matt Dobyns

Round 1 score: 76 (+6)
Round 2 score: 71 (+7 for Championship)

Age: 40
Hometown: Glen Head, N.Y.
Facility/Affiliation: Fresh Meadow Country Club (Lake Success, N.Y.)
PGA Section: Metropolitan
PGA Championship experience: 2012, 2015-17
Notes: One of five players to win multiple PGA Professional Championships (2012 and 2015)...2015 PGA Professional of the Year...Plays right-handed but putts from the left side.

Jaysen Hansen

Round 1 score: 76 (+6)
Round 2 score: 75 (+11 for Championship)

Age: 39
Hometown: Solon, Ohio
Facility/Affiliation: Beechmont Country Club (Cleveland, Ohio)
PGA Section: Northern Ohio
PGA Championship experience: 2017
Notes: Tied for sixth at the 2018 PGA Professional Championship...The 2009 and 2016 Northern Ohio PGA Player of the Year...2018 Global Golf All-Pro Team.

Craig Hocknull

Round 1 score: 72 (+2)
Round 2 score: 73 (+5 for the Championship)

Age: 43
Hometown: Gilbert, Ariz. (born in Mendi, Papua New Guinea; retains Australian citizenship)
Facility/Affiliation: Saber Sports Trainer (Gilbert, Ariz.) and Glenwild Golf Club & Spa (Park City, Utah)
PGA Section: Southwest
PGA Championship experience: None
Notes: Member of two PGA Sections (Southwest and Utah) and three PGAs (Australia, Canada and the PGA of America)...Director of Instruction at Glenwild Golf Club & Spa in Utah during the summer and PGA Director of Instruction at Saber Sports Trainer in Arizona during the winter...Designed a new putter, the Saber Cat.

Marty Jertson

Round 1 score: 76 (+6)
Round 2 score: 74 (+10 for Championship)

Age: 37
Hometown: Phoenix, Ariz.
Facility/Affiliation: PING Golf, Inc. (Phoenix, Ariz.)
PGA Section: Southwest
PGA Championship experience: 2011-12
Notes: Member of the 2011 U.S. PGA Cup Team, finishing 4-0-0...Credited with the design of the G30, Anser, i20 and i25 drivers...Helped create the iPING putting app.

Zach J. Johnson

Round 1 score: 76 (+6)
Round 2 score: 69 (+5 for Championship)

Age: 35
Hometown: Farmington, Utah
Facility/Affiliation: Davis Park Golf Course (Fruit Heights, Utah)
PGA Section: Utah
PGA Championship experience: None
Notes: Competed in the PGA Tour Qualifying School from 2006-09...Competed in the 2005 U.S. Public Links Championship...Called the "Local Zach Johnson" by friends in Utah.

Ben Kern

Round 1 score: 71 (+1)
Round 2 score: 69 (Even for Championship)
Round 3 score: 67 (-3 for Championship)
Round 4 score: 70 (-3 for Championship)

Age: 34
Hometown: Abilene, Texas
Facility/Affiliation: Georgetown Country Club (Georgetown, Texas)
PGA Section: Northern Texas
PGA Championship experience: None
Notes: Tied for ninth at the 2018 PGA Professional Championship...Winner, 2018 Texas State Open (only second PGA Club Professional winner in history)...2016 and 2017 Pro-Pro Championship on the North Texas PGA Section.

Johan Kok

Round 1 score: 78 (+8)
Round 2 score: 73 (+11 for Championship)

Age: 38
Hometown: Nashville, Tenn. (born in South Africa)
Facility/Affiliation: Troubadour (Nashville, Tenn.)
PGA Section: Tennessee
PGA Championship experience: 2014-16
Notes: Finished third in the 2014 PGA Championship Long Drive Competition, recording a drive of 337 yards...Competed on the South African Tour from 2003-07...Member of the European Tour from 2004-05.

Sean McCarty

Round 1 score: 74 (+4)
Round 2 score: 69 (+3 for the Championship)

Age: 45
Hometown: Solon, Iowa
Facility/Affiliation: Brown Deer Golf Club (Coralville, Iowa)
PGA Section: Iowa
PGA Championship experience: None
Notes: Four-time Iowa PGA Section Player of the Year (2007-09, 2014)...Member of the 1992 Big Ten Conference Championship Team at Iowa...Named All-American alongside Stewart Cink (Georgia Tech) and Tiger Woods (Stanford).

David Muttitt

Round 1 score: 81 (+11)
Round 2 score: 69 (+10 for Championship)

Age: 35
Hometown: Albuquerque, N.M. (retains both British and U.S. citizenship)
Facility/Affiliation: Los Altos Golf Course (Albuquerque, N.M.)
PGA Section: Sun Country
PGA Championship experience: 2013, 2016-17
Notes: Born in Dallas, Texas, to English parents who moved family to England when he was 3 years old...Was soccer player before focusing on golf at 15 years old...Winner of the 2012-13 and 2015 Sun Country PGA Championship.

Jason Schmuhl

Round 1 score: 74 (+4)
Round 2 score: 73 (+7 for Championship)

Age: 46
Hometown: Windsor, Calif.
Facility/Affiliation: Windsor Golf Club (Windsor, Calif.)
PGA Section: Northern California
PGA Championship experience: 2010
Notes: Winner of the 2008, 2010, 2016-17 Northern California PGA Professional Championship...Recorded an ace in the 2017 Safeway Open at Silverado Country Club-North Course...Owns three course records at three different facilities.

Brian Smock

Round 1 score: 79 (+9)
Round 2 score: 71 (+10 for Championship)

Age: 45
Hometown: Coronado, Calif.
Facility/Affiliation: Coronado Golf Course
PGA Section: Southern California
PGA Championship experience: 2017
Notes: Played professionally in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Panama, Chile and Colombia...Posted five second-place finishes on the Nationwide Tour...Uncle, Ernie Gonzalez, won the PGA Tour's Pensacola Open in 1986.

Bob Sowards

Round 1 score: 80 (+10)
Round 2 score: 75 (+15 for the Championship)

Age: 50
Hometown: Dublin, Ohio
Facility/Affiliation: Kinsale Golf & Fitness Club (Powell, Ohio)
PGA Section: Southern Ohio
PGA Championship experience: 1997, 2001, 2003-04, 2011-15
Notes: Won the 2003-05, and 2014 PGA Professional Player of the Year Awards...15-time Southern Ohio PGA Player of the Year...Competed on the PGA Tour in 2008, tying for ninth in the Wyndham Championship.

Omar Uresti

Round 1 score: 75 (+5)
Round 2 score: 73 (+8 for Championship)

Age: 50
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Facility/Affiliation: Onion Creek Club (Austin, Texas)
PGA Section: Southern Texas
PGA Championship experience: 2015-17
Notes: Won the 2017 PGA Professional Championship...Played in six U.S. Opens...Played a total of 357 events on the PGA Tour, tying for third at the 1997 Bay Hill Invitational and the 2006 Byron Nelson Classic.

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Ryan Vermeer

Round 1 score: 73 (+3)
Round 2 score: 73 (+6 for Championship)

Age: 40
Hometown: Omaha, Neb.
Facility/Affiliation: Happy Hollow Club (Omaha, Neb.)
PGA Section: Nebraska
PGA Championship experience: 2017
Notes: Winner, 2018 PGA Professional Championship, making him the sixth son of a PGA Member to capture the national title...Played 31 career events on the Web.com Tour...Two-time All-American at Kansas.

Shawn Warren

Round 1 score: 77 (+7)
Round 2 score: 71 (+8 for Championship)

Age: 33
Hometown: Cape Elizabeth, Maine
Facility/Affiliation: Falmouth Country Club (Falmouth, Maine)
PGA Section: New England
PGA Championship experience: None
Notes: Made 14-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole to secure spot...2012-13 New England PGA Assistant Professional Player of the Year...Three-year captain on the Marshall University men's golf team.