TULSA, Okla. – When the cutline moved from 6 over to 7 over as players completed their second rounds of the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship on Saturday at Southern Hills Country Club, it was good news for PGA Club Professionals. Nine PGA Club Professionals who teed it up at the 81st KitchenAid PGA Senior Championship made the 36-hole cut, which fell at 7-over 147. (Nine is the most Club Pros to make the cut since 2016, when 10 made it.) Here’s a look at the nine PGA Professionals who will compete for Low Club Professional honors this weekend, and where they stand heading into Round 3:
T11 Paul Stankowski (72-69–141)
Age: 51
Residence: Flower Mound, Texas
PGA Classification: PGA Life Member
Skinny: Played the PGA Tour full-time from 1994-2011, was slowed by injuries and eventually decided to stay home more with his wife and two children. Owns a leather goods company and spends time doing radio broadcasts at Tour events. Competed in two PGA Tour Champions events in 1920-21, finishing T-36 at SAS Championship.
Best PGA Senior finish: First appearance
T18 Bob Sowards (67-72–142)
Age: 52
Residence: Dublin, Ohio
PGA Classification: A-14
PGA Section: Southern Ohio
Facility: Kinsale Golf & Fitness Club, Powell, Ohio
Skinny: Has 11 career starts in the PGA Championship, just one shy of Steve Schneiter’s record of 12. Won the 2004 PGA Club Professional Championship at Longaberger Golf Club, Ohio; 2003, 2004, 2005, 2014 PGA Professional Player of the Year and 2018, 2019 PGA Senior Professional Player of the Year. One of four players to win a PGA Professional and PGA Senior Professional Championship (joining Schneider, Scott Hebert, Omar Uresti). Played full season on the PGA Tour in 2008; has competed in more than 40 PGA Tour events.
Best Senior PGA finish: T-21, 2019
T47 Frank Bensel Jr. (78-67–145)
Age: 53
Residence: Jupiter, Fla.
PGA Classification: A-8
PGA Section: Metropolitan
Facility: Century Country Club, Purchase, N.Y.
Skinny: Posted the only bogey-free round in Round 2, making three birdies, shooting 67, and working his way back inside the cutline. With a closing 68 at PGA Golf Club, Bensel was runner-up to Omar Uresti at the 2021 PGA Professional Championship, his best finish in 18 appearances in the event. Has played in three PGA Championships. Runner-up in 2009 at national PGA Professional Player of the Year. Also competed in the 2009 U.S. Open at Oakmont. He is an Assistant Professional at Century Country Club, where he teaches.
Best Senior PGA finish: Missed cut, 2019.
T56 Chad Sorensen (76-70)
Age: 52
Residence: Bakersfield, Calif.
PGA Classification: A-1
PGA Section: Southern California
Facility: Buena Vista Golf Course, Taft, Calif.
Skinny: Head Professional at Buena Vista, where he works alongside his brother, Alan, who is the club’s general manager. The two run a golf management business (Sorensen Brothers, Inc.), and Chad is president. Winner, 2015 Southern California PGA Section Professional Championship. Played in PGA Tour’s 2015 Northern Trust Open and 2016 CareerBuilder Challenge. Two-time winner, SCPGA Senior Championship. Has competed in the Chubb Classic the last two years, tying for 14th this year. Serves as Head Coach for men’s and women’s golf teams at Taft College.
Best Senior PGA finish: First appearance
T67 Craig Bowden (75-72–147)
Age: 52
Residence: Bloomington, Ind.
PGA Classification: PGA Life Member
PGA Section: Indiana
Skinny: Second appearance in the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship. Former PGA Tour pro, has worked the past decade on Tour as a rep for FST Golf Shafts. Earned $1.2 million on the PGA Tour (his last full season was 2010) and had success on the Korn Ferry Tour, winning three times. Has played in seven majors, including five U.S. Opens and two PGA Championships. Birdied his final hole on Friday at Southern Hills to make the cut on the number.
Best Senior PGA finish: Missed cut, 2019
T67 Gus UIrich (71-76)
Age: 58
Residence: Whispering Pines, N.C.
PGA Classification: A-14
PGA Section: Carolinas
Facility: Pinewild Country Club, Pinehurst, N.C.
Skinny: Ulrich is the Director of Instruction at Pinewild, and earned his way to Southern Hills with a T-16 finish at the 2020 Senior PGA Professional Championship. A self-taught player, he walked onto the team at North Carolina State, where he was named team MVP in 1985. Played on mini-tours for eight years, and went to PGA Tour Q-School 10 times, making it to the finals four times. Has competed in eight PGA Professional Championships, with a best finish of T-26. Coaches the men’s golf team at Sandhills Community College, which won the NJCAA national title in 2014. Competed in the 2015 U.S. Senior Open.
Best PGA Senior finish: Missed cut, 2017-19
T67 Mark Mielke 73-74
Age: 58
Residence: Atlantis, Fla.
PGA Classification: A-6
PGA Section: South Florida
Facility: High Ridge Country Club, Boynton Beach, Fla.
Skinny: Mielke is the Teaching Professional at High Ridge, where he has been since 2019. Was the former PGA Head Professional at Mill River Club in Oyster Bay, N.Y. He has competed in 16 PGA Professional Championships, tying for fifth in 1998. Participated in five PGA Championships and in 2013 made his KitchenAid Senior PGA debut at Bellerive, tying for 28th place to share Low Pro honors. Has competed on the Australian Tour, the Canadian Tour and the Korn Ferry Tour. Was a member of a winning U.S. PGA Cup team in 1998. Has played in six previous Senior PGAs; this is the fourth time he has made the cut.
Best Senior PGA finish: T-28, 2013
T67 Neil Thompson (75-72)
Age: 51
Residence: Helena, Ala.
PGA Classification: A-14
PGA Section: Alabama/NW Florida
Facility: Thompson Golf Academy, Hoover, Ala.
Skinny: PGA Director of Instruction at Thompson Golf Academy, which he owns. Finished T-28 in the 2020 Senior PGA Professional Championship. Born in Poole, England, he earned membership to the PGA of Great Britain in 1999, and the PGA of America a year later. Was a first-team All-American at Central Alabama Community College. Was named the 2020 Alabama-Northwest Florida PGA Senior Player of the Year.
Best PGA Senior finish: First appearance
T 67 Alan Morin (73-74)
Age: 51
Residence: Royal Palm Beach, Fla.
PGA Classification: A-8
PGA Section: South Florida
Facility: The Club at Ibis, West Palm Beach, Fla.
Skinny: Morin has played in 17 PGA Professional Championships, with a top finish of T-3 in 2015. He has been named South Florida PGA Player of the Year 10 times, and was 2020 South Florida Senior PGA Player of the Year. Has played in eight major championships, including six PGA Championships and two U.S. Opens. Played on U.S. PGA Cup teams in 2003 and 2015, and has made 10 appearances in the Honda Classic, making the cut on three occasions. Morin is a five-time PGA Section champion.
Best PGA Senior finish: First appearance
