July 14, 2021
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (July 13, 2021) – Fifteen PGA Members and one PGA Section – reflecting the best of the PGA of America as innovators, leaders, coaches and achievers – will be featured in an hour-long nationwide special, “A Celebration of PGA Professionals,” airing Sunday, July 18 at 1 p.m. ET on the CBS Television Network. Broadcast coverage of the special will also be available to stream on Paramount+ Premium.
Hosted by CBS Sports’ James Brown, the program showcases the PGA Professionals and the Nebraska PGA Section that were honored during the 2020 season. Headlining the list are: PGA Golf Professional of the Year Ronny Glanton, PGA Head Professional at Sherrill Park Golf Course in Richardson, Texas; PGA Teacher & Coach of the Year Mark Blackburn, PGA Director of Instruction at Greystone Golf & Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama; and PGA Golf Executive of the Year Dana Garmany, PGA, Founder and Executive Chairman of Troon in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Nebraska PGA Section – one of 41 Sections in the country – won the Herb Graffis Award for extraordinary and exemplary contributions and achievements in player development and impact on its community.
“These Members are the heartbeat of what we do as PGA Professionals, and they are the people who keep the game growing and thriving, especially during an unprecedented time during this last year,” said PGA of America President Jim Richerson. “The impact each of these recipients has on the people they work with – on and off the golf course – is uniquely remarkable, and this special will showcase exactly how and why that is. I couldn’t be more proud of each of our award winners this year and the way in which they represent our Association.”
The PGA Golf Professional of the year is the highest annual honor given to a PGA Member, and Glanton is being awarded for his leadership, strong moral character and a substantial record of service to the PGA and the game of golf. Since 1985, Glanton has served as PGA Head Professional at Sherrill Park Golf Course, consistently ranked as a top-10 municipal facility. Glanton believes that golfers who establish good fundamentals from day one will enjoy the game for a lifetime.
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Blackburn is a 15-year PGA Member in the Alabama-NW Florida Section. He is awarded for his “outstanding services as a golf teacher, innovator and coach.” Blackburn is also one of GOLF Magazine’s Top 100 Teachers and one of Golf Digest’s 50 Best Teachers in America. His Blackburn Golf Academy develops and coaches juniors, club golfers, elite amateurs, college and professional clients from around the world. Among the many PGA Tour golfers coached by Blackburn are Max Homa, Chez Reavie, Charley Hoffman, Adam Hadwin and Mike Weir.
Garmany is honored for performing outstanding services in an executive management position while possessing leadership, vision, and a substantial record of service to the Association and the game. With over 35 years of industry experience developing and operating golf facilities worldwide, he has been named as one of the most powerful and influential people in golf by Golf Inc., Golf Digest and Golfweek. He founded Troon in 1990, and today serves as Founder and Executive Chairman of a company that leads the industry in golf course and private club management, operating nearly 600 locations around the world.
Jason Caron of Oyster Bay, New York; Ashley Grier of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania; and Omar Uresti of Austin, Texas, persevered through the unique circumstances associated with a global pandemic to capture respective 2020 PGA Professional, Women’s PGA Professional and Senior PGA Professional Player of the Year awards.
These six PGA Members headline a group of 15 PGA Professionals and one PGA Section as recipients of the PGA of America’s 2020 National Awards.
2020 PGA of America National Award Recipients
- PGA Golf Professional of the Year: Ronny Glanton, PGA, Sherrill Park Golf Course – Richardson, Texas
- PGA Golf Executive of the Year: Dana Garmany, PGA, Troon – Scottsdale, Ariz.
- PGA Teacher & Coach of the Year: Mark Blackburn, PGA, Greystone Golf & Country Club – Birmingham, Ala.
- PGA Professional Development Award: Jim McLean, PGA, Jim McLean Golf School – Coral Gables, Fla.
- Bill Strausbaugh Award: Larry Dornisch, PGA, Muirfield Village Golf Club – Dublin, Ohio
- Patriot Award: Chris Runyan, PGA, GOLFTEC – Spokane, Wash.
- Deacon Palmer Award: J.P. Lunn, PGA, Fountain Head Country Club – Hagerstown, Md.
- PGA Youth Player Development Award: Chris Thomson, PGA, Wilderness Ridge Golf Club – Lincoln, Neb. (2010-2020)*
- PGA Player Development Award: Rich Jones, PGA, Pine Ridge Golf Club – Coram, N.Y./Golf Galaxy – Bayshore, N.Y.
- PGA Professional Player of the Year: Jason Caron, PGA, Oyster Bay, N.Y. – Mill River Club
- Women’s PGA Professional Player of the Year: Ashley Grier, PGA, Bryn Mawr, Pa. – Overbrook Golf Club
- Senior PGA Professional Player of the Year: Omar Uresti, PGA, Austin, Texas – PGA Life Member
- PGA Merchandiser of the Year-Resort Category: Josué Reyes, PGA, Destination Kohler – Whistling Straits/Blackwolf Run – Kohler, Wis.
- PGA Merchandiser of the Year-Public Category: Jacob Lippold, PGA, Chambers Bay Golf Course – Tacoma, Wash. (2017-21)*
- PGA Merchandiser of the Year-Private Category: Jason Ballard, PGA, Oak Hill Country Club – Rochester, N.Y.
- Herb Graffis Award: Nebraska PGA Section
*Chris Thomson now works at Camelback Golf Club in Scottsdale Arizona;
Jacob Lippold now works at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Washington.
