By CRAIG DOLCH
Special to South Florida PGA
PALM BEACH GARDENS (Sept. 21, 2023) – Tyler Collet, PGA doubled over when he learned Thursday he had won the South Florida PGA Professional Championship by the smallest of margin.
It was that kind of a day over at BallenIsles Country Club’s vaunted East Course. “What a battle it was today,” said Collet, a PGA Assistant Professional at John’s Island Club in Vero Beach.
And what has become a theme in the South Florida PGA the last two years, Collet won this battle. He shot 1-under 71 – one of only nine rounds under par – to win the South Florida PGA Professional Championship by a stroke over defending champion Tim Cantwell, PGA of PGA National and Joe Kern, PGA of Hawk’s Nest Golf Club.
The victory clinched Player of the Year honors for the second consecutive year for the 28-year-old Collet. The POY gets him into next year’s PGA Tour event at PGA National (formerly the Honda Classic) and Thursday’s win also gets him exempt into the PGA Tour event in Puerto Rico.
“It feels so good, I can’t even describe it,” Collet said. “After last year’s Honda, the way it ended missing the cut, I really wanted to get back there. Puerto Rico was a bonus.”
The drama was all on the very difficult par-4 18thhole on the East Course, site of the PGA Championship, the World Cup and PGA Tour’s final Q-school in 1971. Collet and Cantwell, playing together in the penultimate group, were tied for the lead at 5-under going to the closing hole.
Cantwell’s approach from 207 yards hooked and bounced into bushes left of the green, where he had to take an unplayable penalty. He nudged his fourth shot toward the green, chipped to the fringe and made the unlikely 30-footer for double bogey.
But Cantwell’s chances were over when Collet just missed his 30-footer par try, tapping in for bogey to finish at 4-under.
“We found the ball, which was great, but if I tried to hit a shot from there, I would have been at the mercy of where the ball rolled,” Cantwell said. “It would have been great to defend this title, but I had my chances. I four-putted the 14thhole, though it was nice to hit my drive on 15 to one-foot and make the eagle.”
Kern could have also been tied for the lead heading to No. 18, but he three-putted the par-5 17thfrom the fringe. After Collet’s bogey, Kern needed a par at 18 to force a playoff.
His approach, a 3-wood from 232 yards, missed the green left. Kern’s chip came up 20 feet short and he missed the par putt. Tournament over.
“I just hit the chip fat,” Kern said. “I’m disappointed. I work on a thing called wholeness – keeping yourself calm – and I broke my wholeness today. But it was a good week.”
The top 13 finishers earned spots in the 2024 PGA Professional Championship. Joining Collet, Cantwell and Kern were Darin de Lelys (72-214), PGA of Fiddlesticks Country Club, Alan Morin (72-215), PGA of The Club at Ibis; Brett Melton, (74-215) PGA of Dye Preserve; Paul Scaletta, (73-216) PGA of the Bear’s Club; Jared Isaacs, (71-217) PGA of Adios Golf Club, Evan Bowser, (73-217) PGA of LaPlaya Golf Club; Kenneth Leech, (75-217), PGA of Don Law Academy; Zach Haynes (71-218), PGA, of Ocean Reef Club; Justin Hicks (74-218), PGA, of Stonebridge Country Club; and and Christian De Greiff, ( 72-219), PGA of Coral Ridge Country Club.
Matt Cahill and Jeremy Wells already were exempt for the 2024 PPC.
Taylor Collins, PGA, of Coral Ridge Country Club won the 36-hole South Florida PGA Women’s Section Championship at 1-over 145, five ahead of Alex Jacobsen, PGA, of the Everglades Club. Two years ago, Collins became the first women to win the South Florida PGA Professional Championship at BallenIsles. She finished 30thafter a final-round 78.
“I had never won a Women’s Section Championship, so I was hoping to do that this year,” Collins said. “I love coming to BallenIsles because it feels like you’re coming to a championship. They treat you so well and the course is in great shape. I didn’t get a qualifying spot for the National Championship, but at least I get to leave with the Women’s Section Championship.”
The South Florida PGA Professional Championship is presented by Club Car, Corebridge Financial and Rolex and is run by the South Florida PGA. Supporting partners are Gallagher Insurance, Golf Channel, PGA TOUR, Titleist, FootJoy, Callaway Golf, Nike, TaylorMade and Whistling Straits-Kohler.
