LOUISVILLE, KY (August 25, 2020) – Justice has been served at Valhalla Golf Club. Grover Justice, PGA Director of Instruction at High Performance Academy is the champion of the 69^th Kentucky PGA Professional Championship. His triumph is a seven-shot margin of victory as Justice was the only player in the field to break par with his total score in the competition. A final round 71 (-1) after yesterday’s 68 (-4) gives him a final mark of 139 (-5), with Blake Watts, PGA Head Professional at Wildwood Country Club and Mitchell Moore, PGA Director of Instruction at Hopkinsville Golf & Country Club finishing in a tie for second place at 146 (+2). These three players have qualified for the 2021 PGA Professional Championship at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida thanks to their top-three finishes.

“This is my fifth time playing in the Section Championship and it’s an honor to win it,” Justice said during the awards ceremony. “It means a lot to win this trophy and to represent the Section in the PGA Professional Championship. I want to congratulate Blake and Mitchell on qualifying as well and it will be fun to be back in that tournament after not being able to play it this year.”

Justice’s path to victory this afternoon became increasingly easier as the round went along. Two early bogeys from Justice while Keith Ohr, PGA Head Professional at Lake Forest Country Club played steadily to a 35 (-1) on the outward nine had the two players tied for the lead after the 6^th hole. Birdies from Justice on the 7^th and 9^th got him back in front while Moore entered the picture after consecutive birdies on the 10^th and 11^th. From that point, Ohr would make four bogeys and one double bogey to drop out of contention whereas Moore made bogey on the 15^th and double bogey on the 16^th to clear the way for Justice. Birdies for him on the 14^th and 17^th helped widen the gap that sent Justice to victory at the same spot where players such as Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Tom Watson have stood victorious.

NOTES & STATS

• It was a considerably easier day at Valhalla as the average score dropped by nearly a shot and a half on Tuesday compared to Monday. 79.16 (+7.16) was the final scoring average for round two.
• Daniel Iceman III, PGA Assistant Professional at Weissinger Hills Golf Course had the low round of the day with a 70 (-2) which helped him finish in a tie for fifth place.
• The par-four 6^th was once again the hardest hole, but it did play easier in the final round at a stroke-to-par average of +0.85. Colby Wollitz, PGA Director of Instruction at The Golf Academy at Persimmon Ridge was the lone player to make birdie on it today.
• The par-five 2^nd was the easiest hole on Tuesday, coming in at -0.04. Thirteen birdies were recorded on the dogleg left.
• Three eagles landed on Tuesday with two of them coming on the par-five 7^th, courtesy of Michael Vanderveer, PGA Assistant Professional at Hurstbourne Country Club and Mike Vick, PGA Junior Golf Coordinator at Golf House Kentucky. Adam Gary, PGA Women’s Golf Coach at Western Kentucky University also made one on the par-five 18^th.

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The Kentucky PGA Section would like to thank Keith Reese, PGA General Manager and Kyle Cramer, PGA Head Professional plus the rest of their team at Valhalla Golf Club for hosting this year’s Section Championship and helping make for an outstanding competition. The Section also thanks each player who competed in the tournament and appreciates their participation. The next KPGA tournament will begin next Monday with the Kentucky Senior Open from Frankfort Country Club. Other KPGA Members will be back in action on Tuesday, September 8^th for the Mobile Pro Shop Stableford Classic at Boone’s Trace National Golf Club. More info and registration for that tournament can be found by clicking here.