LOUISVILLE, Kentucky - PGA of America Golf Professionals Jeremy Wells (South Florida Section) and Braden Shattuck (Philadelphia Section) made the cut at the 106th PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club. It’s the first time since 2021 that more than one PGA of America Golf Professional will play the weekend at the PGA Championship.
Wells (2-under), the PGA Director of Player Development at Cypress Lake Golf Club in Fort Myers, Florida, finished his second round Saturday morning after play was suspended due to darkness on Friday.
A good night’s rest isn’t always easy to come by for a father of three. Trying to sleep with two holes still to play to make his first cut at the PGA Championship may be even harder.
“We woke our kids up at 4:30 to get to the golf course,” Wells said. “We were in blankets in the clubhouse. Yeah, didn't sleep very well but it wasn't the first time I felt that way.
“Fortunately, I got to play 8 and 9 this morning, which are kind of normal holes here. But even still, I knew I was going to have to stand over a couple 3-footers.”
Walking into the weekend like.. 👀
— PGA of America (@PGA) May 18, 2024
Congratulations to Braden Shattuck and Jeremy Wells, our two PGA of America Golf Professionals who have made the cut and will play the weekend in the @PGAChampionship! pic.twitter.com/dseOVnGLFR
With a two-putt par on the par-3 8th hole, Wells had a shot to spare to make the 1-under cut on his 36th hole, alleviating some stress for the 2-footer that finished his even-par round.
Wells made the Corebridge Financial Team in 2023 at Oak Hill, but missed the cut. Making the weekend this year was the ultimate goal.
“We have a Section Championship which leads to the National Championship (PGA Professional Championship) which leads to the PGA Championship, and then you have a cut at the PGA Championship,” Wells said. “Now that I've made this cut, hopefully some of the pressure is off because these next two days are kind of the goal for my year. I'm fortunate enough to get this far to the PGA Championship.”
Wells will begin his third round at 1:01 p.m. ET off the 10th tee paired with 2010 PGA Champion Martin Kaymer (2-under) and Tyrell Hatton (2-under).
Shattuck, the PGA Director of Instruction at Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield, Pennsylvania, made the cut after missing last year in his first appearance in the PGA Championship.
Beginning the second round on the 10th hole, Shattuck got off to a quick start with birdies on holes 11-13. He made the turn at 2-under, however bogies on holes 3 and 4 nudged him outside the cutline. He needed at least one birdie over the final two holes to get within the top-70 and ties to reach the weekend. The birdie came on the par-3 8th hole (his 17th of the round) courtesy of draining a 35-footer.
On the par-4 9th, he found the fairway bunker off the tee and a greenside bunker with this approach. He stared down a 4-footer then holed it for par
“The cup looked like the size of a thimble on that last 4-footer,” Shattuck said, smiling, “but, thankfully, it found its way to the middle.”
Shattuck had to rebuild his swing due to a car accident in 2019, herniating two disks in his back and unable to swing a golf club for two years. He won the 2023 PGA Professional Championship to play at Oak Hill, where missing the cut last year left him wanting more.
This will be his first time playing the weekend of a Major Championship as part of the Corebridge Financial Team.
“That’s something you take a lot of pride in,” he said. “It’s nice to represent the PGA of America out here.”
Shattuck will begin his third round at 1:34 p.m. ET off the 10th tee paired with S.H. Kim and Stephan Jaeger.
The last time more than one PGA of America Golf Professional made the cut at the PGA Championship was 2021 at The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, when Ben Cook (Michigan Section) and Brad Marek (Northern California Section) played the weekend.
Corebridge Financial broadened its partnership with the PGA of America to include title sponsorship of the PGA of America Member teams, formerly known as the Team of 20 (PGA Championship); Team of 35 (KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship); and Team of 9 (KPMG Women’s PGA Championship). Each group will now be recognized as the Corebridge Financial Team.
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