2023 PGA PROFESSIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
GOLF, Ill. – May 4, 2023 – Chris French (Aldeen Golf Club) qualified for the 2023 PGA Championship on May 3 after recording a 4-under-par 68 in the final round of the 2023 PGA Professional Championship in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico. French will be joined by 19 other PGA Professionals as part of the Corebridge Financial PGA Team at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York on May 15-21. This marks the first time French has qualified for the PGA Championship in his career.
“It means the world to me to have qualified for the PGA Championship,” said French. “I’ve put my life into this game like all PGA Professionals do. I take a ton of pride in the amount of work I put into my game, and the sacrifices I make to do so.”
French began his final round four shots off the number to qualify for the PGA Championship. He recorded a 2-under-par 70, and a 3-over-par 75 in rounds one and two at Twin Warriors Golf Club and Santa Ana Pueblo Golf Club respectively to make the 36-hole cut. In round three, French carded a 1-over-par 73 to make the 54-hole cut. French carded the third-lowest round of the day in round four to finish the tournament at 2-under-par and T17 to punch his ticket to the PGA Championship.
“I felt like my game was decent heading into this week, but with the poor weather we’ve had in Illinois lately it was tough to prepare,” said French. “I got off to a good start in round one but made some mental mistakes in round two which put me in a tough spot. Heading into the final round, I just wanted to get some momentum early and try to get into red figures. I rolled a few nice putts and took some chances on the par fives. I just tried to stay patient and take what the round gave me.”
French was an Illinois PGA alternate for the 2023 PGA Professional Championship. He finished 12th at the Nadler Golf Cars Illinois PGA Professional Championship at Makray Memorial Golf Club last August to secure the Illinois PGA’s second alternate spot. French had qualified for the PGA Professional Championship two other times in his career. His first career appearance at the PGA Professional Championship came in 2021 as a Southern California PGA Section member. He finished T29 at this event. In 2022, French qualified for the PGA Professional Championship as a member of the Illinois PGA Section. He missed the cut at this event.
The PGA Championship takes place May 15-21 at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York, and serves as the second Major Championship on the PGA TOUR schedule.
“I’m proud to represent the Illinois PGA at the PGA Championship,” said French. “The Illinois PGA is the best Section in the country.”
About the Illinois PGA/Illinois PGA Foundation
The Illinois Section of the PGA of America is a professional organization serving the men and women golf professionals in northern and central Illinois who are the recognized experts in growing, teaching and managing the game of golf. The Illinois PGA is responsible for the administration of competitive golf tournaments, educational opportunities, support programs and growth of the game initiatives. With over 840 members and apprentices, the Illinois PGA is one of the 41 regional Sections that comprise the PGA of America. The Illinois PGA Foundation focuses its community efforts on promoting the goodwill and growth of the game with an emphasis on activities that benefit youth. Foundation initiatives include: GolfWorks Illinois, Youth-based Scholarship Funds and the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame. For more information about the Illinois PGA and the Illinois PGA Foundation, please visit www.ipga.com and join us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
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CONTACT:
Kevin Quinn
Illinois PGA Communications
708.336.1294 mobile
847.729.4102 office
kbquinn@pgahq.com