Texas teaching pro takes title at PGA Professional Championship in Oregon

BANDON, Ore. – It was the kind of beautiful shot golfers dream about. Pure contact, the ball soaring against a blue sky and sliding just a touch a right before touching down on the green near the flagstick on the closing stretch at iconic Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. And it was all propelled by a late bathroom break and a quick walk back into the fairway that left little time to overthink a pressure-packed situation.

This particular shot, an 8-iron from 173 yards, had significant meaning. Jesse Droemer, a teaching professional at Riverbend Country Club near Houston, was tied for the lead through 16 holes in Wednesday’s final round of the PGA Professional Championship. His lead had been as many as three during the back nine, but he had been run down by Ben Kern. Droemer needed to make something happen.

Advertisement

On No. 17 of the resort’s Bandon Dunes course, Droemer faced a challenging shot into the green with the flag tucked on the left behind a knob as strong winds blew off the left. He nailed that 8-iron to within birdie range. He missed the putt and settled for a par, but that proved to be enough. Kern, playing in the final group behind Droemer, soon after landed his approach on the right side of the putting surface and watched the ball slide off the green into the rough. Kern’s ensuing bogey gave Droemer a one-shot lead, and after both players parred the 18th, the title was Droemer’s.

What were Droemer’s thoughts as he left the 17th tee on his way to what would prove to be the tournament-deciding shot? Probably not what you would think, as Droemer explained after receiving the trophy.

“Well, honestly, I had to use the restroom so bad, I had to run from the tee over to the Porta Potty that was like 200 yards away,” Droemer said with a smile. “[Caddie Carl Everts] got the number, and I said, ‘Give me a yardage,’ and he had it, and I just stepped up and hit the shot. No time to think, just react. I do think that was one of the shots of the tournament, for sure.”

Advertisement

After nearly holing a 77-yard approach shot into the par-5 18th that set up the winning par, Droemer finished with a 2-under 70 in the final round, good for a 4-under total of 283. Kern, of South Bloomfield, Ohio, shot 71 in the final round to finish in second place at 3-under. Michael Kartrude of Royal Palm Beach, Florida, was third after a closing 70 and a 2-under total. It was the second straight day of strong breezes that at times surpassed 20 mph, causing havoc for club selection and making it tough to hole putts of any length.

“I was just embracing the challenge,” said Droemer, 34. “I knew it was gonna be windy. I knew the conditions were gonna be tough, and I was just really was trying to embrace the elements. And, you know, I’m glad it was windy. I’m glad it was playing hard.”

Droemer, Kern, Kartrude and 17 other players now have a new challenge: the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club on May 14-17. The top 20 from the PGA Professional Championship qualified for the major in Pennsylvania. It will be Droemer’s third appearance in the PGA Championship, having first qualified via the PGA Professional Championship in 2023 and again in 2025. He missed the cut in both those tries, but the victory at Bandon Dunes inspired fresh confidence.

“Well, this will be my third one, and the first one was in ’23, and I realized that I was a lot more comfortable last year after that one,” Droemer said. “But going into that tournament, I’m not trying to just enjoy it. I’m trying to go out and win a golf tournament. I said it last year: I’ve never played a tournament to try to lose, so I’m gonna go out and try to win a golf tournament.”

Advertisement

Droemer had experience to lean on in the PGA Professional Championship. He finished second behind Tyler Collet in 2025 at PGA Golf Club in Florida, and he tied for 11th at Twin Warriors and Santa Ana Golf Club in 2023 in New Mexico.

Droemer worked for years as an assistant professional before switching to teaching full-time, and he commits long hours to combine golf instruction with his own needs to practice — such is the life of most of the contenders in the PGA Professional Championship who represented 41 PGA of America sections at Bandon Dunes.

“Sometimes I have to get to the golf course at 6:30 and practice before (giving) my 8 o’clock lesson,” Droemer said. “I have to stay until dark. But I love to compete. This is why I practice, being in situations like this. So I just have to make a lot of time for it.”

All that work in Texas, well-known for its frequently windy golf, helped prepare him for Bandon Dunes. Most people would think the toughest shots in the breeze are those up in the air, but at Bandon Dunes, it was the putting that was most difficult for most competitors. When winds exceed 20 mph, a rolling ball often breaks in unexpected ways. “Honestly, that was the hardest thing of the week, making putts,” Droemer said.

Advertisement

He hired Everts, who has caddied at Bandon Dunes for seven years, to help. Evert’s experience reading putts in the breezes proved invaluable in all four rounds. Droemer had played at Bandon Dunes Golf resort in the 2011 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship and qualified for the match play portion then, so he was familiar with the resort’s typically firm and bouncy turf conditions, but he wanted all the help he could get from his caddie on the greens in this PGA Professional Championship.

“It was huge,” Droemer said. “I mean, he saved me I couldn’t even tell you how many shots, with different reads that I didn’t see. I just trusted him. I told him, ‘Just whatever you see, tell me,’ and I wouldn’t have been able to do without him. No chance.”

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Texas teaching pro takes title at PGA Professional Championship in Oregon