The Kentucky PGA will crown its 2026 Professional Champion August 25 at Heritage Hill Golf Club in Shepherdsville, the section’s premier event of the year and a direct pipeline to the PGA Professional Championship national stage.
The top four finishers not already exempt will advance to the 2027 PGA Professional Championship, set for April 25-28 at Streamsong Golf Resort in Bowling Green, Florida. Defending champion Zach Haynes, PGA is already exempt into the national championship field and does not count toward those four qualifying spots.
Past Champions in the Field
The 2026 field includes seven past champions with a combined 17 titles between them:
- Zach Haynes, PGA – 2025
- Daniel Iceman, PGA – 2024
- Jesse Massie, PGA – 2022
- Andrew Stephens, PGA – 2018, 2021
- Grover Justice, PGA – 2020
- Blake Watts, PGA – 2010, 2016, 2017, 2019
- John Bachman, PGA – 2012, 2014
Watts, a four-time champion, sits second on the tournament’s all-time win list. That list is topped by Larry Gilbert, PGA, whose eight KPGA Professional Championship titles remain the section record. Scott Porter, PGA, and Steve Smith, PGA, join Watts with four wins apiece, while Al Atkins, PGA, Alan White, PGA, Ed Tyree, PGA, Gordon Leishman, PGA, Jim O’Hern, PGA, and Kelly Maxwell, PGA, have each won three times. Andrew Stephens, PGA, Buddy Harston, PGA, Jeff Moffett, PGA, John Bachman, PGA, Keith Ohr, PGA, Ralph Landrum, PGA, Scott Beard, PGA, and Todd Houck, PGA, have each won twice.
Featured Groups
- 8:50 a.m.: Grover Justice, PGA; Zach Haynes, PGA; Alastair Tidcombe, PGA
- 9:30 a.m.: Blake Watts, PGA; John Mullendore, PGA; Aaron Eldridge, PGA
- 10:30 a.m.: Daniel Iceman, PGA; Colby Wollitz, PGA; Jesse Massie, PGA
With Haynes already locked into next year’s national championship field, the remaining featured group members and the rest of the field will be playing for one of just four available Streamsong berths. Watts, Iceman, Justice, Massie and Stephens all know the feeling of winning this event, but a return trip to the National Championship stage will require them to fend off a deep field of PGA pros over 36 holes.
About Heritage Hill Golf Club
Heritage Hill Golf Club, located just minutes from Louisville in Shepherdsville, was rated a Top 10 New Course in America for 2008 by Golf Digest. Designed by former Jack Nicklaus design associate Doug Beach, the par-72 course stretches more than 7,100 yards with bent grass greens and zoysia tees and fairways.
The layout offers players two distinct looks over the course of a round: exposed, windswept holes lined with large cross bunkers and undulating greens, and forested stretches reminiscent of a state park, complete with meandering streams. The fairways are wide and generous, but wind and well-placed bunkers keep Heritage Hill a stern test for golfers of every ability.
The KPGA thanks Heritage Hill Golf Club for hosting the 2026 KPGA Professional Championship.
We are proud to recognize our national sponsors and partners:
- Presenting Sponsors: Club Car, Corebridge Financial, Rolex
- Supporting Partners: Gallagher, Golf Channel, PGA TOUR, ShipSticks
- Supporting Sponsors: Titleist/FootJoy, Callaway, Nike, TaylorMade
About the KPGA
The Kentucky PGA (KPGA) is one of the 41 sections that comprise The PGA of America. Formed in 1925, the Kentucky PGA has a professional membership of more than 350 men and women professionals across the Commonwealth of Kentucky, each of whom is dedicated to promoting the game in Kentucky. The Kentucky PGA is dedicated to the promotion of the game of golf and providing ongoing education and professional development of Kentucky PGA Professionals. Kentucky PGA Professionals are responsible for conducting a variety of golf-related functions, which include general management, golf instruction, tournament operations, golf shop merchandising, junior golf programs, golf club repair, and much more. The KPGA is a founding member of Golf House Kentucky, the umbrella organization that manages Kentucky’s Family of Golf Organizations.