Top 20 finishers secure spots on Corebridge Financial Team and will compete in 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club
BANDON, Oregon ー The 2026 PGA Professional Championship presented by Club Car, Corebridge Financial and Rolex will be played at the iconic Bandon Dunes Golf Resort along Oregon’s stunning coastline April 26-29.
The 58th PGA Professional Championship is set to deliver a standout chapter in the event’s nearly 60-year history, as the national championship for PGA of America Golf Professionals will be contested on the Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes courses for the first time.
Established in 1968, the PGA Professional Championship features a 312-player field consisting of PGA of America Golf Professionals from all 41 PGA Sections. The Champion and top 20 finishers earn a spot to compete in the 108th PGA Championship, taking place May 11-17 at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, as members of the Corebridge Financial Team.
Defending Champion Tyler Collet (Vero Beach, Fla.), one of 14 past champions in the field, will be competing in his seventh PGA Professional Championship. The 30-year-old recorded an historic victory in 2025, shooting 15-under-par 272 to win by 10 shots at PGA Golf Club. Collet, a PGA Assistant Golf Professional at John’s Island Club, set the Championship record for largest margin of victory and became the second South Florida PGA Member to win the Walter Hagen Cup.
“Last year was a great year,” said Collet. “I felt like I played great, however, I still felt like I had some in the tank. I still felt like I left a few out there, which is kind of hard to believe, but I know my game and that’s just kind of what I felt. Going forward to Bandon, it’s going to be a premium. The fairways are pretty big from what I’ve heard and from the homework that I’ve done. You’re going to have to hit greens and putt well. If you can handle some wind, you’re going to do really well, so I think it’s going to be a really good test.”
Like many in the field, Collet is thrilled with the opportunity to compete for the first time at Bandon.
“It’s always been a bucket list ever since 10-12 years ago when I really got in the game,” said Collet. “It’s going to be a special venue. Bandon Dunes is just such an iconic name in golf and venue. It’ll be really cool to get there and potentially have a chance to win a national championship there.”
The additional past champions in the field include: Alex Beach (2019), Rich Berberian Jr. (2016), Michael Block (2014), Matt Dobyns (2012 & 2015), Scott Hebert (2008), David Hutsell (2011), Jesse Mueller (2022), Ben Polland (2024), Jeff Roth (1993), Steve Schneiter (1995), Braden Shattuck (2023), Bob Sowards (2004) and Ryan Vermeer (2018).
Justin Hicks (Wellington, Fla.) is one of 16 players in the field who also competed as part of the Corebridge Financial Team in the 2026 Senior PGA Championship at The Concession Golf Club earlier this month. Hicks, a PGA Teaching Professional at Stonebridge Country Club in Boca Raton, Fla., claimed Low PGA of America Golf Professional honors with a T-17 finish at 5-under par. Following a memorable performance on Florida’s West Coast, Hicks is eager to tackle a whole new set of challenges in Oregon.
“To me, this is at the top of my bucket list of places to go,” said Hicks. “Right up there with Augusta or Pine Valley or Cypress, Bandon is something in that league of places to go. I always enjoy courses where you’re literally on a body of water like that, like an ocean or something. I don’t know how you can’t.
“It will be a lot of fun. The courses sound like they’re great, kind of linksy. A lot of bump and run kind of shots. It will be a fun challenge and a whole other group of things to figure out. You go out there and it’s like putting together a puzzle. You got to get together with your caddie and figure out what kind of shots you’re going to need and maybe how to play certain holes and lines off the tee, and do we want to be short of this or long of that? Then you show up the next day, and it’s blowing 30 miles an hour the other way. That’s what I love about this game.”
Two-time (2022, ‘25) Rolex Women’s PGA Professional Player of the Year Sandra Changkija (Daytona Beach, Fla.) returns for her fourth PGA Professional Championship. She posted a T-35 finish in 2025 at PGA Golf Club, and is one of nine women in the field. She is also one of four playing at Bandon who will be part of the Corebridge Financial Team at the 2026 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in June, alongside Joanna Coe, Kim Paez and Allie Knight.
Eight players in the field will represent the Pacific Northwest PGA Section: Jason Aichele (Meadow Springs Country Club), Derek Berg (PNW Golf Academy), Sabrina Bonanno (Sahalee Country Club), Brad Elzie (Meadow Springs Country Club), Bryce Fisher (Arrowhead Golf Club), Austin Hurt (Wing Point Golf & Country Club), Kyle Kelly (The Creek at Qualchan) and Liam Kendregan (Broadmoor Golf Club).
The Championship will award a $850,000 purse and $75,600 to the Champion. A 36-hole cut will take place Monday to the low 90 scorers and ties, and a 54-hole cut Tuesday to the low 70 scorers and ties.
All four rounds will be broadcast in primetime on Golf Channel. All times listed are Eastern.
Sunday, April 26 – Tuesday, April 28: 7-10 p.m.
Wednesday, April 29: 6-9 p.m.
For additional information on the PGA Professional Championship, visit here.