Justin Hicks is enjoying his second chance at playing alongside some of the world’s greatest golfers. Hicks proved again he belongs by finishing tied for 17th at the 86th Senior PGA Championship at The Concession Golf Club on April 16–19 to earn Low PGA of America Golf Professional honors.
The 51-year-old Wellington, Florida, resident looked comfortable from the start, opening with a pair of 3-under 69s to share sixth place.
He shot 72-73 on the weekend, when the winds picked up, to finish tied for 17th – eight shots ahead of fellow Corebridge Financial Team member Omar Uresti to earn a crystal bowl and a trip to the TV booth for a live interview.
“It was a really special week, one I’ll remember I think forever,” said Hicks, a PGA Teaching Professional at Stonebridge Country Club in Boca Raton. “It was a very exciting week from start to finish.”
The Michigan native had played at every level of professional golf. He won twice and earned almost $1 million in 153 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour and he had two Top 5 finishes and almost $3 million in earnings in 119 starts on the PGA TOUR – his highlight being tied for the lead after the first round of the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.
“I grew up chasing the tour down while these guys were killing it,” Hicks said. “Then, luckily, I was able to play with them for a little bit and now to have a chance to play again with them. My caddie (ex-PGA TOUR member Tom Gillis) thinks I’m longer now than when I played full-time. I feel competitive out here with these guys.
“I know (PGA Tour Champions) is a really tough place to get onto. It’s been easier for me at 51 to get starts on the PGA TOUR than out here on the Champions Tour, which is kind of a weird statement but it’s the truth.”
Hicks had a nifty season at 50. He qualified for two majors (PGA Championship and U.S. Open), won the Senior PGA Professional Player of the Year Award, the Senior PGA Professional Championship and was Player of the Year in the super- talented South Florida PGA Section.
“I’m still kind of riding a wave of things here,” Hicks explained. “The last couple of years have been pretty good for me. I’ve been getting along well with all the Callaway stuff. My members have been really supportive of me out here playing in these events, too, and rooting me on back home.”
Hicks hasn’t forgotten he makes his money on the practice tee, instructing Stonebridge’s members on all facets of the game. It not just the swing, it’s also the mental game.
That’s why Hicks spent time watching his playing partners Justin Leonard and Notah Begay go about their business in the first two rounds (he beat them both days).
“There’s probably going to be some conversations and some lessons about how their short games were and the kind of shots they hit and their temperament,” Hicks said. “Some people (students) get really hot on the range with me because they want those balls to go right where they’re looking, and it’s like, ‘Hey, the best players in the world don’t (always) hit it right where they’re looking, so we have to change our expectations here.’
“Maybe not everyone is cut out for it mentally in some ways to understand that. But I think even through the frustration of it, everyone loves it – the challenge of it.”
Even after they turn 50. —Craig Dolch
