Ben Polland (left) of Jackson, Wyoming; Sandra Changkija (middle) of Daytona Beach, Florida; and Justin Hicks (right) of Wellington, Florida, claimed their respective PGA Professional, Women’s PGA Professional and Senior PGA Professional Player of the Year Awards presented by Rolex.
Polland, PGA, the Director of Golf at Shooting Star of Jackson Hole in Teton Village, Wyoming, made the most of the PGA TOUR exemptions that came with his 2024 PGA Professional Championship victory. The 35-year-old made four cuts at the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches (T-62), Puerto Rico Open (T-70), Corales Puntacana Championship (T-53) and Barracuda Championship (T-23).
“Those starts are really fun to get back and play competitively,” says Polland. “I had the right mindsight the whole time. My mentality was better compared to the time when I was trying to play full time.”
Polland also posted a T-35 finish in the 2025 PGA Professional Championship at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
Polland totaled 1,048 points to win his second consecutive PGA Professional Player of the Year (POY) Award. He is the ninth PGA of America Golf Professional to win back-to-back POY awards.
Changkija, PGA/LPGA, Assistant Professional at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando, Florida, delivered yet another solid season in 2025, finishing with 917.5 points to win her second career Women’s PGA Professional Player of the Year Award (2022). Changkija is the second two-time winner of the Award (Stephanie Connelly-Eiswerth, 2023–24).
“It’s great to win another Player of the Year Award,” says Changkija. “I had a really good year.”
In April, she appeared in her third PGA Professional Championship, shooting 71-73-72-74 en route to a T-35 finish at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
Changkija made her ninth start in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship last June, playing as a member of the Corebridge Financial Team at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco. She finished T-6.
Changkija made history last November when she became the first woman to win the Assistant PGA Professional Championship, registering a final-round 72 to finish at 8-under-par 280 and win by five at PGA Golf Club.
Hicks, PGA, enjoyed a standout 2025 as the Teaching Professional at Stonebridge Country Club in Boca Raton, Florida, and claimed his first Senior PGA Professional Player of the Year honor. The South Florida PGA Member totaled 845.83 points, narrowly finishing ahead of Bob Sowards of Powell, Ohio.
“It’s certainly a tremendous honor because there’s not many times in your life where you’re able to be in that type of position no matter who you are competing against,” says Hicks. “There are so many good players out there.”
The 51-year-old Hicks recorded a T-9 finish at the 2025 PGA Professional Championship in April at PGA Golf Club en route to a spot in the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club.
After competing in the U.S. Open at Oakmont in June, Hicks won the Senior PGA Professional Championship in October at PGA Golf Club, where he shot a final-round, 1-under-par 71 to finish at 8-under-par 280 and win by one.
For more details on the awards – and reaction from Polland, Changkija and Hicks – visit PGAmagazine.com.
