The Assistant PGA Professional Championship is set for Nov. 13-16 at PGA Golf Club, marking the 29th consecutive year the event will be played at the Port St. Lucie, Florida, property. But competitors will face a new challenge this year, as PGA Golf Club’s Dye Course will host the Championship for the first time since 2003.
In fact, the last time the Assistant PGA Professional Championship wasn’t held on the Wanamaker Course was 2006, when Brad Lardon won the event on PGA Golf Club’s Ryder Course. The 2003 Championship, won by Kyle Flinton, is the only time the event has been played on the Dye Course.
The course change for the 2025 Assistant PGA Professional Championship will bring a new wrinkle to the competition, especially for returning players like 2023 Champion Preston Cole.
“I love the idea of a difference for our national championship for assistants,” says Cole (pictured), a PGA of America Assistant Professional at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. “The Wanamaker and Dye courses are similar in that they’re both big courses that can jump up and bite you at any time.”
The Dye Course, designed by the legendary Pete Dye and opened in 2000, has a number of design touches influenced by golf courses of the British Isles. There are plenty of intimidating bunkers of various styles, as to be expected from a Dye layout, but the driving areas are generous. Where the routing differs most strongly from the Wanamaker Course is the presence of multiple holes with blind approach shots from the fairway.
“I think the Dye Course puts more of a premium on the short game, which suits my style of play,” Cole adds. “I think it will provide a great challenge and crown a worthy champion.”
Cole has plenty of experience in and around championship golf over the past few years. At the 2023 Assistant PGA Professional Championship, he punctuated an emphatic three-stroke victory by holing his approach shot on the Championship’s final hole. His wedge from 124 yards into the 18th green on the Wanamaker Course hit just short of the flag and bounced into the cup for a closing eagle, clinching the victory and earning him a spot in the 2024 PGA Professional Championship to go with the $12,500 winner’s check.
Cole’s attempt to defend his title last year came up just short, as he and Zac Oakley finished three strokes back of winner Domenico Geminiani at the 2024 Assistant PGA Professional Championship. Cole was with Geminiani and 2021 Champion Jin Chung in the first two rounds of the event, making for a memorable attempt at a title defense.
“Last year was a really special experience for me,” Cole says. “To come in and see my name on the wall and on signs as the defending champion was unbelievable.”
Now in his seventh year at Quail Hollow Club, Cole had the unique experience of helping the facility host the 2025 PGA Championship, won by Scottie Scheffler this past May, while also playing in the event. Cole qualified for the field through his finish at the 2025 PGA Professional Championship, and seeing the way the PGA of America conducted the PGA Championship gave him a greater appreciation of his own championship experiences at PGA Golf Club.
“The PGA of America staff did such a great job at Quail Hollow, and you see the same attention to detail at the Assistant PGA Professional Championship,” Cole says. “They make us feel so special while we’re there.”
The excitement of helping host the 2025 PGA Championship has already made this a special year for Cole, who credits Quail Hollow Club PGA of America Head Professional Scott Davenport for helping him grow as a player and PGA Professional.
“Scott values us teaching and coaching and working with members, but also makes sure we prioritize our own games,” says Cole, who recently won the Carolinas Assistant PGA Professional Championship. “I’m ready to take on the Dye Course, keep my head down and keep doing what I’ve been doing. There are going to be a lot of players on the course who have a real chance to win, and any time you get a chance to compete on a national stage you know you’re going to have to be a little bigger and better to get the job done.” —Don Jozwiak
