By Hank Gola
Six Met Area professionals recently garnered honors from the PGA of America and other groups, highlighted by Scott Paris, director of golf at Plainfield Country Club in Edison, N.J., as the PGA of America Golf Professional of the Year for 2025. It is the highest annual honor given to a PGA Professional, awarded for leadership, strong moral character, and a substantial record of service to the association and the game of golf.
“I’ve never pursued awards,” Paris says almost bashfully. “It’s a byproduct of working with a lot of great people and learning from a lot of great people. It’s not something I expected or worked towards.”
Paris, who came to Plainfield as head professional in 1997, was instrumental in the club hosting PGA Tour FedEx Cup Playoff events in 2011 and 2015 and in the awarding of three future USGA Championships, this year’s U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, the 2031 U.S. Senior Women’s Open, and the 2037 U.S. Senior Open. As a mentor, he helped 20 former Plainfield assistants achieve positions as either directors of golf or head professionals at facilities by providing interview training, objective goal setting, and career seminars.
Paris helped establish the First Tee of Plainfield in 2009, the first First Tee program at a private club. He helped implement the Evans Scholar Program at Plainfield and saw the facility’s first Evans Scholar named in 2023.
PGA of America Professional Development Award: Jacobs has presented at education, teaching and coaching summits throughout the Met Area and the world, sharing his findings on the intersection between the science of the swing and the art of teaching and coaching, personifying this award that recognizes a PGA of America member who displays commendable contributions to the education of PGA of America golf professionals.
Jacobs has taken hundreds of PGA of America members through his rigorous training program that integrates science and teaching, with his research capturing interest from the likes of Steve Elkington, Jason Dufner, and Padraig Harrington, who have visited Rock Hill to work with Jacobs.
Deacon Palmer Award: The posthumous award recognizes a PGA professional who “displays outstanding integrity, character, and leadership in the effort to overcome a major obstacle in their life. Maxfeldt, head professional at Birchwood for over 20 years, passed away last April after a seven-year battle with two cancers: leukemia and ocular.
Maxfeldt, a native of Nebraska, moved to the Met Area in 1989, working at Maidstone, Sunningdale, and Sleepy Hollow golf clubs before being hired as head pro at Salem Golf Club in 1995. She succeeded Michael Breed at Birchwood in 2003 and continued diligently while in and out of hospitals, surgeries, doctor appointments, and more.
PGA of America Merchandiser of the Year (Private Category): Ondo, last year’s Met Section Merchandiser of the Year and a member of the Met Section Board of Directors from 2016 to 2023, has developed a special relationship with the 600 golfing families at Apawamis. He runs more than 85 events a year, while his staff plays more than 100 rounds of golf with members and generates more than $400,000 in lesson revenue each season. Ondo also travels extensively with his members, providing exciting playing opportunities for them throughout the year.
Golf Range Association of America Top 100 Teaching Professional Award: Thoresz followed up her 2024 Met Section Teacher of the Year by being honored by the GRAA for the fourth time.
“I’m fascinated by how people learn, and it’s been my life’s work to figure out how to get people to do the things that we’re trying to get them to do,” she says. “It’s like a little puzzle for me to figure out what each person wants and how to get them to do something that’s A, really hard and B, that they’re probably not willing to put the work in for. But I've got to try and convince them to do that.”
Thoresz has quite the résumé. She was a working attorney for six years and was about to teach college-level mathematics when she detoured into the golf business in 2020. After teaching at Apawamis, she’s been at Quaker Ridge for three years, her intended home for the rest of her career.
Golf Business Network Member of the Year: Yaun, vice president of the Met Section, was honored at this year’s PGA Show in Orlando. The GBN is an organization of PGA professionals from elite private clubs. Yaun was singled out for his “exceptional leadership, unwavering commitment to excellence, and dedication to the game of golf have set a standard of professionalism within (the GBN’s) community.”
“It blew me out of the water,” Yaun admits. “When I got the call, I was in the airport with my wife, and at first she thought something was wrong. She’s like, ’Why do you have that face?’ Being acknowledged by my peers is arguably one of the bigger honors I’ve had in my professional career.”
At age 41, Yaun has had an accelerated path through the business.