Met Golfer May 2026Clutch Performance

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On the RangeClutch PerformanceOld Westbury Golf & Country Club head pro Chris Gabriele finished in
dramatic fashion at the PGA Professional Championship to secure a spot in his first PGA Championship.By Andy Abrahams
With a chance to secure a spot to play in the PGA Championship on the line, Chris Gabriele sensed he could do something special. It was the final round of the PGA Professional Championship on April 29 at wickedly windy Bandon Dunes in Bandon, Ore., and the new head professional at Old Westbury Golf & Country Club on Long Island was 2-under heading into the final nine on the resort’s namesake course.
“My mindset shifted from not just making (the top 20) but trying to win the event,” says Gabriele, 30, who needed a top 20 finish to ensure a slot in the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club near Philadelphia May 14–17.
Five bogeys on the back, however, left him in danger of finishing outside the top 20, but he still had a positive mindset standing at 3-over on the tee of the par-5 18th, mentally preparing himself for a playoff for the final PGA spot. A good drive left him 263 yards out, and with playing in his first major championship on the line, he knocked a 3-wood into a heavy wind – “the best shot of my life” – to within 5 feet of the pin and sunk the putt for eagle, clinching his spot in the PGA by one shot.
“It was like when you were a kid, and you’re putting with your friends and you say, ‘This one’s going to win the Masters,’” says the 2018 Clemson University graduate in golf management who earned $13,308 for his T10 finish. “I’ve been waiting to make that putt for 20 years.”
Now Gabriele, whose first job out of college was as an assistant pro at Sleepy Hollow working under the club’s director of golf, David Young, looks forward to testing his talent against the best in the world, including his old boss’ son and 2026 Players Champion Cameron Young.
“I’ve known Cam since I was 15 and grew up playing with him in local tournaments in the area,” says Gabriele, who hopes to carry the confidence of his clutch play at Bandon to the PGA. “I’m going to set the bar high. I’d love to make the cut, but even just being there is all gravy. It’s just going to be an incredible experience.”

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