Park Meadows Country Club’s Assistant PGA Professional Evan Wartgow shot a final round of 74 to finish the 49th national Assistant PGA Professional Championship in the runner-up spot at 3-under 285 at PGA Golf Club.
“I didn’t have a lot of expectations coming in,” Wartgow said. “I’ve been playing good golf through the fall, but we don’t get to play many rounds in the winter in Utah. I feel really good about it.”
Wartgow shot rounds of 71-68-72 and 74 for 285 total. It was the first time the championship was played on the Dye Course instead of the Wanamaker. The Dye, designed by Hall of Fame architect Pete Dye played 7,193 yards for the men and 6,097 for the women.
Sandra Changkija, a former LPGA Tour player who is an Assistant PGA Professional at Lake Nona, finished at 8-under 280 to become the first woman to ever to win the annual championship played at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
“She didn’t miss a whole lot of shots,” Wartgow said. “She drove it awesome and long. She’s very, very long off the tee, but she never put herself in trouble. You can tell she’s performed under pressure, and she’s great at it.”
Changkija earned the $17,800 champion’s check and a spot in next year’s PGA Professional Championship. The top four, including Wartgfow, advanced to next year’s Assistant PGA Professional Championship.
Click here for the final leaderboard.
Photos by Austen Amacker/PGA of America