PGA of America Member Kyle Siegel is taking his game to the next level this week.
Siegel, an Assistant Golf Professional at Beaver Meadows Golf Club, is in Florida to compete in the National Car Rental Assistant PGA Professional Championship. He is the lone Central New York PGA representative at the four day, 72-hole stroke play tournament at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie.
Qualifying for the Assistant PGA Professional Championship was an important achievement for Siegel, who is making his first appearance in the event that begins Nov. 14.
“Qualifying for this tournament is always at the top of my goals for the year, so our sectional qualifier is one of my favorite events of the year,” the 32-year-old Siegel said. “It is an honor to represent the CNY Section. I have a lot of respect for the past qualifiers from our Section.”
Siegel’s grateful for the support of his family to have the opportunity to be among the 132 players from across the country at the tournament. He’s been participating in the practice rounds at the PGA Golf Club to get a feel for the course this week.
“I am very thankful for my wife who is taking care of my 18-month-old son while I’m gone for a week!” he said.
The National Car Rental Assistant PGA Professional Championship is Nov. 14-17. The field includes PGA of America Assistant Professionals (A-8 membership classification) or registered Assistant Professional Associates (B-8 classification) who earned berths through their local PGA Sections. There will be cut to the low 70 players and ties after two rounds.
We caught up with Siegel, of Williamstown, and got his perspective on playing in the National Car Rental Assistant PGA Professional Championship. Here’s what he had to say:
What he’s looking forward to the most: I’m most looking forward to a potential four-day tournament! It’s been a long time since I’ve competed in a Thursday – Sunday event and having a chance to play on the weekend makes it feel like a Tour event. I last competed here at Mackenzie Tour (Canadian Tour) Q school back in 2017, so I’m very excited to see how my game holds up compared to how I was playing while living in south Florida.
What has surprised him the most since he arrived: The weather has surprised me so far! Wind has been blowing close to 30 mph, so it’ll be interesting to see if it continues throughout the tournament. 85-degrees and humid is slightly different than what I’ve been used to the past couples months.
His impressions of the course heading into competition: Course conditions are very tough, as they should be for a national championship. I spoke with one of the rules officials and they are still recovering from the most recent hurricanes. Some areas are very wet and soggy, causing embedded balls and mud balls. Chipping is already very tricky on Bermuda grass, and wet Bermuda is even trickier! Greens are fast and firm though, so any weakness in your short game will be exposed.