Jesse Droemer won the PGA Professional Championship at Bandon Dunes, leading 20 club pros into the 2026 PGA Championship.
Jesse Droemer is headed to the PGA Championship with a trophy, momentum and a story built for major championship week.
Droemer, representing the Southern Texas PGA section, won the 58th PGA Professional Championship at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon, finishing at 4-under 283 over 72 holes.
His one-shot victory over Southern Ohio’s Ben Kern secured the biggest win of his professional career and locked up a place in the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club.
The PGA Professional Championship annually sends the top 20 finishers to the PGA Championship, giving club professionals a rare shot on one of golf’s biggest stages.
This year, Droemer led that group after surviving a demanding week on the Oregon coast, where Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes tested every part of the field’s game.
Only seven players finished under par, which says plenty about the challenge. Droemer was one of the few who handled the conditions well enough to stay in red numbers, closing the job after finishing runner-up by 10 shots to Tyler Collet a year ago.
Collet also played his way back into the PGA Championship, finishing tied for fourth in his title defense. Recent champions Braden Shattuck and Ben Polland also finished inside the top 20, meaning the last four winners of the PGA Professional Championship will all be in the field at Aronimink.
The group also includes familiar names like Michael Block and Ryan Vermeer. Block, who became a fan favorite with his T15 finish at the 2023 PGA Championship, tied for 10th. Vermeer, the 2018 PGA Professional champion, finished tied for 18th.
Kern’s runner-up finish gives him another major chance after previously making the cut at the 2018 PGA Championship. Collectively, the 20 qualifiers bring experience, but history shows how tough the jump is.
Thirteen have played a PGA Championship before, yet the group has made just four cuts in 33 combined starts.
Outside the club pro qualifiers, Casey Jarvis, Travis Smyth and Kazuki Higa also earned PGA Championship spots through the International Federation Ranking.
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Droemer’s win, though, is the headline. Two weeks from now, he won’t just be representing Southern Texas.
He’ll be representing every teaching pro, club pro and grinder who dreams of turning one great week into a major championship opportunity.
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