Alex Beach, a 2012 Nebraska graduate who earned a degree in PGA golf management, is playing in the PGA Championship Aug. 10-13 at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. This is the first major tournament Beach has qualified for in his career.
Beach, a native of Stillwater, Minnesota, is an assistant golf professional at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey. He qualified for the tournament by finishing tied for ninth in the PGA Professional Championship in Oregon in June. The top 20 competitors in a field of 312 PGA professionals qualify for the major.
Beach teed off at Quail Hollow with Sean O’Hair and Kevin Na, who are both in the top 100 ranking of golfers worldwide. In the first round of the PGA Championship on Aug. 10, Beach shot an 8-over-par 79 to tie for 127th with Phil Mickelson and nine others.
All of the 156 golfers in this year’s tournament are PGA members. Beach earned his membership by graduating from Nebraska’s golf management program. After participating in a player development program, passing a playing ability test and completing required PGA coursework, students in the program become eligible for Class A PGA membership upon graduation.
“We tip our hat to Alex for his dedication to elevating his golf game,” said Brad Goetsch, PGA golf management instruction coordinator at Nebraska. “We focus on developing professional skills through academics but the sky is truly the limit with the PGA membership obtained through our program, and Alex playing in a major tournament is proof of that.”
Beach will not be the only person with ties to Nebraska’s golf management program at Quail Hollow. Current student Vincent Bachteler will shadow a rules official during the tournament. After completing a test featuring various golf situations and rules, Bachteler was one of two students selected out of several hundred nationwide.
“I think this will be one of the best experiences to help me grow as a future PGA professional,” Bachteler said. “I have had so many wonderful experiences through the PGM program because of the amazing staff and resources available to me, and I am excited to share my experiences with current and future students.
