Houston’s Royal Oaks to Host 33rd Texas Joe Black Cup

The Texas Joe Black Cup Matches, an annual Ryder Cup-style event featuring golf professionals from the Southern Texas and Northern Texas Sections of the PGA of America, will be contested October 28-29 at Royal Oaks Country Club.

The Southern Texas PGA team won the 1981 inaugural tournament, held at Houston’s Westwood Country Club, by a 15-9 margin. The NTPGA won the most recent renewal of the competition at Brook Hollow Country Club last fall. With that victory, the NTPGA took a slim lead in the overall series— the NTPGA has won 16 times, the STPGA has won 15 times, and there has been one tie. The Southern Texas PGA will have the chance to even the score next week when they host the 33rd Annual Texas Joe Black Cup Matches at Royal Oaks Country Club in Houston.

Membershipsof both 2013 teams have now been named. The Southern Texas PGA team will be led by Captain Charlie Epps and Vice Captains Gordon Johnson, Head Golf Professional at Houston Country Club, and Billy Harmon, Director of Instruction at Toscana Country Club. The professionals who played their ways onto the team via the Section’s tournament-based points’ competition are:

Chad Donegan (Director of Golf, Landa Park Municipal, New Braunfels)

Darrell Fuston (Director of Golf, The Clubs of Kingwood, Humble)

Tony Johnson (Head Golf Professional, The Club at Comanche Trace, Kerrville)

Brad Lardon (Director of Golf, Miramont Country Club, Bryan)

Ryan Polzin (Head Golf Professional, Royal Oaks Country Club, Houston)

Troy Schleicher (Head Golf Professional, Willow Creek Country Club, Spring)

Billy Sitton (Executive of Triumph Golf, Houston)

Wes Skaggs (Head Golf Professional, Crystal Falls Golf Club, Leander)

Matt Trevino (Head Golf Professional, Riverhill Country Club, Kerrville)

David Von Hoffmann (Director of Golf, Spanish Oaks, Bee Cave)

Joining them will be STPGA President David Altemus (General Manager, Royal Oaks Country Club, Houston) and Captain’s PickKen McDonald (Head Golf Professional, BraeBurn Country Club, Houston).

The Northern Texas PGA will be led by Captain David Price, the Head Golf Professional at Bent Tree Country Club in Dallas and Vice Captain Ronny Glanton, Head Golf Professional at Sherrill Park Golf Course in Richardson and includes the following professionals who gained team membership through points’ earnings:

Patrick Buhrmann (Head Golf Professional, Abilene Country Club, Abilene)

Cameron Doan (Head Golf Professional, Preston Trail Golf Club, Dallas)

Paul Earnest (Director of Golf, Four Seasons Resort and Club, Las Colinas)

Clayton Friend (Director of Golf, Diamond Oaks Country Club, Fort Worth)

Billy Harris (Head Golf Professional, Dallas Country Club, Dallas)

Jason Hase (Director of Golf, San Angelo Country Club, San Angelo)

Adam Headley (Head Golf Professional, Hillcrest Country Club, Lubbock)

Dean Larsson (Head Golf Professional, Royal Oaks Country Club, Dallas)

Greg Sikes (Head Golf Professional, Hogan Park Golf Course, Midland)

John Sikes (Director of Golf, Hollytree Country Club, Tyler)

Rounding out the NTPGA team are Captain’s Pick Casey Paulson (General Manager, The Vaquero Club, Westlake) and NTPGA President Philip Bleakney (Director of Golf, The Golf Club of Dallas, Dallas).

The teams will convene at Royal Oaks Country Club for practice rounds, opening ceremonies and the Texas Joe Black Cup Matches Dinner on October 27th. The 2013 competition will kick off with six four-ball and six foursome matches on October 28th, followed by a dozen singles matches on October 29th. The Southern Texas PGA must win 12.5 points (each match produces a total of one point) to win the Texas Joe Black Cup. The Northern Texas PGA must earn 12 points to retain the Cup.

The Texas Joe Black Cup Matches were established to honor Texas native Joe Black, who was then completing his first term as president of the PGA of America. A key figure in the history of the PGA and both the Northern and Southern Texas Sectionsof the PGA of America, Black is a member of the PGA of America Hall of Fame as well as the Texas Golf Hall of Fame. He remains active in golf and currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Texas Golf Hall of Fame, which he helped re-establish and relocate to San Antonio’s historical Brackenridge Park Golf Course.