Four STPGA Alumni Pave Their Way to Augusta!

Apr 01, 2024Southern Texas PGA

Cooper, Englemann, McMyler, and O’Keefe are ready to shine!

Spring, TX (APRIL 1, 2024) - This week Augusta National Golf Club and Champions Retreat Golf Club in Augusta, GA are hosting the 5th Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA), one of the top female amateur events in the world. It's an honor for the STPGA to see four of our former players earn an exemption into the event and compete against the world’s best amateurs. The four women include Hailee Cooper, Sadie Englemann, Emma McMyler, and Farah O'Keefe.




This event was initiated by Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National, in 2018 to inspire greater interest and participation in the women’s game by creating a new, exciting, and rewarding pathway for these players to fulfill their dreams. The event commences on Wednesday, April 3rd with the final round taking place at Augusta National Golf Club on Saturday, April 6th, the day before the Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals.



Hailee Cooper of Montgomery, TX played in the STPGA from 2011-2018 and has played for both the University of Texas and Texas A&M. As a freshman at the University of Texas in 2019, she earned First Team All-America honors, won two events, and represented the United States in the 2019 Arnold Palmer Cup.


Cooper was scheduled to compete in the 2021 ANWA but had to withdraw after testing positive for COVID-19. She has a long-standing relationship with PGA Teaching Professional EJ Kim at Axis Golf Academy, based at BlackHorse Golf Club, as her swing coach.


“I have been seeing him for 7 years now,” said Cooper, who has her name on almost every trophy in the STPGA Office. “He has been so great at helping me get my swing where it needs to be, but also helping me with the mental side of the game. EJ will be caddying for the event, and I couldn’t be more excited to have him on the bag.”


Sadie Englemann of Austin, TX played in the STPGA from 2012 to 2016 and competed in three of our Championships. She was a four-time Junior All-American in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2019 before committing to play at Stanford, where she is currently in her senior year. She has had amazing accomplishments highlighted by her first-place finish at the 2023 East Lake Cup and being a member of the National Championship team in 2022.


“I’m excited to see how my game has grown since I last played in this tournament my freshman year, and how my approach to both courses has changed,” said Englemann. “I am also very excited to see some of my best golf friends and take in the magic of Augusta together.”


Emma McMyler of San Antonio, TX played in the STPGA from 2011-2020 and won a total of 30 events over that time. She was San Antonio’s 2019 Junior Girls Player of the Year and qualified for the US Girls' Junior Championship that same summer. She played four years of collegiate golf at Xavier University and is continuing her education at Duke University where she currently plays.

Emma has always had golf in her family and a special relationship with her father, Brian McMyler, PGA of America Member and Teaching Professional at The Dominion Country Club in San Antonio, TX. Emma will make her Augusta National Women's Amateur debut with her dad right alongside.


“He has been my coach since I started playing golf,” said Emma. “I am excited to spend the week together and enjoy the entire experience.”


Farah O’Keefe of Austin, TX played in STPGA junior events from 2016 to 2023 and was a member of our Texas Junior Cup team in 2017. She has captured victories at the George Hannon Junior Invitational and Bluebonnet Championship with the Legends Junior Tour and qualified for the LPGA Volunteers of America Classic on the LPGA Tour in 2021 where she made the cut and finished in T56! 


She just began her freshman year at the University of Texas at Austin and has already been named Big 12 Golfer of the Month for February, named to the ANNIKA Award Watch List, and been invited to play in her first Augusta National Women’s Amateur.


“It sank in that all of my hard work had paid off and I was going to have an opportunity to play in one of the most prestigious amateur events in the world, at one of the most prestigious golf courses in the world,” said Farah. “My goal for the week is the same as any other tournament. I want to play the best golf I can, enjoy it, and remember to smell the roses, or in this case, the azaleas.”


The Southern Texas PGA takes pride in its alumni and is thrilled to witness their ongoing success. The first and second rounds of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur will be broadcast live on Golf Channel (1:30-3:30 p.m. ET) from Champions Retreat Golf Club. NBC Sports will produce and broadcast three hours (12:00-3:00 p.m. ET) of live final-round coverage of the event at Augusta National on Saturday, April 6th, and be sure to check out the DCP National Finals the next day where three current STPGA Junior Golfers will be competing.


Click Here to the ANWA Website.

Click Here to view the STPGA DCP Media Release.

By Southern Texas PGA 03 May, 2024
Spring, TX (MAY 3, 2024) – We had another great month on the Srixon Billiard Factory Prestige Tour with 3 more amazing tournaments! Thank you to all our awesome players and parents for continuing to help make the Prestige Tour the best in Texas! Good luck to all our players as they compete in their State Championship tournaments in the coming weeks, we love when our players have success at all levels! Prestige Tour Schedule Updates! In case you missed it our 2024 Summer Prestige Tour schedule is open! We had a couple of edits to the schedule, the Fore! Challenge will now be taking place at Delaware Springs Golf Course in Burnet, TX and will still be on May 29-30. The PGA Tour Superstore Summer Showdown will now take place on June 3-4 at Tapatio Springs Hill Country Resort in Boerne, TX. Click Here to view the 2024 Prestige Tour schedule and be ready to spend your Summer with the STPGA! Insperity Invitational Tour Championship We are less than 75 days out from the premier event of the year, the first annual Insperity Invitational Tour Championship for the Srixon Billiard Factory Prestige Tour! This once in a lifetime opportunity will take place at the Clubs of Houston Oaks on July 7-9. This long-awaited championship will showcase the best junior golfers the Southern Texas PGA has to offer, and the largest champion prize we have offered, a Battlefield Promotion onto the Legends Junior Tour! You can view the Invitation Breakdown to see how you can earn your spot! Ben Hogan Junior Cup Matches Do not miss out on your opportunity to represent Team STPGA at the 9 th Annual Ben Hogan Junior Cup Matches as we battle it out with the Northern Texas PGA in these Ryder Cup style matches. These esteemed Matches will once again take place at the prestigious Shady Oaks Country Club in Fort Worth, TX on August 5-6. Shady Oaks was once home to world renowned golfer Ben Hogan, the name sake of the matches, where he co-founded this pristine course with Texas Golf Hall of Famer, Marvin Leonard. There are still ample opportunity to claim your spot on the team and co can find out by viewing our exemption breakdown . Prestige Tour Player Tournament Status Update In an effort to continue to uphold the integrity of the game and to ensure players do not quit mid-round due to elective, non-emergency reasons, the Southern Texas PGA is updating the policy on player designations when a player is no longer an active participant in a tournament. If a player tees off to begin a tournament, they will now be classified under one of the following 4 designations should they no longer become an active participant in the tournament, Disqualified (DQ), Withdrawal (WD), No Show (NS) and No Card (NC). To view the full definition of these classifications, Click Here to view the full policy. Legends Junior Tour Performances We are excited for a great year on the Prestige Tour, but to also what all our junior golfers will accomplish at the next level. With a short break in April, we are looking forward to our players showing out at the Bluebonnet Championship, the next Legends Junior Tour event and an Invitational, on May 4-5 at Brownwood Country Club! Good luck to all our players competing! Thank You to Our Title Partners! With all the awesome achievements of our Srixon Billiard Factory Prestige Tour golfers we want to thank our many Partners without whom our incredible Tour would not be possible! Firstly, we want to thank Billiard Factory , who is a fantastic supporter of the Southern Texas PGA Junior Golf Program. Billiard Factory has amazing products and services for all your home entertainment furniture needs! Another big thank you to Srixon for providing our players with golf balls and other equipment to keep them at the top of their game! Always keep them in mind when looking to level up your game or when deciding which golf ball to play. Another big thank you to Veritex Bank , our title sponsor of the Lone Star Shootout. Veritex Bank is a community bank serving its customers with a full suite of banking products and services. Keep them in mind for all your banking and financial needs! Rules Corner On the May edition of Rules Corner, we will be talking about Provisional Balls. This is covered in Rule 18.3 in the Rules of Golf. A Provisional Ball is there to prevent a player from having to go all the way back to where their previous stroke was made when stroke and distance is their only option. You can play a Provisional Ball anytime you think your original ball may be lost outside a penalty area or Out of Bounds. If a ball is known or virtually certain to be in a Penalty Area, you would NOT be playing provisional, but instead taking your relief of stroke and distance. Remember, you MUST ALWAYS announce a provisional to one of the players in your group or to a Rules Official, if you do not you would be taking stroke and distance. You can continue to play your provisional as long it is not nearer the hole than where your original ball is believed to be. Once you play from closer to the hole, or your 3-minute search time is up for your original ball, your provisional is now your ball in play and you can no longer make a stroke at your original. Your Provisional MUST be abandoned once your original ball is found. Provisionals are there to help you save time and a walk back, so don’t forget to use them! You can find more information about the Rules for the Prestige Tour by reading the Hard Card , the STPGA Rules and Regulations , and the USGA Rules of Golf! Thank you again to all our players, parents, host facilities, and Sponsors! We are looking forward to a great rest of the year with fierce competition and low scores! Don’t forget to check the Prestige Tour Schedule for the rest of the year! As always, if we can ever be of assistance to you, please feel free to contact me via email ( mcoughlin@pgahq.com ) or phone (832-442-2300) or Connor Murphy via email ( cmurphy@pgahq.com ) or phone (832-442-2410)!
By Southern Texas PGA 29 Apr, 2024
KINGWOOD, TX (APRIL 27-28, 2024) - Eleven Champions were named at the 2024 Spring Championship at The Clubs of Kingwood (Forest Course). Champions were crowned from Junior Tour and Little Linksters. In addition to crowning our spring season champions, an incredible opportunity to qualify for the 13th Annual Texas Junior Cup team was also on the line this weekend for the Little Linksters.
By Southern Texas PGA 22 Apr, 2024
Kerrville, TX (April 20-21, 2024) - This past weekend the Srixon Billiard Factory Prestige Tour hosted the Heart of Texas Classic at Riverhill Country Club! The competition was close as they battled through the tough weather conditions, both champions rose above the rest to clinch their first-time Prestige Tour wins.
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HOUSTON, TX (April 13-14, 2024) - This past weekend the Srixon Billiard Factory Prestige Tour and Veritex Bank hosted the Veritex Bank Lone Star Shoot Out at Hearthstone Country Club! Congratulations to the first time boys and girls champions!
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