BOWLING GREEN, KY (October 28, 2026) – Team KPGA won the 2026 Coomer Cup on Wednesday at The Club at Olde Stone, defeating Team Kentucky Golf Association 80-70 in the annual 27-hole competition between the state’s top PGA professionals and amateurs. The victory is the professionals’ first in the event since 2015 and their first since it was renamed the Coomer Cup in 2022, ending the KGA’s 10-year hold on the Cup.

“Great group of guys, great team, had a great plan, and it all sort of worked out,” said Team KPGA captain Charles Whelan, PGA.

The day stayed close through the first 18 holes. The professionals won the opening scramble session 26-24, taking three of the five matches.

• Zach Haynes, PGA & Matt McCrady, PGA def Kevin Waldie & Greg Laswell 3&1 (7-3)
• Mitchell Moore, PGA & CJ Jones def Justin Tereshko & Matt Epperson 1UP (6-4)
• Nathan Hincks, PGA & John Mullendore, PGA def Alex Wright & Luke Bryant 2&1 (6-4)
• Denver Haddix & Davis Boland def Dan Utley, PGA & Kyle Smith 2&1 (6.5-3.5)
• Ben Kendrick & Rafe Blakenship def Daniel Iceman, PGA & Brad Maynard, PGA 2&1 (6.5-3.5)

The KGA took the Chapman alternate shot session 25.5-24.5 to keep the match within a single point.

• Justin Tereshko & Matt Epperson def Mitchell Moore, PGA & CJ Jones 5&3 (8-2)
• Alex Wright & Luke Bryant def Nathan Hincks, PGA & John Mullendore, PGA 3&2 (7-3)
• Zach Haynes, PGA & Matt McCrady, PGA def Kevin Waldie & Greg Laswell 5&3 (9.5-0.5)
• Denver Haddix & Davis Boland def Dan Utley, PGA & Kyle Smith 2&1 (6.5-3.5)
• Daniel Iceman, PGA & Brad Maynard, PGA def Ben Kendrick & Rafe Blakenship 2&1 (6.5-3.5)

Tereshko and Epperson won four straight holes from 12 through 15, and Wright and Bryant won holes 12 and 13 before closing out their match on the 16th hole. Haddix and Boland won the first two holes of the nine and held on for their second win of the day.

The professionals kept pace behind two of the day’s strongest efforts. Haynes and McCrady won eight consecutive holes, 11 through 18, to take 9.5 of the 10 available points, the highest total of any match on the day. Iceman and Maynard won three holes, including the 17th, to earn their win.

That left Team KPGA ahead 50.5-49.5 heading into the final nine.

The four-ball session decided the Cup. The professionals won it 29.5-20.5 and did not lose a match.

• Nathan Hincks, PGA & John Mullendore, PGA def Justin Tereshko & Matt Epperson 1UP (6-4)
• Alex Wright & Luke Bryant halved with Mitchell Moore, PGA & CJ Jones (5-5)
• Daniel Iceman, PGA & Brad Maynard, PGA def Denver Haddix & Davis Boland 2UP (6.5-3.5)
• Dan Utley, PGA & Kyle Smith def Kevin Waldie & Greg Laswell 4&2 (7-3)
• Ben Kendrick & Rafe Blakenship halved with Zach Haynes, PGA & Matt McCrady, PGA (5-5)

Hincks and Mullendore won three of the first five holes against Tereshko and Epperson and held a 1UP lead the rest of the way. Utley and Smith built a 4-up lead through seven holes against Waldie and Laswell and closed out a 4&2 win. Iceman and Maynard were all square with Haddix and Boland through seven holes before winning the final two for a 2UP victory, the only loss of the day for the KGA pair.

The amateurs fought for every half point down the stretch. Wright and Bryant won the seventh hole to square their match with Moore and Jones, and both sides halved the final two holes. Kendrick and Blankenship won the last hole to earn a half against Haynes and McCrady, who finished the day unbeaten with two wins and a halve.

Whelan, who also captained the KPGA in 2024 when he filled in for Chad Martin, PGA, said this year he prepared differently.

“In 2024, I was filling in for Chad, and I really had no idea what I was doing,” Whelan said. “I didn’t know the players that well, didn’t know the format that well. So that sort of prepared me. I did a little research this time, went back and looked at the last three years of matches and tried to come up with some solid pairings.”

For Team KGA captain Phil Armbruster, the event remains about more than the result.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to get the top professionals and the top amateurs in the state together,” Armbruster said. “Have a very competitive event, but with a lot of camaraderie and a lot of fun.”

Armbruster has been part of the event since its days as the Challenge Cup and was quick to credit his players.

“It’s so much fun to be associated with these great players,” Armbruster said. “I don’t hit a shot. I don’t do a thing. But it’s just fun to be a part of it. It’s fun to be associated with them. It’s fun to pull for them.”

The Coomer Cup honors Bill Coomer, PGA, who served Golf House Kentucky for 26 years as Director, Amateur-Professional Competitions. Armbruster called the 2022 decision to rename the event in Coomer’s honor “probably one of the best ideas Golf House Kentucky’s ever had.”

“Bill Coomer is such an important part of the legacy of Golf House Kentucky. He did so much for golf in the state,” Armbruster said. “I hope this goes on for a very long time, because he’s a great man. He did so many good things, and it’s wonderful that we’re recognizing all that with this Coomer Cup.”

Whelan pointed to the day’s host as an example of what the state has to offer.

“Golf in Kentucky is booming. There’s a lot of great instructors. There’s a lot of great courses,” Whelan said. “I mean, look at this facility, Olde Stone. It’s immaculate. Golf in Kentucky is a very well-kept secret, and it shouldn’t be.”

For the professionals, the win ends a wait that stretched back to 2015 and puts the KPGA’s name on the Coomer Cup for the first time. After coming within a single putt of the Cup at Valhalla a year ago, Whelan’s team finished the job at Olde Stone, and the Cup will spend the next year with the KPGA. 

Golf House Kentucky thanks The Club at Olde Stone for hosting and Levelwear for presenting the 2026 Coomer Cup.

Full results: https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/5759060

View all the photos from the 5th Coomer Cup here.

2026 TEAM KPGA

Captain: Charles Whelan, PGA

Zach Haynes, PGA
Daniel Iceman, PGA
John Mullendore, PGA
CJ Jones
Nathan Hincks, PGA
Kyle Smith
Matt McCrady, PGA
Brad Maynard, PGA
Dan Utley, PGA
Mitchell Moore, PGA

2026 TEAM KGA

Captain: Phil Armbruster

Denver Haddix
Justin Tereshko
Ben Kendrick
Matt Epperson
Alex Wright
Kevin Waldie
Rafe Blakenship
Luke Bryant
Davis Boland
Greg Laswell

About the KPGA

The Kentucky PGA (KPGA) is one of the 41 sections that comprise The PGA of America. Formed in 1925, the Kentucky PGA has a professional membership of more than 350 men and women professionals across the Commonwealth of Kentucky, each of whom is dedicated to promoting the game in Kentucky. The Kentucky PGA is dedicated to the promotion of the game of golf and providing ongoing education and professional development of Kentucky PGA Professionals. Kentucky PGA Professionals are responsible for conducting a variety of golf-related functions, which include general management, golf instruction, tournament operations, golf shop merchandising, junior golf programs, golf club repair, and much more. The KPGA is a founding member of Golf House Kentucky, the umbrella organization that manages Kentucky’s Family of Golf Organizations.

About the KGA

The Kentucky Golf Association (KGA) is the official governing body for amateur golf in the Commonwealth, as recognized by the United States Golf Association (USGA). Established in 1911, the KGA is a full-service organization representing more than 120 member golf courses across Kentucky. Led by a volunteer Board of Directors composed of course representatives from throughout the state, the KGA plays a vital role in promoting, supporting, and growing the game of golf in Kentucky. It is also a founding member of Golf House Kentucky, the umbrella organization for Kentucky’s Family of Golf Organizations. As an Allied Golf Association of the USGA, the KGA is responsible for a wide range of services, including managing the World Handicap System, conducting course ratings, providing expertise on the Rules of Golf, running competitive tournaments and USGA qualifiers, and enhancing the visibility and branding of golf throughout the Commonwealth.