SMITH, SOMERS AND GRAHAM ARE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SECTION PGA 2023 ROLEX PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
It’s not easy to be the “Player of the Year” in any sport. It takes dedication, mental fortitude, talent, and probably a little bit of luck along the way. The 2023 Rocky Mountain Section PGA Players of the Year are no exceptions. In fact, they are quite exceptional! The Section recognizes its players of the year in three categories: The Player of the Year, Women’s Player of the Year, and Senior Player of the Year. The Section wishes to thank ROLEX for their generous support with our events and our Players of the Year.
PGA Assistant Professional Spencer Smith, from Shooting Star in Teton Village, Wyoming, is the 2023 Player of the Year in the Rocky Mountain Section of the Professional Golfers’ Association of America. This marks the first time Smith has earned this award in our Section, and he did so by the narrowest of margins… only two points. Spencer used his victory in our most significant event, the Section Championship, and a 14th place finish in a deep field at the Idaho Open to garner enough points to earn Player of the Year honors. It is worth mentioning that he won the Pro-Pro Shootout with a partner and finished T-3 in the Section Assistant Championship as well. While those events don’t earn Player of the Year points, it still shows his level of consistent excellence throughout the 2023 season.
Consistency is a model attribute for success and Katie Somers wears that badge as well as anyone in our Section. Somers, the PGA Director of Instruction at River Birch Golf Course in Star, Idaho, finished in a tie for 24th place in a field of 59 in the Section Championship. Somers’ steady play in the Section’s premier event captured her enough points to win a sixth straight Women’s Player of the Year Award. She too had an excellent T-6 finish with a partner in our Fall Pro-Pro that doesn’t earn points but still shows season-long fine play.
RMSPGA members aged 50 and older compete for Senior Player of the Year honors and the 2023 winner is 67-year-old John Graham, the ageless PGA Head Professional from Sand Creek Golf Course in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Graham finished 2nd in Senior Pro-Am winnings, T-2 in the Senior Section Championship, and he won the Snake River Chapter Senior Match Play Championship. John is another model of amazing consistency over time. This latest award will fit nicely on his wall with his 2010 Player of the Year Award.
Smith, Somers, and Graham will formally receive their Player of the Year awards in May of 2024 at the Rocky Mountain Section PGA Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony.