Cole, Haarlow, Cloots, Fisher, & Mayer Named Carolinas PGA Players of the Year
Greensboro, North Carolina (November 3, 2024) – Congratulations to the 2024 Carolinas PGA Players of the Year! These prestigious awards are presented to Carolinas PGA Professionals and Associates who have accumulated the most playing points during the 2024 season.
Preston Cole, PGA, an Assistant Professional from Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, NC, has been named the 2024 Bob Boyd Section Player of the Year. This award honors the legacy of 2007 CPGA Hall of Fame inductee Bob Boyd, a seven-time Player of the Year (1988, ’89, ’92, ’93, ’98, ’99, and 2002) and 22-time CPGA Major Championship winner. Cole excelled throughout the tournament season, competing in all five of the Section’s major events and earning top-10 finishes in four of them. His standout moment came with a victory at the 2024 Carolinas PGA Professional Championship, securing an exemption into a 2025 PGA Tour event. Additionally, Cole’s win at the 2023 National Assistant PGA Professional Championship earned him entry into the 2024 PGA Professional Championship in Frisco, Texas, where his eighth-place finish gave him a spot on the Corebridge Team of 20. This achievement granted him the incredible opportunity to compete in the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla – a major career milestone.
Chris Haarlow, PGA, a Teaching Professional at Precision Golf School, has been named the 2024 Tommy Card Senior Player of the Year. This award commemorates 1994 CPGA Hall of Fame inductee Tommy Card, a key figure in establishing the CPGA senior tournament program. Haarlow enjoyed a stellar 2024 tournament season, highlighted by his win at the Senior One Day event at Cedarwood Country Club in March. Haarlow’s consistency paid off, as he placed in the top six of every senior division event he entered. Chris finished sixth at the North Carolina Senior Open and second at the South Carolina Senior Open. Haarlow’s top 5 finish at the Senior Section Professional Championship landed him a spot in the Senior PGA Professional Championship at Sunriver Resort in Oregon, where he made the 54-hole cut.
Leslie Cloots, PGA, a Teaching Professional at UNC Finley in Chapel Hill, NC, has been named the 2024 Peggy Kirk Bell Women’s Player of the Year. This award honors 2013 CPGA Hall of Fame inductee Peggy Kirk Bell, a trailblazer in women’s golf and one of only two non-PGA Professionals inducted into the Carolinas PGA Hall of Fame. Cloots earned this recognition after a dominant 2024 season. She began with a strong fourth-place finish at the Players Championship at Berkeley Hall, followed by a victory at the Women’s Pro-Pro Championship at Country Club of Landfall alongside her partner, Kellie Edelblut. Cloots continued her excellent form, achieving a top 5 finish at the North Carolina Open and finishing in a tie for second at the 2024 Carolinas PGA Professional Championship, where she lost in a playoff.
Adam Fisher, PGA, an Assistant Professional at Carolina Country Club in Raleigh, NC, has been named the 2024 Assistants’ Association Player of the Year. The Assistants’ Association, a division of the Carolinas PGA Section, aims to mentor aspiring PGA Members and elevate the standards of CPGA Assistant Professionals. Fisher’s outstanding season included five top 5 finishes in Assistants’ Association events, highlighted by three wins. His second-place finish at the CPGA Assistant Championship earned him a spot in the National Assistant Professional Championship in Port St. Lucie, where he finished tied for 21st. Fisher also qualified for the 2025 PGA Professional Championship with a seventh-place finish at the CPGA Section Professional Championship.
The Johnny Palmer Trophy, awarded to the Section Member with the lowest stroke average across major events, was earned by Jon Mayer, PGA. Mayer achieved an impressive scoring average of 68.5 during the 2024 season. His accomplishments include victories at the 73rd South Carolina Open, presented by Nightingale’s Nursing, and the Rolex CPGA Match Play Championship. Mayer also competed at the 2024 PGA Professional Championship at PGA Frisco and the PGA Tour’s Myrtle Beach Classic at the Dunes Club.
These five individuals will be honored at the Player of the Year Awards Dinner during the E-Z-GO CPGA Pro-Pro Championship on Tuesday, December 3rd, at Pinehurst Resort.
About Carolinas PGA
Since its inception in 1923, the Carolinas PGA Section has been committed to nurturing and improving the quality of the game for the thousands of golfers using its member facilities. Now the largest of the PGA’s forty-one sections, the Carolinas PGA Section of the Professional Golfers’ Association boasts over 2,200 professional members and represents more than 700 golf facilities within North and South Carolina as well as portions of southern Virginia. Carolinas PGA Website: carolinas.pga.com
Media Contact
Collin Elphic, MBA | Director of Partnerships | celphic@pgahq.com | 336.265.2839