By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
Elon native John Somers played for the third year in a row in the PGA Championship, but the most-recent opportunity was something to savor more than the others.
“The best experience was just coming back to my home state,” Somers said after Friday’s second round at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte. “It’s a great accomplishment to do it, but it’s also just an unbelievable experience every time you do it. It doesn’t get old no matter how many you qualify for.”
Somers, a multi-time winner of the Alamance County Amateur, finished with special memories even though he didn’t make the cut after two rounds.
“All in all, it’s still great, just being out here competing on this golf course,” he said. “It’s truly the best test of golf. You get to see how your game stacks up with other club pros and also the elite of the elite.
“Every time you get out here, you battle being star-struck and also trying to figure out a golf course. You’re going to compete with the same people you see on TV all the time.”
[Story continues below special subscription offer.]
MORE LOCAL SPORTS NEWS THAN YOU’LL FIND ANYWHERE ELSE. SUBSCRIBE TODAY.
His two-round total of 9-over-par 151 put him tied for 124th place – a group that also included Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, and Justin Rose – among the 156 entrants. Somers hadn’t played on the course until tournament week.
He carded a first-round 75, playing the front side in 4 over before birdies on three of the first five holes on the backside. But a bogey on No. 15 and a double-bogey at No. 16 proved costly.
See earlier story on John Somers from last week: https://alamancenews.com/somers-holds-spot-in-pga-championship/
On Friday, he began on the 10th hole and he was 7 over through 15 holes before a birdie on the par-5 seventh hole and another birdie on the par-4 eighth. He ended on a par.
So going 2 under across the last three holes left a good feeling.
“Caught a flyer a little late,” he said. “Wish I kind of had that momentum to start the day. It’s definitely going to make dinner taste a little better.”
Somers graduated from Bartlett Yancey High School before becoming an Elon University standout.
Now, he’s the head pro at Southern Hills Plantation Club in Brooksville, Florida. He earned a spot in the PGA Championship field based on a top-20 finish in the PGA Professionals Championship in April.
“We are working in golf, getting people to play the game of golf and we’re going up against people who play this game for a living,” he said of the championship. “This is their job.”
Somers spent five seasons in Elon’s program, the first four under now-retired coach Bill Morningstar, the final one under current coach Don Hill.
Somers said he watched online as the Elon team won the Coastal Athletic Association championship in a playoff this spring and then again when the team competed earlier last week in the NCAA regionals. Elon women’s golf coach Chris Dockrill and family were on the scene at Quail Hollow to support Somers.
Nick Spencer, who attended Dillard Middle School with Somers before going to Clover Garden, watched Somers tee off Friday. He bought tickets about a year ago for the second around.
“Man, this is awesome,” Spencer said.
Somers said he had numerous friends and teammates from high school and college on site following his shots.
“I had a lot of people come down here to support me,” Somers said. “That’s easily the best part about it.”
His playing partners were Tyler Moore and David Puig. They were in the group behind international stars Luke Donald, the European Ryder Cup captain from England; Padraig Harrington of Ireland; and Martin Kaymer of Germany.
“Three legends of the game,” Somers said. “We saw them a bunch, too, because we’d catch them. Our group played pretty quick, so we were on their heels all the time.”
Somers turned 34 on the tournament’s opening day. His wife and two preschool children were among those in the gallery.
“It’s probably the best way you can spend a birthday, really,” he said. “Get to tee it up. Obviously, it’s very nerve-wracking, but you look back at it and you get to say you played your birthday in Round 1 of the 2025 PGA.”
