Last week, Michael Block’s story was the highlight of golf. Another club pro has his big moment this week.
Cameron Doan is the director of Preston Trail Golf Club, Dallas, since 1999. This week, he is playing in his first major at the Senior PGA Championship. The event is being held at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco near Frisco, Texas. Doan was given the honor to hit the opening drive. He then posted an opening round of even-par 72.
Doan, winner of the 2018 Bill Strausbaugh award, participated in over 10 PGA Professional National Championships without qualifying for PGA Championship before turning 50. He tried to qualify for Senior PGA four different times at the Senior PGA Professional Championship, but never finished in the top 35. He came close to the elusive major twice, both times by just a few shots.
Doan asked, “You wonder when you will be my age?”
Doan told PGA.com that he had been working towards playing in a major for over 40 years. I want to prove to my students, staff, and children that they can achieve their goals. “You can achieve your goals if you set them, work hard to achieve them and are determined.”
The 2022 qualifier was held in New Mexico at the Twin Warriors and Santa Ana Golf Clubs, where Doan was raised. Doan, who is from Silver City in New Mexico, learned to play the game on a nine hole course where his father was the head professional and course superintendent.
He said, “During the summers the course was my babysitter and mine for my younger brother.”
He finished T-3 at his home tournament to earn a place in his first major of the week.
“I’ve been chasing this for a very long time. He said, “It’s great to have caught it.”
Mark Harrison, CEO of North Texas PGA, caddied on the first green for Doan to help him start the Championships with a par.
Doan said: “The first time I called Harrison, I said, ‘Allright, you’re on for the first shot’.” “When I went hunting in New Mexico in October last year, he flew in, showed up Sunday on the final round, and came walking up on the eighth fairway while it was blowing 30 degrees and cold.”
Harrison said, “It was incredible, better than I could have imagined,” after Doan’s son Tristan took the bag and caddied the remainder of the round. “And for him to hit it on the screw, that was incredible.”
