Kent State Golfers On PGA Tour include Corey Conners, Taylor Pendrith, Mackenzie Hughes, Ben Curtis, Jon Mills, Ryan Yip and more.
Kent State has one of the finest golf programs in the United States of America, with a history dating back to 1934. They have appeared in the NCAA Championship 37 times and achieved good results over the years.
The team also participates in the Mid-American Conference championship where they have won 27 first positions and numbers top 10 positions since they started competing in the year 1952.
Kent State famous alumni including Jon Mills, Ben Curtis, and Mackenzie Hughes have all bagged the number one position victory for the team at the Mid-American Conference championship. The college golf program secured its first victory in 1954 with Danny Forlani.
Kent state golf course is an 18-hole 70 par located just a few minutes from the main campus in Ohio. It has a total length of 5810 yards and consists of 113 slopes.
Kent golfers have played in numerous tournaments after completing their college-level golf careers. Some have played on PGA Tour, PGA Tour Canada, and Web.com Tour, among others.
1. Corey Conners - 31 Years Old
Corey Conners is a former Kent State player who now competes in PGA Tour. Conners has two PGA Tour wins and has played in 161 events.
The 31-year-old pro golfer was born in Listowel, Ontario, Canada, on January 6, 1992, and represents Canada in sporting events. However, Conners has called Jupiter, Florida, his home for many years now, where he lives there with his wife Malory Conners.
Conners joined Kent State in 2010 and played the 2010-2011 season as a freshman representing the Golden Flash. He played in 10 events averaging 75.30 strokes per event in his first year and played with the team in the 2011 NCAA Division 1.
He scored 71.74 strokes on average in his sophomore year appearing in 12 events. He finished in 17th position at NCAA Sugar Grove Regional in his senior year in the 2013-2014 season before turning professional in 2015.
Conners turned professional in 2015 competing in PGA Tour, he has won two events and has appeared in 161 total events. Both of Conner's PGA Tour wins come from Valero Texas Open where he won in 2019 and 2023.
2. Taylor Pendrith - 32 Years Old
Taylor Pendrith played golf for Kent State Golden Flashes between 2010 and 2014. Pendrith now plays on the PGA Tour and has made 53 appearances so far.
Kent State Golf Team Golden Flashes consisted of Taylor and Corey at the same time between 2010 and 2014. Taylor is a Canadian professional golfer born on May 30, 1991, in Richmond Hill, Ontario. He represents Canada in international golfing events.
In his freshman year, Taylor was among the top finishers for Golden Flashes in the 2011 NCAA East Regional averaging 75.26 strokes per round. In his sophomore year, Taylor was named First Team All-MAC and helped his team with six top-ten finishes. He completed his college career by achieving T-69 at NCAA Championships in 2014.
The golfer turned professional the same year in 2014 and played extensively in PGA Tour Canada the following year in 2015. He started playing in PGA Tour in the 2020-2021 season and has made 53 appearances without a professional tour win so far.
3. Mackenzie Hughes - 32 Years Old
Mackenzie Hughes is a former Kent State Golden Flash golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour. Hughes has made 186 appearances with 2 career wins so far.
Hughes was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, on November 23, 1990, making him a Canadian national. He represents Canada in international golf events and has played in PGA Tour Canada previously.
Mackenzie played for Golden Flashes between 2008 and 2012. He was named MAC Freshman of the Year in the 2008-09 season and played in 13 events averaging 75.1 per round. He elevated to First Team All-MAC in his sophomore year and received KSU Academic Athletic Excellence Award in his junior year.
Hughes turned professional in 2012 and played for eGolf Professional Tour and PGA Tour Canada, missing the cut for both events. He first played on PGA Tour in the 2016–17 season and has since appeared in 186 events and has won two events. He has won a total sum of over $13 million from PGA Tour alone.
However, he did not compete at the John Deere Classic PGA Tour event in 2023.
4. Ben Curtis - 46 Years Old
Ben Curtis is a former Kent State Golden Flash golfer who currently plays in the PGA Tour. Curtis has 4 career wins in 290 events appearances on the PGA Tour.
Curtis was born on May 26, 1977, in Columbus, Ohio, making him a United States national. He currently represents the United States of America in international sporting events and tournaments.
Curtis played for Golden Flash between 1996 and 2000, where he earned name and fame for himself. Moreover, Ben is also a 2006 Hall of Fame inductee in Kent State University's sports division.
Some of his achievements over the years include three-time All-American and four-time All-MAC, 1997 MAC Freshman of the Year, MAC Player of the Year, and many more.
Ben earned his PGA Tour card in 2003 after turning professional three years earlier in 2000. He has made an impressive 290 events appearances in PGA Tour and has bagged four sweet victories so far in his career. His total winnings from PGA Tour alone amount to $13,779,910.
5. Jon Mills - 45 Years Old
Jon Mills is a former Kent State Golden Flash golfer and currently their Men's Head Golf Coach since 2019. Mills played 70 PGA events without a win.
Mills was born on March 6, 1978, in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The Canadian national always played bearing the red and white Canadian flag in international golfing events and tournaments.
Jon played for Golden Flash between 1998 and 2002, among his numerous accolades during his collegiate golf career, Jon was the only Kent State golfer to earn First Team All-American, and he was also a two-time All-American, and MAC Freshman of the Year in 1998.
Mills joined PGA Tour for the first time in 2006 but had ups and downs leading him to lose his PGA card only to regain it later. Although Mills appeared in 80 PGA Tour events in his career, he never managed to win a single event.
However, John has a career earning of $576,811 from his appearances and low finishes on the PGA Tour. He played on Web.com Tour as well. Now, Jon has retired from professional golf and is enjoying a career as coach.
6. Ryan Yip - 38 Years Old
Ryan Yip is a Kent State Golden Flash alum currently playing in the Web.com Tour. Yip played three events on the PGA Tour previously.
The 38-year-old athlete was born on December 7, 1984, in Calgary, Alberta. Yip currently resides in Ohio as he is an assistant coach at his alma mater Kent State but his Sporting nationality remains Canada.
Yip played for the Golden Flash team between 2003 and 2007, where he was an All-MAC First Team performer for all of his four years, he was awarded MAC Freshman of the Year in 2003 and he received 2005 Co-MAC Golfer of the Year. He won three events during his collegiate golf career.
He started at PGA Tour Canada in 2007 after turning professional the same year. According to his PGA Tour profile, Ryan has made three tour event appearances without a victory and won $55,889 prize money.
7. Bryan DeCorso - 52 Years Old
Bryan DeCorso is a former Kent State Golden Flash golfer and Hall of Fame Inductee. DeCorso played in six events on the PGA Tour.
DeCorso was born in Guelph, Ontario, Canada on May 29, 1971, making him 52 years old as of 2023. Although his sporting county is Canada, he has called Windermere, Florida his home for the past several years where he resides with his wife Charlotte.
Bryan played for Kent State between 1991 and 1995. He was the captain of the Golden Flash golf team in 1995 and earned numerous awards and accolades during his college career. GCAA All-America Scholar, MAC Player of the Year, MAC Sportsman of the Year, and medalist at the 1995 MAC championships are to name a few.
DeCorso played 6 events on the PGA Tour but never won any of the events. His total career earnings remain at $10,600 on the tour according to his profile on PGA Tour.
8. Karl Zoller - 59 Years Old
Karl Zoller is an alumnus of Kent State University Men's Golf program. Zoller competed in two PGA tour events after his college golf career.
Zoller was born on August 30, 1963, in Cleveland, Ohio, making him 59 years old. The former professional golfer competed extensively on Nationwide Tour and a few events on PGA Tour in his professional career after turning pro in 1986.
Karl played for Golden Flash between 1982 and 1985. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame at Kent State University in 1996. Among his numerous achievements, All-Mid-American Conference in 1983, 1984, and 1985, MAC Medalist, and 1984 MAC Team Championship finalist are to name a few.
Although Zoller played two events on PGA Tour, according to his PGA bio, Karl was not able to bag a victory. His career earnings from PGA Tour remain at $2,638. His son Taylor has followed in Karl's footsteps and joined Kent State University Men's Golf program.
9. David Morland IV - 54 Years Old
David Morland IV is an alumnus of the Kent State University Golf Program. Morland played the PGA Tour, European Tour, and National Tour after Kent State.
Morland was born on April 3, 1969, in North Bay, Ontario, Canada, making him 54 years old Canadian professional golfer as of 2023. He played college Golf for Kent State Golden Flash between 1988 and 1991.
David turned professional in 1991 and won his first major event in 1999 after bagging a sweet victory at McDonald's Prince Edward Island Challenge while playing on the Canadian Tour. He gained a place on PGA Tour in 2000 and played 125 events in his career.
Unfortunately, Morland never secured a victory in the PGA tour but he made one top 5 finish and 3 top 10 finishes in his career. He earned a sum of $840,347 from PGA Tour for his wins. David now plays in European Senior Tour after securing a seat in 2020.
10. John Hahn - 34 Years Old
John Hahn previously played for the Golden Flash Men's Golf team at Kent State University. Hahn has played in two events on the PGA Tour.
Hahn was born on February 6, 1989, in Columbus, Ohio, making him 34 years old American professional golfer as of 2023. His sporting country is also the United States of America as he is a native of Ohio, USA.
John played for Kent State from 2007 until 2011. As a freshman, he played as part of the First Team All-MAC, MACAll-Tournament, and also received Freshman of the Year in 2007.
He received KSU Academic Athletic Excellence Award in his sophomore year, GCAA Honorable Mention All-American in his junior year, and Merle Wagoner Award in his senior year.
Hahn was named in First Team All-MAC, MACAll-Tournament, GCAA All-MidwestRegion, and GCAA PING Honorable MentionAll-American, among others in all of his four years at Kent State University.
Although he played two events at PGA Tour, he now plays at the Challenge Tour as of 2023. Oklahoma Golfers also have a successful presence on PGA Tour.
Likewise, the best golf courses in Kent include Royal St George's Golf Club, International Course, London Golf Club, Chart Hills Golf Club, and many more. However, the Kent State course does not rank far behind as it is also spectacular.
