ASSISTANTS CHAMPIONSHIP
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Write-Up Provided by Rick Pledl of Wisconsin.Golf
Max Hosking admits that prior to this season his golf game – his golf life, really – had reached a crossroads of sorts, as the 36-year-old professional had not played serous tournament golf for a few seasons. But he refocused and rededicated himself to the sport he loves going into 2026, and on Monday he claimed another state championship event.
Hosking won the Wisconsin Assistant PGA Professional Championship on Monday afternoon at The Bull in Sheboygan Falls by five strokes. The 36-hole event includes two shotgun-start rounds in a single day.
Hosking, a Verona resident who works in the TaylorMade Player Development Center at the Madison Nevada Bob’s location, is now enmeshed in the PGA of America curriculum, and he plans to play more state golf events again. But it could have gone either way.
“I decided I wanted to make an effort this year to really play some tournament golf and test myself against some of these same guys I’ve been playing against my whole life.”
“It was either play golf seriously and get after it with the goal of becoming (PGA of America) Class A professional in the future, or else kind of stop playing golf,” Hosking said of the choice he faced before the season. “I was in a weird place with my game the last couple years – sort of having too much fun and not taking it seriously, and it just seemed like my wheels were spinning a little bit. I wasn’t pushing myself.”
After discussing the options last winter with his wife, Hosking decided to forge ahead in golf, now with more purpose.
“I decided I wanted to make an effort this year to really play some tournament golf and test myself against some of these same guys I’ve been playing against my whole life,” Hosking said.
The first positive results from his new outlook came Monday at The Bull, as Hosking shot 69-70 to finish at 5-under-139. He shot the low score in both the morning and afternoon rounds.
Tied for second place at even-par 144 were David Bach of Whistling Straits (70-74) and Cole Jahnke of Eau Claire G&CC (72-72).
Maxwell Schmidtke of Whistling Straits (71-75) and Cody Strang of The Legend at Bergamont (73-73) tied for fourth place at 2-over 146.
Hosking held a slim lead for most of the final round, which he started on No. 2, but he birdied the par-4 14th hole and eagled the par-5 17th to take a 5-stroke lead on the back nine.
“Those were probably my two best swings of the day,” Hosking said of his approaches on 14 and 17 in the afternoon round.
Hosking birdied his final hole – The Bull’s par-4 first hole – holing a 25-foot putt, even as he played conservatively with the lead. He was coming off a bogey on the previous hole.
“I felt pretty secure,” he said. “I was just playing to the middle of the green, trying to make sure I didn’t find trouble.”
A key component of Hosking’s win was the fact that he made fewer mistakes than many others in contention. That’s important anywhere golf is played, but maybe more-so at The Bull, a rugged Jack Nicklaus Signature design.
The weather added to the challenge. After a relatively benign first round, players were greeted in the afternoon by an unrelenting wind.
“At a golf course like this, that’s the plan. My goal was to not lose a ball today,” Hosking said, while adding that he did hit one tee-shot in the water. “I believe (The Bull) makes you want to take certain chances that you need to sort of stay away from. Pars are good here. Big mistakes can happen pretty quickly.”
It would have been an unfortunate development had Hosking given up golf – tournament or otherwise – because he is an extremely talented player. He also won the Wisconsin State Open in 2012 and the State Junior Boys Championship in 2007. That latter title also came at The Bull.
“Yeah, there’s something about this place,” he said of The Bull. “I seem to enjoy the challenge of some of the very difficult holes that they have here. Something about this place suits my game, and I knew coming here for this event that it would be a good golf course for me – if I played the way I am capable of playing.”
Though an assistant professional, Hosking is in Level 1 of the PGA Associate Program curriculum, which means he was not eligible to compete Monday for the two berths in the National Assistant PGA Professional Championship, scheduled for Nov. 12-15 at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla. (In order to be eligible, individuals must be a Class A-8 PGA member or in at least Level 2 in the PGA Associate Program.)
That left the two national tourney spots to the Whistling Straits duo of Bach and Schmidtke. Bach claimed his opportunity outright, but Schmidke had to go to a playoff for the final spot against Strang, which he won with a 10-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole.
Schmidtke recently moved up the PGA Associate Program ladder, making him eligible this year for the national event.
“This summer, now that I’m at Level 2, I was eligible,” Schmidtke said. “So it was cool to kind of get it done in the first year that I had that opportunity.”
It’s icing on the cake that he will play in the National Assistant Championship along with Bach, who stuck around to watch the playoff.
This fall’s event will be Bach’s fourth appearance representing the Wisconsin PGA Section in the event.
“A good friend and good co-worker,” Schmidtke said of Bach. “It will be cool to go with him and represent Kohler and Whistling Straits and hopefully put up a good performance down there.”
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A big thank you to our sponsors and partners: Hornung’s Golf Products, the Wisconsin State Golf Association, The PGA Tour, Cleveland / Srixon Golf, and the Golf Channel for supporting this event.
In addition, a special thanks to the team at The Bull at Pinehurst Farms for providing a top-notch venue for the championship and lending a helping hand throughout the event.
Wisconsin Assistant PGA Professional Championship Results Summary