Write-Up Provided by the Rick Pledl (pledl@mailbag.com) and Wisconsin.Golf
Mick Smith – WPGA Member & Senior Player of the Year
Mick Smith has lived in Wisconsin for about 10 years now, and he has certainly put down roots in the Badger State during his time here.
A native of Australia, he’s got a young family here and a golf instruction business in Summit. His decade in Wisconsin has produced a litany of highlights on the golf course, too, as he has earned his Class A PGA membership here and risen to the top of the Wisconsin PGA Section player of the year standings the last few years.
Your local PGA professionals aren’t just teachers; they can also play some serious game. So, the Wisconsin Section presents annual awards for its membership in three competitive categories based on season-long play.
Smith took home two of those awards thanks to his steady play in 2025 – the Player of the Year and Senior Player of the Year honors.
“It’s an honor to win them,” Smith said of his 2025 awards. “I think what I’m probably most happy about is one day my kids can see my name up there and see that I’ve won some of these awards. It makes me happy that they know their old man isn’t a hack.”
“It’s definitely nice to still be playing well in my 50s.”
Clearly, one must beat players many years younger in order to double up on the regular and senior points lists, and Smith, 53, has shown the ability to do that. It’s the second consecutive season that Smith has taken home both of the WPGA honors. He is a three-time winner of each award.
Smith didn’t have the success this past season that he did in 2024, at least as far as finding the winner’s circle, and he admitted so. In 2024, when he also won both awards, he claimed titles at several important tournaments on the state PGA calendar. This past season Smith again consistently contended in those big events but didn’t seem to get his hands on the trophy – instead he piled up a bunch of top-five finishes.
“I think I played fairly consistent,” Smith said when asked to assess his 2025 season. “I won more events the year before, and it’s always hard to replicate those years when you win a lot. So, I wouldn’t say I played my best, but it was a lot of good, solid golf. Golf goes like that, doesn’t it?”
Smith’s play in 2025 may have been more consistent overall than the previous year, and that’s how he earned the twin player-of-the-year awards.
This season Smith had several close calls and high finishes, including his march to the title match at the WPGA Match Play Championship, where he lost, 5 and 3, to 30-year-old Davis Jensen of North Shore CC. Matches in the competition were contested all season long, with the championship match held on Aug. 6.
Smith also shot 69-69-138 to tie for fourth place at the Wisconsin PGA Professional Championship in September at Ozaukee CC, earning a trip back to the PGA Professional Championship next Spring. He also had a fifth-place finish at the WPGA Senior Championship in July and a sixth-place finish at the Wisconsin State Senior Open in September.
His lone victory came at the annual Hornung’s Classic on June 9 at South Hills G&CC. He shot 67 on the day to tie with Craig Czerniejewski of Washington County GC at the end of regulation and won with a birdie on the first playoff hole.
Smith also found some success on the national stage on a couple of occasions, including a senior major. Through his play against his fellow PGA of America brethren last fall, Smith earned his second chance to play in the Senior PGA Championship. In late May Smith made the cut at Congressional CC but shot a pair of 79s on the weekend and finished 67th.
And Smith is going back to the Senior PGA Championship next season thanks to his play in September’s Senior PGA Professional Championship, where he tied for 14th place, easily earning one of the 35 berths in the championship. So, Smith will tee-it-up at the 2026 Senior PGA scheduled for The Concession GC in Florida next April, his third consecutive appearance in the senior major.
“I’m proud of that,” Smith said of earning a spot in the Senior PGA the last three years. “Unfortunately, I haven’t played too well on the weekends, but people have told me it’s a good effort just to make the cut. But I really want to go back again and hopefully improve my performance.”
“As far as tournaments, playing in a senior major would be the highlight for me, and it’s something I really enjoy preparing for.”
Smith admitted that he’s a goal-setter when it comes to his competitive play, and he looks at these annual WPGA awards as important, because they are earned through effort on the practice range and excellence on the golf course. You don’t just back your way into them.
And while the whole game must be clicking, Smith admitted he put a special emphasis this past season on improving his putting from mid-range – working on those testy 12- to 15-footers that players face so often. For a player of Smith’s caliber, those are often birdie looks, and dropping a couple of them can have a huge impact on a round of golf.
Smith (1,161) out-pointed David Bach of Whistling Straits (1,053) for Player of the Year honors. Czerniejewski finished third with 997 points.
In the separate Senior POY standings, Smith finished with 1,977 points. David Roesch of Storm’s Golf Range compiled 1,262 points to finish second, and Michael Crowley of Morningstar GC was right behind with 1,235 points.
2025 Member Player of the Year Standings
2025 Senior Player of the Year Standings