Special Awards

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

Write-Up Provided by the Rick Pledl (pledl@mailbag.com) and Wisconsin.Golf

Mike Nagy – WPGA Assistant Player of the Year

Michael Nagy wrapped up the Wisconsin Section’s Assistant Player of the Year Award earlier this month, but the final points he needed to earn the honor were collected at a tournament far from the Badger State.

We’re talking the Sunshine State.

Nagy, an assistant professional at TPC Wisconsin in Madison, narrowly beat fellow Madison-area pro Cody Strang for the WPGA Assistant Award, one of three the Wisconsin Section bestows annually to its top players. (Mick Smith of Summit won the other two categories over the 2025 season.)

Strang, who works at The Legend at Bergamont, battled all season long with Nagy at the top of the Assistant points list, and he held the lead late in the season, but Nagy ultimately prevailed.

That’s because Nagy secured the title at the Assistant PGA Professional Championship in Port St. Lucie, Fla., in the middle of November, by making the cut, earning enough points to win his first WPGA Assistant Player of the Year Award.

“(The award) was certainly a goal of mine going into the year,” Nagy said. “There are a lot of good players in our section.”

Nagy and Strang both qualified for the national event in Florida thanks to their finishes at this season’s Wisconsin Assistant PGA Professional Championship, held in July at The Bog. Nagy won the title after shooting rounds of 70 and 66 to finish at 8 under par for a three-stroke victory. Meantime, Strang tied for third at The Bog and, based on eligibility requirements, earned the second WPGA qualifying spot in the national field.

“Winning the (state) Assistant Championship was big,” Nagy said of the points race. “There are a few tournaments that have big point totals and that’s one of them, and it was one of my goals to win that one. And I shot 6-under in the second round, and that was one of my better rounds of the year.”

However, with his wife expecting a baby back in Madison, Strang withdrew from the Florida trip, allowing first alternate Matt Sabol of Pine Hills CC to get the second spot in the national field.

It was Nagy’s second appearance in the National Assistant Championship, and both produced similar finishes. He tied for 32nd place this year on rounds of 72-74-79-73–298. Last year, Nagy finished 29th on a different course at PGA Golf Club.

Sabol missed the cut in Florida.

“Overall, it was good,” Nagy said. “I certainly think I wasted a few shots and played better than the scores that I shot. The golf course was set-up difficult. But it was a good experience and a fun way to end the year.”

With Strang ahead on points but sidelined, Nagy knew what he had to do in Florida to win the Wisconsin Section award. His play there added 150 points to his season tally – enough for the winning margin.

“I knew I had to make the cut – I knew where I stood,” Nagy said. “I certainly wish Cody could have been there so the two of us could have battled it out. We’ve played a few rounds together, and he’s a good guy.”

Thus, Nagy edged ahead on the list, winning the annual award with 1,068.75 points, while Strang tallied 1,015. David Bach of Whistling Straits finished third with 762.50 points.

Last year, Nagy finished second to Bach in the WPGA Assistant Player of the Year race, and Strang finished third.

Nagy admitted that November is an unusual time for him to play tournament golf – something all northern pros in the field can probably relate to. At the same time, qualifying for these national PGA events is a big-time goal for Wisconsin’s professionals.

Now, after playing in Florida this month, he plans to put away the clubs until springtime comes to Wisconsin.

Nagy, 32, had a solid season overall in 2025, posting several high finishes in Wisconsin tournaments, including that win at The Bog in the WPGA Assistant Championship. He collected other top-five finishes in one-day Wisconsin Section events, including the WPGA Stableford Classic in July at Bullseye GC.

He also played well, at least to start, in the state Assistant Stroke & Match Play Championship. He shot 70 and tied for third place (along with Strang) in the stroke-play portion of that event, held at Morningstar GC. However, Nagy lost in the second round of the match play-portion of the tournament, 5 and 3, to Emmet Herb of Blackhawk CC.

A strong start at the Wisconsin State Open at Blackwolf Run in August helped him survive the 36-hole cut against a larger than normal field size, made up of tough competitors. Unfortunately, he could not keep the momentum going and faded over the final two rounds, eventually finishing in 56th place.

“That was my first time being at Blackwolf Run, and it was certainly challenging,” Nagy said. “I started out strong, then it got more difficult. I enjoy playing difficult golf courses like that, so overall it was a positive experience. I was glad I made the cut and could play four rounds because that facility is one of the best in the state.”

Nagy, who lives in Sun Prairie, is a Class A member of the PGA of America. His job at TPC Wisconsin is classified as an assistant position, making him eligible for assistant events – and awards. He’s worked at the club for two years now, where he oversees much of the junior and women’s golf programming, and, being an assistant, he also works in the golf shop and on charity events and outings.

Although he currently fills a variety of roles at TPC Wisconsin, Nagy admits he’s “trying to get more into the teaching side of things.”

2025 Assistant Player of the Year Standings