Cathy Matthews-Kane earns Colorado PGA’s highest honor, being named the Golf Professional of the Year
By Gary Baines – 8/19/2024
Cathy Matthews-Kane, the out-going president of the Colorado PGA Section and the current PGA general manager at the Country Club of Colorado in Colorado Springs, has earned the Section’s highest award — the Golf Professional of the Year honor.
Matthews-Kane becomes the third female winner of the CPGA Professional of the Year award since 2016, following Leslie Core-Drevecky (2016) and Alice Plain (2021).
Matthews-Kane’s honor was one of 17 special awards the Colorado PGA announced on Monday. All of the honorees will be recognized at a gala at Cherry Hills Country Club on Oct. 25. Other award winners, including the Section’s players of the year, will be finalized and announced later.
Matthews-Kane is just the second female president in the history of the Colorado PGA Section, following Core-Drevecky, who was named to that position in 2014. Matthews-Kane, a PGA professional for more than 15 years after graduating from Iowa State where she competed on the golf team, serves as a board member for the PGA REACH Colorado Foundation, the Finance Committee and the Employment Committee. She’s also on the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame board.
After starting her career in golf in Florida, Matthews-Kate moved to Colorado Springs to become an assistant professional at The Broadmoor. She now serves as the PGA of America District IX Director and is co-chairman of the National Employment Committee. She’s a certified PGA of America Golf Professional in Executive Management.
The Golf Professional of the Year award goes to a Section member for overall performance, including leadership, service and promotion of the game of golf.
Most of the people honored on Oct. 25 will be PGA professionals, but there are exceptions. One of those will be Phil Anschutz, owner of The Broadmoor Resort in Colorado Springs, who will receive the President’s Award. That honor recognizes promoting and enhancing the PGA professional, the Section and the game of golf and contributing to the betterment of the golf professional vocation.
Here are the 2024 Colorado PGA awards that have been finalized and announced:
- Golf Professional of the Year: Cathy Matthews-Kane, PGA | Country Club of Colorado
- Teacher of the Year: Stan Sayers, PGA | Colorado Golf Club (receiving this award for the second time)
- Assistant Professional of the Year: Mitchell Gore, PGA | Columbine Country Club
- (Updated Oct. 26) Vic Kline Award (presented to a member of the CPGA board for outstanding service and leadership for the Section): Graham Cliff, PGA | Colorado Golf Club
- Presidents Award (promoting and enhancing the PGA professional, the Section and the game of golf and contributing to the betterment of the golf professional vocation): Phil Anschutz | Broadmoor Resort
- Bill Strausbaugh Award (outstanding integrity, commitment to mentoring PGA professionals and making a significant impact on the careers of PGA professionals): Zach Lambeck, PGA | GOLFTEC Headquarters
- Ed Kelbel Award (Professional Development): Jon Husby, PGA | UCCS Golf Management
- Warren Smith Award (special contributions to the game of golf, the Colorado Section, junior golf and their facility): Mark Kelbel, PGA | Broadmoor Resort
- Patriot Award (patriotism through the game of golf and commitment and dedication to the men and women who have served and protected the U.S.): Visanu Tongwarin, PGA | Legacy Ridge Golf Course
- Player Development: Kyle McGee, PGA | Thorncreek Golf Course
- Youth Player Development: Maggie Hartman, PGA | Trent Wearner Golf Academy
- Public Merchandiser of the Year: Trey Johnson, PGA | Vail Golf Club
- Private Merchandiser of the Year: Greg Bryan, PGA | Roaring Fork Club
- Resort Merchandiser of the Year: Jake O’Dell, PGA | Flying Horse Resort and Club
- Noble Chalfant Award (distinguished service to the Colorado PGA): Ed Oldham, PGA, Marion Pfluger, PGA, Tony Novitsky, PGA
- Salesperson of the Year: Marcus Gregory | Callaway Golf
- Superintendent of the Year: Tim Davis | Legacy Ridge Golf Course
- Todd Phipers Media Award: Gary Baines | Colorado Golf Journal
About the Writer: Gary Baines has covered golf in Colorado continuously since 1983. He was a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, then the sports editor there, and has written regularly for ColoradoGolf.org since 2009. The University of Colorado Evans Scholar alum was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com