Colorado PGA Celebrates Excellence at the 2025 Awards Gala

Matz of Beaver Creek Golf Club Honored with Golf Professional of the Year; Keffer of Lakewood Country Club Claims 10th Dow Finsterwald Player of the Year Honor of his Career

October 24, 2025

Contact:

Steven Bartkowski

CEO/Executive Director

Colorado PGA
PGA REACH Colorado Foundation

sbartkowski@pgahq.com

For Immediate Release

(Cherry Hills Village, CO) - The Colorado PGA Section (COPGA) proudly honored its finest PGA of America Golf Professionals, industry leaders, and community champions at the 30th Annual Colorado PGA Awards Gala, held at the prestigious Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village on October 24th, 2025.

The special evening for the twenty-three award winners brought together 180 attendees, including PGA Members, guests, and partners, to recognize individuals whose leadership, passion, and dedication continue to elevate the game of golf across Colorado, Wyoming, and South Dakota. Hosted by emcee Abbie Burke, Emmy-nominated anchor of FOX21 Morning News, the evening featured an inspiring lineup of award presentations, fireside chats, and video tributes celebrating this year’s honorees.

The Section annually recognizes its special award recipients for their extraordinary accomplishments and efforts within the golf industry, standing out among more than 700 Class A PGA of America Golf Professionals in the Colorado Section. This year’s recipients were vetted and selected by a committee of the 2024 Colorado PGA Section Award Winners.

In his opening remarks, Colorado PGA Executive Director Steven Bartkowski welcomed attendees by saying, “Tonight, we gather to honor excellence — the 2025 Colorado PGA Award winners — outstanding professionals whose achievements both on and off the course inspire us all. These remarkable men and women are leaders of our Section — champions of the game, their communities, and their fellow PGA Professionals.”

Receiving the Golf Professional of the Year Award (GPOY), the highest honor the COPGA awards annually, was Mark Matz, PGA Director of Golf at Beaver Creek Golf Club, Avon, CO. The GPOY is the highest honor of the evening, recognizing a Colorado PGA of America Golf Professional whose leadership, professionalism, and passion for the game set the standard for all across the Section and the profession of golf.

Mark Matz's 25-year career has been defined by excellence, mentorship, and integrity. As the Director of Golf at Beaver Creek Golf Club, he has built high-performing teams, mentored countless young professionals, and created a culture where every staff member feels valued, supported, and inspired to grow.

A past Merchandiser of the Year award winner in both the Colorado and Michigan Sections, Mark has consistently raised the bar for operational excellence, member and customer service, and professional development.

“I am deeply honored that I have been named the 2025 Golf Professional of the Year by the Colorado PGA Section. This award has always been, in my eyes, the highest recognition a golf professional can receive. It acknowledges leadership, service, promotion of the game, and overall performance. To be chosen for this honor by my peers is something that fills me with gratitude and humility,” said Mark Matz, PGA.

Geoff Keffer, PGA, was recognized as the 2025 Dow Finsterwald ROLEX Player of the Year. The Assistant Golf Professional has been the Colorado PGA’s overall player of the year in 2012, ’14, ’15, ’16, ’17, ’20, ’21, ’23, ’24, and ’25. The only others to win the award since 2012 are Caine Fitzgerald (2013 and 2019), Doug Rohrbaugh (2018), and Ben Lanting (2022). The award goes to the PGA Professional with the highest cumulative total from the regular playing performance points list.

The road to Player of the Year included 23 Colorado PGA Section events, in addition to the PGA Professional Championship at PGA Golf Club in April, and the Inspirato Colorado Open at Green Valley Ranch.

Keffer stacked up nine victories over the 2025 season, as well as five top-five finishes and four top-ten finishes. Accumulating 7,997 points over his 23 events, Keffer secured his player of the year triumph by 1,700 points over second place.

Keffer’s most prestigious victory of the season came at the section’s top tournament. Keffer fired rounds of 68-69-69 at the Colorado PGA Professional Championship at Flying Horse North, held in September, which was Keffer’s third Section Championship title of his career and his tenth section major championship.

A full list of award winners celebrated at Cherry Hills Country Club is below.

2025 Colorado PGA Section Award Recipients:

Golf Professional of the Year
Mark Matz, PGA, Director of Golf
Beaver Creek Golf Club, Avon, CO

Teacher of the Year
Dustin Miller, PGA, Director of Instruction/Owner
The Swing Bays, Parker, CO

Assistant Golf Professional of the Year
Chris Hyten, PGA, Assistant Professional
Castle Pines Golf Club, Castle Pines, CO

Youth Player Development Award
Don Graham, PGA, Director of Instruction
Columbine Country Club, Littleton, CO

Player Development Award
Kyle Voska, PGA, Director of Instruction
Colorado Golf Academy, Highlands Ranch, CO

Golf Executive of the Year
Scott Rethlake, PGA, Director of Golf
City of Denver - Golf Division

Bill Strausbaugh Award
Ty Thompson, PGA, Owner
Two Tees Strategies, Colorado Springs, CO

Warren Smith Award
Keith Soriano, PGA, Senior Career Consultant
PGA of America, Frisco, TX

Ed Kelbel Award
Keith Stilwell, PGA, Director of Golf
Perry Park Country Club, Larkspur, CO

Merchandiser of the Year (Public)
Adam Finch, PGA, Head Professional
Fossil Trace Golf Club, Golden, CO

Merchandiser of the Year (Private)
Elliott Oscar, PGA, Head Golf Professional
Ballyneal Golf & Hunt Club, Holyoke, CO

Patriot Award
Rob Grall, PGA, Head Golf Professional
Colorado National Golf Club, Erie, CO

President's Award
John and Sandi Andrew
Colorado Springs, CO

Noble Chalfant Award
Jim Bailey, PGA,
Tom Woodard, PGA
Bill Loeffler, PGA

Salesperson of the Year
Josh Knipp, Territory Manager
Mizuno Golf, Colorado, and Wyoming

Superintendent of the Year
Aaron Fankhauser, Superintendent
The Club at Rolling Hills, Golden, CO

Todd Phipers Media Award
Spencer Smith, Co-Host
DNVR Sports, Denver, CO

2025 Players of the Year

Associate Player of the Year
Andrew Connell
True Spec - Denver

Women’s Player of the Year
Ashley Tait-Wengert, PGA
Turkey Creek Golf

Rolex Senior Player of the Year
Matt Schalk, PGA
Colorado National Golf Club

Dow Finsterwald Player of the Year
Geoff Keffer, PGA
Lakewood Country Club

About The Colorado PGA Section:

Serve the Member and grow the game is the Mission of the organization, based out of Larkspur, CO, at The Golf Club at Bear Dance. The Colorado PGA Section is one of 41 Sections of the PGA of America, proudly serving over 950 PGA of America Golf Professionals and Associates across Colorado, Wyoming, and South Dakota. The purpose of the COPGA is to promote the enjoyment and involvement in the game of golf and to contribute to its growth by providing services to PGA of America Golf Professionals within the Section. The COPGA supports a wide range of programs and initiatives—from education, meetings, tournaments, and employment support for its Members to junior golf and PGA HOPE for veterans, through its 501c3 arm, the PGA REACH Colorado Foundation. Learn more at www.coloradopga.com.

VIEW THE GALA PHTO ALBUM

VIEW VIDEOS OF EACH AWARD WINNER

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