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Berth in 2023 PGA Championship one step closer for two desert golf pros

Two desert golf professionals took the first step toward potentially playing in the 2023 PGA Tour Championship on Wednesday by advancing out of the Southern California PGA section championship in Laguna Niguel.

Nate Williams of the Plantation Golf Club in La Quinta and Michael Mendoza of Tamarisk Country Club in Rancho Mirage are among the 12 golfers to earn a berth in the PGA’s Professional Championship in Santa Fe, N.M., next year. The top 20 golfers from that tournament will earn berths into the 2023 PGA Championship in Rochester, N.Y.

Williams finished tied for fifth in the three-day 54-hole tournament at El Niguel Country Club with a 7-over 223 total. That included a 4-over 76 in Wednesday’s final round. Williams’ tournament included a hole in one on the 14th hole in the opening round. Williams earned $3,950.

Mendoza finished another shot back at 224 to tie for seventh. That included a 75 on Wednesday. Mendoza takes home $2,683.

Michael Block of Arroyo Trabuco Country Club in Mission Viejo won the 2022 SCPGA section championship Wednesday.
Michael Block of Arroyo Trabuco Country Club in Mission Viejo won the 2022 SCPGA section championship Wednesday.

More: Surviving overseeding: A guide to staying on the golf course in the desert in the fall

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Michael Block of Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, the reigning SCPGA Player of the Year with both PGA Championship and U.S. Open appearances on his resume, won the section title with a 214 total, five shots better than Steven Holmes of Westlake Golf Course in Westlake Village. In addition to one of the 12 PGA Professional Championship berths and $14,000 from the $100,000 purse, Block receives a berth in the 2023 American Express, the PGA Tour event played in January in La Quinta.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Two desert golf pros take first step toward 2023 PGA Championship