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My story originally appears on PGA.com on 5/25/22
“I picked up a club at age 4 and never put it down.”
Rob Labritz, PGA, can’t remember a time when golf was not a significant part of his life. He has been in love with the game since that first time he picked up the club. Competitive golf started early in his life and it didn’t take long for him to know that he had what it took to play at a high level.
“I started competing as a 12-year-old. When I was 16, I started playing the AJGA Tour… I was about 15 when I realized I was pretty good.”
Labritz has been working in golf since the age of 19 and in 2000, at the age of 29, he became a PGA Member. “I started my career in Florida at a few clubs in the Stuart/Hobe Sound Area. I was then offered the teaching position at Shinnecock in 1998, after that, I was offered the Head Pro position at GlenArbor in 2001.”
Rob has been at GlenArbor ever since.
Like all PGA Professionals know when working at the club level, the job leaves little room to concentrate on your own game. Somehow, Rob has managed to keep his game sharp. He has won countless professional events over his 20+ year career.
He was the 2008, 2013, and 2016 Metropolitan Section PGA Player of the Year. He has claimed four Metropolitan Section PGA Championship victories. He’s also collected a handful of State Opens: including three NY State Opens, a Massachusetts State Open and a Rhode Island State Open.
Rob’s played in 8 PGA Championships as a PGA Professional, making the cut in 2010 and 2019. He made some big noise last year in the world of golf by winning the PGA Tour Champions Q school and gaining full status for this season.
“My biggest motivation was always to play on the biggest golf stage in the world.” It’s safe to say that that Q School victory was a big stage indeed.
Rob gives a great deal of credit to everyone at GlenArbor, his home since 2001.
“The owners and members of GlenArbor have always been extremely supportive… they are the greatest owners and members anywhere.”
Of all of his accomplishments, what is he the proudest of? He broke down for me his top 3 biggest moments to this point in his career:
“I’d say, competing in my first PGA championship in 2002… holing out a wedge to get into the 2013 PGA Championship and then qualifying for the PGA Tour Champions.”
Now, Rob has 3 main goals as he moves into this new phase of his career: to win Senior Majors, to play the PGA Tour Champions for the next 10 years and to represent the 28,000 PGA members at the highest level.
Rob Labritz is clearly a proud member of the PGA of America. As a member of the Association myself, I feel confident in saying that we, the membership, are equally as proud of you Rob.
You can catch Rob as he tees it up this week at the KitchenAid PGA Senior Championship at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor, Michigan.
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