Polland captures first POY honor; Connelly Eiswerth secures second-straight Women’s POY title; Caron takes first Sr. POY, second career national POY award

FRISCO, Texas (Jan. 15, 2025)ーBen Polland of Jackson, Wyoming; Stephanie Connelly Eiswerth of Jacksonville, Florida; and Jason Caron of Oyster Bay, New York, won their respective 2024 PGA Professional, Women’s PGA Professional and Senior PGA Professional Player of the Year Awards presented by Rolex.

PGA Professional Player of the Year Award

Ben Polland, the PGA Director of Golf at Shooting Star of Jackson Hole in Teton Village, Wyoming, captured the 2024 PGA Professional Championship title by three shots last May at Fields Ranch at PGA Frisco. He was the lone player in the field to finish under par with a final score of 2-under-par 286.

The 34-year-old Polland became the first Member from the Rocky Mountain PGA Section to win the event. With the win, he earned a spot in his fourth PGA Championship, competing as a member of the Corebridge Financial Team at Valhalla Golf Club.

Polland’s standout 2024 continued at the 31st PGA Cup, where he led the United States to a resounding 17.5 - 8.5 victory over Great Britain & Ireland. He became just the sixth U.S. player in PGA Cup history to post a perfect 5-0-0 record.

Additionally, Polland clinched a one-shot victory at the 2024 Rocky Mountain PGA Section Championship in August at Bronze Buffalo Ranch in Victor, Idaho, finishing at 4-under. He also won the Rocky Mountain PGA Player of the Year for the second time in his career, and is the first individual from the Section to win the national player of the year.

“Winning the National PGA Professional Player of the Year Award is an incredible honor,” said Polland. “With over 30,000 PGA Professionals across the country, I am deeply aware of how many talented and deserving players there are, which makes this recognition all the more meaningful.

“I am immensely grateful to the PGA of America for creating opportunities like the PGA Professional Championship, the PGA Cup, and other events that allow us to compete at such a high level. These events bring out the best in all of us and remind us why we fell in love with the game in the first place.”

In addition to his achievements on the golf course, 2024 was a memorable year for Polland off the course as well. He and his wife, Aly, adopted a puppy, Pearl, were married in Wyoming and later celebrated by honeymooning in Italy and Paris.

“This year was filled with milestones I’ll always treasure,” said Polland. “None of it would have been possible without the support of Aly, my family, friends, coworkers and the members at Shooting Star.”

Polland finished with 900 points to win his first PGA Professional Player of the Year Award. Jesse Mueller (Phoenix, Ariz.) finished second with 809 points, followed by Andy Svoboda (Oak Brook, Ill.) in third with 732.5 points and Preston Cole (Charlotte, N.C.) with 654.38 in fourth.

Women’s PGA Professional Player of the Year Award

Stephanie Connelly Eiswerth, PGA/LPGA Teaching Professional at San Jose Country Club inJacksonville, Florida, picked up where she left off in 2023 en route to a standout 2024. She totalled 860 points to become the first two-time winner of the Women’s PGA Professional Player of the Year Award.

“It’s amazing, another awesome year,” said Connelly Eiswerth. “It was really good obviously playing and also with programming at the Club, a lot of things going really well, which is rewarding. I’m feeling more settled into teaching the game and being on this side of the business coming out of playing and coaching for a couple years. I’ve got really good support at the Club, so it’s been a lot of fun and really satisfying.”

Connelly Eiswerth started the year on a high note, winning the Women’s Stroke Play Championship at the PGA Winter Championships in February. She shot a stellar 5-under-par 67 on PGA Golf Club’s Wanamaker course in the final round.

“I was behind a bit going into the final round of Women’s Stroke Play, had a really good final round and coming out on top was awesome,” said Connelly Eiswerth. “It’s always good confidence. Golf is so up and down. You have a lot of peaks and valleys with it. That was one of the peaks that really gave me confidence.”

Connelly Eiswerth appeared in her third consecutive PGA Professional Championship, finishing T-26 at Fields Ranch at PGA Frisco. She made her sixth straight start (2019-24) in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in June.

Connelly Eiswerth helped the United States to a 12-shot victory at the 2024 Women’s PGA Cup. She led the charge for the Americans, recording a final-round 5-under 66 to earn medalist honors and finish at 6-under for the week.

Additionally, Connelly Eiswerth finished fifth in the North Florida PGA Player of the Year standings and second for the section’s Women’s Player of the Year honors.

Sandra Changkija (Daytona, Fla.) finished second in the Women’s PGA Professional Player of the Year race with 763.33 points, followed by Leslie Cloots (Raleigh, N.C.) in third at 610 and Allie Knight (Knoxville, Tenn.) in fourth at 563.33.

Senior PGA Professional Player of the Year Award

Jason Caroncapped a highlight-filled 2024 by claiming his first Senior PGA Professional Player of the Year Award. Caron, who won PGA Professional Player of the Year in 2020, becomes the fourth PGA Member to win both Professional and Senior Professional Player of the Year titles.

Caron collected 1,317.19 points to secure Senior Player of the Year honors. Mick Smith (Summit, Wisc.) finished second with 729.33 points, with Bob Sowards (Powell, Ohio) third at 670.83 and Tracy Phillips (Tulsa, Okla.) fourth with 607.38.

Caron, the PGA Head Golf Professional at Mill River Club in Oyster Bay, N.Y., claimed low PGA of America Golf Professional honors in the 2024 Senior PGA Championship at Harbor Shores. His nearly flawless, final-round 5-under 66 followed rounds of 69-70-67, for a 12-under total of 272 and a T-4 finish.

“The Senior PGA Championship was definitely something we really looked forward to,” said Caron. “We planned with my family, especially with my kids not knowing what Mom and Dad used to do back in the day, to have them be out there walking each day. It was a great experience for everybody.

“To play well was not something that was first and foremost, it was more about our family. I kept that perspective throughout the year and that’s maybe why I played so well. That this is more for our family, not just for me. Mill River was 100 percent behind me playing in the Senior PGA and afterwards, as well. Kudos to them for allowing me to get up there and show my skills.”

The 52-year-old Caron’s memorable summer continued in PGA TOUR Champions events with T-3 finishes at the Rogers Charity Classic and Simmons Bank Championships, a T-4 result at the Constellation Furyk & Friends and T-26 at the Dominion Energy. His T-3 result in October’s Simmons Bank Championship secured full status on the PGA TOUR Champions in 2025.

“The way everything panned out this year was just so unexpected,” said Caron. “The way I kept playing throughout the season is almost mind boggling to be honest. My wife, Liz, and I have been talking about it quite a bit and it seems like it’s almost still like a dream, if you will. It means a lot that now I’ve won a senior player of the year and a regular one, so that’s pretty cool.”

Ben Polland, Stephanie Connelly Eiswerth & Jason Caron Win 2024 PGA Professional Player of the Year Awards Presented by Rolex

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