FRISCO, Texas - Fleming Island golf pro Stephanie Connelly Eiswerth joined a list of American golf pros in winning her second consecutive Women’s PGA Professional Player of the Year Award along with pros Ben Polland of Jackson, Wyoming, who won the 2024 Professional title, and Jason Caron of Oyster Bay, New York, who won the Senior PGA Professional Player of the Year Awards presented by Rolex.
Stephanie Connelly Eiswerth, PGA/LPGA Teaching Professional at San Jose Country Club in ​​Jacksonville, 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.
Ben Polland, 34, 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.
Caron capped 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, 52, 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.

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