Scott Hebert, the Traverse City Golf & Country Club professional, earned back-to-back major wins this fall when he took the trophy in a come-from-behind win at the national level – the 31st annual Senior PGA Professionals Championship in Austin, Texas – about one week after winning the Michigan PGA Match Play title, in Lansing.
With the win, Hebert, an Escanaba native, added his name to a short list nationally. He became just the 3rd player with career wins in both national PGA Professional and Senior PGA Professional Championships.
In Texas, Hebert’s four-day score of 16-under 270 matched a Championship record for lowest 72-hole total. He finished four strokes clear of Jerry Haas of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Jeff Hart of Solana Beach, California, and Frank Bensel Jr. of Jupiter, Florida.
Midway through the final round Hebert trailed the 54-hole leader, Bensel, by five strokes. But errors by Bensel, and Hebert birdies on 13, 15, 16 and 17 flipped the results.
Hebert’s 63 in the third round set a Championship low for third round total, as well as tied the best 18-hole total in Championship history. His weekend total of 130 was best in the field by seven strokes.
With the victory, Hebert earned the Leo Fraser Trophy and $21,500 of the $300,000 purse. He also leads a contingent of 35 players heading to Harbor Shores Resort in Benton Harbor, Mich., to compete in the 2020 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, May 21-24.
Boyne’s Jeff Roth also earned a trip to Benton Harbor by finishing T22 at the same Sr. National Championship. Hebert and Roth are tied with 17 career Michigan PGA Section major championships apiece.
In late September, Hebert made seven birdies in 14 holes and turned back fellow Michigan Golf Hall of Fame member Brian Cairns of Fox Hills Learning Center in Plymouth, 6 and 4 in the final match to win the 2019 Michigan PGA Match Play Championship, at Country Club of Lansing.
“I’ve been toying around and toying around with the putter and still putted miserable all year,” he said. “I was out in a practice round (recently) and stuff started working. I stuck with it and I probably putted the best I have in years.”
Hebert, age 50, also wrapped up his eighth Michigan PGA Player of the Year Award.
