Festivities leading up to the 2026 PGA Championship teed off Monday morning with the PGA HOPE Secretary’s Cup. It’s an annual event that honors and supports veterans.<\/p>\n
PGA HOPE stands for Helping Out Patriots Everywhere. It’s an organization dedicated to serving veterans through the game of golf. Its annual Secretary’s Cup brought 48 veterans with physical and cognitive challenges to the Chester Valley Golf Club in Malvern to compete on a nine-hole course.<\/p>\n
“The veterans often talk about it’s hard to rework yourself back in the community and into normal life because it’s different than what they’ve experienced in the military,” Eric Eshleman, secretary of PGA of America, said. “And many say, ‘Many say I wouldn’t have left home if it wasn’t for my PGA Hope program.”<\/p>\n
It’s a hole-in-one for many of these servicemen adjusting back into the community.<\/p>\n
With 12 teams from across the country in attendance, including team Philadelphia and team New Jersey, the veterans were honored in a ceremony that featured an all-veteran parachute team.<\/p>\n
While the team competition is fun, several vets shared that the best part is the fellowship.<\/p>\n
“A lot of times you’ll get veterans that, when they leave the service, that camaraderie is missing,” Joe Dooley, a U.S. Navy veteran from Doylestown, said. “This is a program that brings those veterans back together.”<\/p>\n
Kevin Wilson, who served in the Army and is now legally blind, shared how the nonprofit has been life-changing.<\/p>\n
“Not only has the PGA helped bring life back to me, but it’s given me something to do, whereas I used to have other things in my life I had to dwindle away as I lost my vision, lost my license and felt out of place,” Wilson said. “PGA Hope gave me that hope back and they never rejected me, my dog or the disabilities.”<\/p>\n
While veterans got to show off their swing with roaring cheers, they’ll take away the good times with all of their peers.<\/p>\n
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