Haynes to represent Olde Stone in 2026 PGA Championship
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – A few weeks back, Rory McIlroy took home the green jacket in golf’s first major of the year, The Masters.
In one week, you can watch McIlroy along with many more top golfers compete in the second major of 2026, the PGA Championship.
You’ll also catch a familiar face competing in Zach Haynes from The Club at Olde Stone, and he’s looking forward to representing the city of Bowling Green on the national stage.
“I don’t think [Zach] realizes the impact that he’s going to have, not only on the community, but our club, membership and our junior golf program and his students,” Kevin Childers, director of golf at The Club at Olde Stone, said.
“I mean, this is such a huge accomplishment for him to play in a major championship.”
Haynes, a local golf instructor at Olde Stone, pushed through the PGA of America Kentucky section last fall, and more recently finished highly in the PGA Professional Championship at the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon a week ago.
His final round placed him tied for fourth, well within the top 20 threshold needed to qualify for the 2026 PGA Championship.
He credits his mentality down the stretch for making it this far and looks to lean into that same mindset when taking on some of the best golfers on the planet.
“The conditions were really tough. I played really smart golf, was able to avoid big numbers, which were easy to make there, and obviously that’s going to be the same case at Aronimink,” Haynes said.
“I was just kind of having the right mindset and being patient. In my yardage book, I wrote ‘Just out-grind people,’ and I feel like I did a good job of that and will try to do it again.”
Haynes had a successful collegiate career at The University of Tennessee at Martin and has since gained a greater appreciation and passion for teaching the youth.
To play again at one of the highest levels possible is an incredible accomplishment for himself and those around him.
“My number one goal is just to have a ton of fun. Obviously, I want to play well, from a competitive standpoint, being the low Club Pro out of the 20 in the event would kind of be my performance goal,” Haynes said.
“Leading into it, my main goal is just to enjoy the experience. I hope it’s not my last one, but being my first, I definitely want to soak it in, have fun, play with freedom, and kind of see what that produces.”
“You think about the ‘what ifs,’ you dream about the ‘what ifs,’ but I think we all envy what Zach’s about to do, he’s about to dream the what if, so his dream’s coming true,” Childers said. “We’re so excited and happy for him and looking forward to supporting him next week.”
You can catch Haynes competing in Round Three and Round Four of the 2026 PGA championship at the Aronimink Golf Club from May 16-17 on WNKY CBS 40.
