So far, of the many standout golfers who played at Langley High School in recent years, Brandon Berry is the only one yet to play in a PGA tournament and make the 36-hole cut, as well.
That occurred April 18-21 at the four-day, 72-hole Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic on the Puntacana Resort & Club course when Berry made his debut in a PGA event.
The 25-year-old professional golfer played all four rounds, finishing with a 73-67-73-73–286 total of 2-under par to earn prize money. The winning score was at 23-under by Billy Horschel.
Berry’s second-round, 5-under 67, which included eight birdies, was his best.
“It was special and quite a whirlwind, and I’m very grateful to have been part of that,” said Berry, who turned professional 20 months ago and has played in mini-tour events before qualifying to play in that PGA tournament. “I will keep chasing this dream because I love golf so much.”
Berry, still a member at River Bend Country Club in Great Falls, earned a spot in the event with a successful pre-tournament Monday qualifying round, garnering the final position in a playoff. By making the 36-hole cut, he’s now eligible for future Monday qualifying opportunities, which he plans to attempt eight or 10 times the rest of the year.
“My game has really improved since I turned pro. To cash a check in that tournament and play against and beat some of those pros helps my confidence,” Berry said.
In the final round, Berry was paired in the group with former U.S. Ryder Cup player and multiple-time PGA winner Daniel Berger.
“That was cool to play with someone as accomplished in the game like that,” Berry said.
Al Berg was Berry’s coach at Langley.
“I’m not surprised Brandon has done this,” Berg said. “He always has had an eminence amount of talent and love for the game. At 6-4 or 6-5, he can hit the ball so far.”
Berry’s caddie at the PGA tournament was fellow 2017 Langley graduate and standout golfer Eli Thrasher.
Berry graduated from Langley in 2017, where he was a team captain and played on district, region and state championship squads. He then played college golf at Loyola University of Maryland.
“Brandon was a great captain for us and he really grew into that role,” Berg said. “He was on that first team that won a state title and started our run of seven states in a row. He was a big reason that got started.”
After college, Berry turned pro and played on the mini-tours associated with the PGA, and won a couple of lower-level events.
