The Sun Country PGA Section Professional Championship was played August 24 and 25 at UNM Championship Golf Course in Albuquerque.
Sun Country PGA Section
Collins Goes Wire to Wire at UNM Championship Golf Course
Three rounds of 67 give Wil Collins the Section title by one stroke. He, River Smalley and Devin Miertschin are headed to the PGA Professional Championship.
The scorecard read the same thing three days running. Wil Collins, PGA, signed for 67 on Monday morning, 67 on Monday afternoon and 67 on Tuesday. Fifty-four holes, 201 strokes, 15 under par, and a one-stroke win at the Sun Country PGA Section Professional Championship.
What makes that worth a second look is that he never got there the same way twice. Collins, of Arroyo Del Oso Golf Course, led after every round and had a different scorecard under him each time.
Monday, Twice
The Section played 36 holes on Monday, and Collins got through the first 18 without a bogey. He turned in 35 and came home in 32 with birdies at the 6th, 10th, 14th, 17th and 18th.
The afternoon opened rougher. He dropped shots at the 2nd and the 7th, then answered with birdies at the 3rd, 4th and 6th. On the inward nine he eagled the par-5 14th and birdied the 11th, 13th and 18th. Same 67. He went into Tuesday leading by three at 10 under.
“Yesterday was a very long day. I had to play 36 holes in one day, and I have not done that in a while.”
Wil Collins, PGA
Tuesday Morning
Collins birdied four of the first nine holes on Tuesday, at the 1st, 5th, 8th and 9th. The one at the 8th is the one to sit with. That hole is a 231-yard par 3, and in the opening round it played as the hardest hole on the property at 3.70 strokes. His only bogey of the front side came at the 7th. He made the turn in 33.
Smalley Makes It Close
River Smalley, PGA, had a different idea about how Tuesday was going to go. The San Juan Country Club professional opened the championship with a 71 and sat four back. He shot 66 on Monday afternoon behind seven birdies. Then he went out in 31 on Tuesday, birdieing the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 6th and 9th.
He picked up two more coming home, at the 14th and the 17th, and gave one back at the 15th. When he walked onto the last tee he was one stroke behind.
The Last Hole
The 18th at UNM is a par 5, and both men had a look at it.
Smalley pitched from roughly 20 yards and holed the putt for birdie. That closed out a 65 and left the number sitting there for the group behind him. Collins followed him in with a birdie putt of his own. Third 67, and the championship by one.
What the Numbers Say
Across 54 holes Collins made 18 birdies and an eagle against five bogeys, and he never wrote down a number worse than that. He played the back nine in 10 under for the championship and the par 5s in 9 under, and both of those were the best marks in the field. Smalley led the field on the front nine at 9 under and made the fewest bogeys of anyone in the championship with four.
The Defending Champion
Devin Miertschin, PGA, finished third at 6 under 210, and he took the long way there. The Lone Star Golf Club professional arrived as the defending champion, having won the 2025 title at Paako Ridge by two strokes with rounds of 68-68-73. He opened this week with an even-par 72 that included a double bogey at the par-5 9th, then shot 69 in each of the last two rounds.
On Tuesday he birdied the 2nd, 5th and 7th and added two more at the 14th and the 16th. For the championship he played the par 4s in 6 under, the lowest total in the field.
Final Leaderboard, Top Three
| Pos | Player | Rounds | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wil Collins, PGAArroyo Del Oso Golf Course | 67-67-67 | 201 (-15) |
| 2 | River Smalley, PGASan Juan Country Club | 71-66-65 | 202 (-14) |
| 3 | Devin Miertschin, PGALone Star Golf Club | 72-69-69 | 210 (-6) |
Qualifiers and Alternates
Collins, Smalley and Miertschin earned spots in the 2027 PGA Professional Championship at Streamsong Golf Resort in Bowling Green, Florida. Three alternate positions go to David Muttitt, PGA, Steve Manning, PGA, and Anthony Romero, PGA. Collins also takes the Section title and Player of the Year points.
201 (-15)
202 (-14)
210 (-6)
Sun Country will be pulling for all three of them in Florida.
“I was obviously very excited and relieved, because yesterday was a very long day. I had to play 36 holes in one day, and I have not done that in a while. Definitely relieved and grateful to be standing here holding the trophy.”
Wil Collins, PGA, after the win
The Host Site
UNM Championship Golf Course is a Robert “Red” Lawrence design that opened in 1967. It has hosted the NCAA Division I Men’s Championship in 1976, 1992 and 1998, and PGA TOUR Qualifying School as recently as 2024.
The Sun Country PGA Section thanks the staff at UNM Championship Golf Course: Adam Roybal, PGA, general manager and golf course director; Eric Parr, PGA, director of golf operations; and head golf professionals Dorothy Delasin and Isaac Pacheco.
►Watch the championship announcement The qualifiers are announced at UNM Championship Golf Course.The Sun Country PGA Section Professional Championship is presented by Club Car, Corebridge Financial and Rolex, with support from Gallagher, Golf Channel, PGA TOUR, StrackaLine, SCNS Sports Foods and GolfPro Payments, the Preferred Merchant Processor of the Sun Country PGA, and supporting sponsors Titleist, FootJoy, Callaway, Nike and TaylorMade.