NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA - MAY 17: 2026 PGA Champion Aaron Rai and Low PGA of America Golf Professional Champion Ben Kern pose with the Wanamaker Trophy after the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club on Sunday, May 17, 2026 in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Darren Carroll/PGA of America) COLUMBUS, OH – Ben Kern, PGA, is going back to the PGA Cup.
The General Manager at Hickory Hills Golf Club and Southern Ohio PGA Professional has been named to the 2026 U.S. PGA Cup Team, earning his second opportunity to represent the United States in the biennial competition against Great Britain & Ireland. The 32nd PGA Cup will be contested Oct. 2-4 at The K Club in County Kildare, Ireland.
Kern’s selection comes after another remarkable year on the national stage. At the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club, Kern once again finished as the Low PGA of America Golf Professional, matching the distinction he first earned at the 2018 PGA Championship.
NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA – MAY 17: Ben Kern hits an approach shot at the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club. (Photo by Brett Hiltbrand/Southern Ohio PGA)
That performance was the latest chapter in a sustained run of excellence for Kern, who was named the 2025 Rolex Player of the Year by the Southern Ohio PGA Section.
But Kern’s résumé isn’t limited to individual accomplishments.
He has proven equally comfortable when the golf becomes a team affair. At the 2025 Ohio Cup, Kern clinched the deciding point for the Southern Ohio PGA, delivering the victory for his Section in one of the most pressure-packed moments on the schedule.
Now, he’ll have another opportunity to compete for something larger than himself.
The 2026 U.S. PGA Cup Team was determined through a two-year points system incorporating the 2025 and 2026 PGA Professional Championships and PGA Championships. Kern’s performance at Aronimink helped secure his place among 10 PGA Professionals who will represent the United States in Ireland.
For Kern, it will be a return to familiar territory. He previously represented the United States at the 2019 PGA Cup, making him one of just two members of the 2026 team with prior PGA Cup experience.
The PGA Cup, first contested in 1973, brings together 10 PGA of America Golf Professionals and 10 PGA Professionals from Great Britain & Ireland in a Ryder Cup-style competition. The three-day event features foursomes and four-ball matches during the first two days before concluding with singles matches.
The United States owns a 20-7-4 all-time record in the PGA Cup and will enter the 2026 competition seeking its fourth consecutive victory. The Americans defeated Great Britain & Ireland, 17.5-8.5, at the 2024 PGA Cup at Sunriver Resort in Oregon.