By Craig Dolch
Special to the PGA of America
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (Feb. 10, 2026) – It’s not easy to beat Ben Kern in a playoff. Or to win with an 8 on the scorecard.
Andre Chi of Hicksville, N.Y., managed to do both Tuesday, making a 17-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole to win the PGA Stroke Play Championship at PGA Golf Club.
“I was hoping to not face Ben in a playoff,” said Chi, an Assistant PGA Professional at Deepdale Country Club. “I played with him the first two rounds. He’s a great ball striker and I had a feeling he would be one of the biggest contenders today.
“Just barely touched it (playoff putt). And it’s nice to knock one of these ones off. I came in third last year, punched my ticket to the PPC through this event last year. So it means a lot in terms of it was the avenue to get me through to my first major championship.”
Chi shot 3-under 69 on the Dye Course to finish at 10-under 206 and earn the $5,500 first prize. Kern birdied the final hole to force the playoff after a 65.
Kern started the final round four shots behind co-leaders Chi and Cooper Hrabak, but passed them by opening with five consecutive birdies. Kern added a birdie at the seventh hole to shoot 30 on the front nine, but made 10 consecutive pars before the final-hole birdie from 35 feet.
“It was nice to make some early birdies to make sure the leaders saw me coming,” said Kern, General Manager at Hickory Hills Golf Club in Grove City, Ohio. “I played great on the back, had a lot of makeable putts, just didn’t go in. I was four back. To even think I was in a playoff was awesome. I’m happy I threw a number at him.”
Chi overcame one of the worst numbers – a snowman – on the par-5 fifth hole, when he hit a lost ball off the tee and took four shots from beside the green. He charged back into contention with four birdies on the first five holes of the back nine, then saved a par at No. 17 from 110 yards.
“I made a mess of the fifth hole,” Chi said. “It happened so quickly, but I stayed patient. Very proud of that, because I still knew there were a lot of birdie holes coming down the stretch.”
Kern almost won his third consecutive PGA Winter Championship event after teaming with Bob Sowards to win the Senior-Junior Team Championship and the Four-Ball Stableford Team Championship. He came close.
“I definitely wanted to make a clean sweep of the Winter Series,” Kern said. “Andre is an awesome player – what a great swing. I wish him the best because he’s got a lot of game.”
Joe Monte of Norwalk, Conn., finished third, highlighted by a hole-in-one on the 160-yard sixth hole with a 9-iron. (Caleb Ryan matched that feat.)
“I needed that,” Monte said. “But I just couldn’t get anything going on the back nine.”
Dylan Newman (66) tied for fourth with Hrabak.
Justin Bertsch and Andrew Filbert of Naples, Fla., both qualified for the PGA Professional Championship thanks to their finishes Tuesday. Bertsch shot 66 to finish ninth and Filbert a 72 to finish 12th.
The PGA Winter Championships are presented by GolfPass and On Location. The final championship, the Women’s Stroke Play, starts Sunday.
For more information about the 2026 PGA Winter Championships, visit the event website.