Assistant Pro Nicole Felce Makes History, Surges to Weekend at KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

Nicole Felce, the 21-year-old PGA/LPGA teaching professional from Countryside Country Club in Clearwater, Florida, is rewriting the script for club pros at major championships. After carding a second-round 69 at Hazeltine National, Felce surged inside the cut line at the 2026 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, becoming the first full-time teaching pro since 2019 to reach the weekend in this major. Felce’s feat is even more impressive when you consider her day-to-day routine. Instead of traveling full time on tour, she spends most weeks giving lessons, running junior clinics, and fitting members for clubs in Clearwater. Yet the former University of South Florida standout has always kept competitive dreams alive. A top-four finish at last year’s LPGA Professionals Championship earned her a coveted exemption into the KPMG field, and she has seized the opportunity on one of the toughest tracks in women’s golf. Starting Friday outside the projected cut, Felce rolled in three birdies over her closing six holes, including a clutch 15-footer on the par-4 18th that set off a roar around Hazeltine’s amphitheater green. The momentum vaulted her to even par for 36 holes, safely inside the cut line and ahead of several established LPGA Tour winners. “I told myself, ‘You teach people to trust the process every day—now it’s your turn,’” Felce said afterward, her voice cracking with emotion. “I wanted to prove that club pros can belong on the biggest stage, too.” Her weekend tee times will mark more than personal validation. Felce is now guaranteed a career-best paycheck, valuable Rolex Rankings points, and priceless exposure for the PGA of America’s teaching ranks. She also stands as a role model for junior players at Countryside, many of whom followed every shot on the LPGA’s live stream. Statistically, Felce has leaned on pinpoint accuracy—hitting 78 percent of fairways—and a deft short game that ranks top 10 in scrambling through two rounds. If the Florida native can keep her driver in play and avoid Hazeltine’s penal rough, a top-25 finish is realistic, a result that would lock up invites to several 2027 majors. Beyond the leaderboard, Felce’s presence underscores a larger storyline: the pipeline between PGA/LPGA Professionals and elite competition is stronger than ever. With the Women’s PGA expanding its exemption list for teaching pros and the LPGA Professionals Championship awarding more major berths, Felce may be the first of many instructors to contend on Sunday. For now, she’s focused on another simple lesson: enjoy the walk. “Whether I’m giving a beginner her first grip or reading a putt to stay in a major, it’s still golf,” she smiled. “And golf should be fun.”