Lansing Sun

Chad Kurmel, the assistant coach for Michigan State men's golf, is set to participate in the Senior PGA Championship at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor. This opportunity came after he tied for 20th place at the PGA Senior Professional Championship last October.

Kurmel expressed his excitement about this milestone, stating, "Playing in a major is the next step up and it happened a little bit later than what I had anticipated," and added that he is glad to finally add a major to his resume.

Originally from Nebraska and an alumnus of Southeastern Louisiana University, Kurmel has been with Michigan State for six years. His journey includes playing in previous PGA events like the Honda Classic in 2007 and the Puerto Rico Classic in 2012. Since becoming a full-time assistant with the Spartans two years ago, Kurmel has balanced coaching responsibilities with maintaining his readiness for tournaments such as the Senior PGA.

Kurmel mentioned how he integrates practice into his schedule: "One of the unique things is I can go out and play with the guys if they're doing qualifying rounds or practicing."

Familiar with Harbor Shores from previous competitions there, Kurmel will begin on Thursday alongside Simon Khan from England and Gene Sauers. He remarked on this moment's significance by saying, "It's going to be right at the top" when asked where it would rank in his career.

With ambitions beyond just participating, Kurmel aims to make the cut and possibly win Low Professional honors. His caddie for this event will be Dan Ellis, a former standout player at Michigan State.

Kurmel acknowledged feeling some nerves but remains optimistic: "It'll be a little nervy for me being my first time in a major championship but I'm looking forward to it."

Reflecting on sharing the course with renowned golfers like Vijay Singh and John Daly, Kurmel finds excitement in potentially competing alongside them during weekend play.