Indiana Professional Golfers Association, Noblesville, IN.
September 3, 2026
September may have arrived, but summer wasn’t ready to leave Harbour Trees Golf Club for the Indiana PGA Professional Championship. Temperatures climbed above 95 degrees during both days of competition, with high humidity adding another challenge for the field. An occasional breeze moved across the course, but offered little relief as Indiana’s PGA Professionals battled through 36-holes with a Section Championship and national qualifying opportunities on the line.
Timothy Wiseman entered Thursday’s final round with a one-stroke advantage over the field and was joined in the final pairing by Eric Steger and Vince Drahman. Wiseman knew there would be little room to relax with two of the Section’s top players alongside him.
“I knew it was going to be a battle,” Wiseman said. “I knew Vince and Eric were both going to play well, so I knew I had to show up, even with the one-shot lead.”
Steger quickly emerged as Wiseman’s closest challenger, putting together a bogey-free final round that kept pressure on the leader throughout the day. Birdies on Nos. 3 and 8 moved Steger to 2-under for the round at the turn before the championship began to tighten on the back nine. Wiseman birdied the par-5 11th before giving the shot back with a bogey on 12, but responded immediately with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 13 and 14. Steger added a birdie of his own on 13, and the two continued to battle as they approached the closing stretch.
“I mentally was just really, really sharp,” Wiseman said. “I just feel like I stayed in the moment really well, focused all day really well, never relaxed.”
That focus became especially important over the final two holes as both players made one final charge. Steger birdied 17, and Wiseman answered with a birdie. Steger followed with another birdie on 18, and once again Wiseman matched him. Steger’s finish completed a bogey-free, 5-under final round, while Wiseman played the back nine in 5-under 31. After 36-holes in the September heat, the two were tied at 7-under and headed to a playoff.
There was little time between regulation and extra holes. Almost immediately after checking the final scores in the clubhouse, Wiseman and Steger headed back onto the course and made their way to the 10th tee. Wiseman opened the playoff with a drive down the middle of the fairway, while Steger found the rough on the left side. Steger’s second shot came up just short of the green and settled into the rough, leaving a lengthy chip, while Wiseman took advantage of his position and hit his approach to approximately three feet.
Wiseman had the first opportunity to close out the championship, but left his birdie putt short and tapped in for par, leaving the door open for Steger. After chipping onto the green, Steger gave himself an opportunity to extend the playoff, but his par putt wouldn’t fall. With the par on the first playoff hole, Wiseman secured another Indiana PGA Professional Championship and continued a remarkable run in the Section’s premier event.
The victory marked Wiseman’s fourth Indiana PGA Professional Championship title in the last five years. Asked what has allowed him to continually find success in the event, Wiseman pointed to the mental side of his game.
“I’d like to think that it’s some mental toughness,” Wiseman said. “There’s a lot we’re playing for this week, or for this event, and I feel like I’m pretty good at just putting my nose down and taking care of business. Maybe I’m just lucky. I don’t know. One of the two.”
Beyond the championship trophy, the event also determined the Indiana Section’s qualifiers for the 2027 PGA Professional Championship, scheduled for April 25-28 at Streamsong Golf Resort. Wiseman had already secured his place in the national championship after qualifying for the Corebridge Financial PGA Professional Team and competing in the PGA Championship earlier this year, allowing Indiana’s qualifying spots to extend further down the leaderboard.
“That’s kind of what everybody wants,” Wiseman said. “That’s why everybody’s here playing this week. So to have that kind of check already is definitely nice.”
Joining Wiseman at the 2027 PGA Professional Championship will be Eric Steger, Mike Asbell, Vince Drahman, Craig Isabel and Rylan Porter, who earned Indiana’s five qualifying spots at Harbour Trees.
For Wiseman, the week ended with another trophy and another chapter in an impressive run at the Indiana PGA Professional Championship. Through oppressive heat, a bogey-free charge from Steger and a playoff that came down to the first extra hole, Wiseman relied on the quality he believes has helped him win four of the last five: the ability to stay focused and take care of business.
Results:https://iga.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/iga26/event/iga2638/contest/9/leaderboard.htm