Cypress Lake Golf Club pro Jeremy Wells qualifies to play in 2023 PGA Championship

Nothing seemed to be going right for Jeremy Wells at his first PGA Professional Championship.

And then suddenly, when it mattered most, everything did.

The 32-year-old Estero resident shot a final round 66 on May 3 at the Twin Warriors and Santa Ana Pueblo Golf Clubs in New Mexico to qualify for the 2023 PGA Championship.

That blistering round left Wells, who has never played in a single PGA Tour event, preparing for his first major, which tees off next week at Oak Hill in Rochester, New York.

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“It’s kind of like finding out you’re playing the Super Bowl in a week-and-a-half,” he said. “There’s a lot you’ve got to get figured out.”

So far much of that has involved helping friends and family members find accommodations in the Rochester area. Wells estimates he’ll have about 15 people or so at Oak Hill, including his wife Melissa, son Mason, age 6, and daughter Chloe, age 5.

“I just want to embrace the whole week,” Wells said. “I want to share the experience with those around me who put up with so much travel and golf and nonsense throughout the years of me trying to figure this game out.”

A native of Prince George, Virginia, Wells played collegiate golf at William and Mary, where he also met Melissa. The couple moved to Southwest Florida in 2013 and Wells played professionally on the West Florida Golf Tour before becoming a full-time teaching professional in 2016.

Currently the director of player development at Cypress Lake Golf Club in Fort Myers, Wells became a full-time PGA professional last May. Four months later, he qualified for his first club professional championship in September by finishing third at the South Florida Section Championship at Imperial Golf Club in Naples.

That put Wells among 312 PGA professionals in New Mexico vying for 20 available spots in the PGA Championships. After three rounds, he was tied for 29th place, three shots behind the qualifying pace.

“I knew I was playing good golf and it was very frustrating to still be in 20-something place because I felt like I was playing better,” Wells said. “Going into the last round, I knew my golf was getting better and better throughout the week, even though my score didn’t show it. I just tried to put my head down and kept hitting good shots.”

After five holes, Wells was still 2-over for the tournament but then caught fire, making four birdies and an eagle in the next seven holes to punch his ticket to Oak Hill.

“I just hit the ball perfectly that last day,” he said. “Looking back, that was the most important round of golf I’ve ever played. But at the time, it was very simple to just execute and keep moving forward.

“I’m not the most excitable guy and that goes a long way when you’re trying to do something you’ve never done before and you’re more nervous than you’ve ever been in your life.”

Two days later, Wells returned to a hero’s welcome at Cypress Lake, which make completing his scheduled lessons a bit challenging.

“I probably should have canceled all of them and just gone out there to be social; it was a blast,” he said. “I just think it shows how special something like this is and how rare it is to get to the top of your sport for, you know, like a week. We’re a die-hard golf club and everybody appreciates the accomplishment.”

Wells will leave for Oak Hill on Saturday to acquaint himself over the weekend with a course he’s only seen on YouTube. Then during the three days of practice rounds, he’ll try and get used to the buzz surrounding the event, including playing in front of huge galleries.

“My goal is to get up there, get comfortable, and to just give myself a chance to make free, aggressive swings,” Wells said. “I truly have no idea where my golf stacks up against the best golfers in the world on one of the most demanding golf courses so I can’t put a number on it.”

There is one specific goal Wells has.

“I want to turn around and look at my 6-year-old son Mason and see him smiling and clapping for me and enjoying it alongside thousands of other people,” he said. “I’m so excited to share that experience. I just know it’s going to be something that not only I remember, but that everyone close to me is going to remember for the rest of their lives.”

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: 2023 PGA Championship: Jeremy Wells of Cypress Lake Golf Club makes debut