Iowa City club pro Jeff Schmid heading to senior PGA Championship

IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) - Jeff Schmid of Iowa City has a pretty fun side hustle - playing major golf championships against some of the best in the world.

Brown Deere golf club teaching pro Jeffrey Schmid is one of 35 club pros in the country to qualify for Senior PGA Championship. It starts Thursday in Frisco, Texas.

”It means a lot and it’s a great opportunity, it is a great privilege. Personally I’m playing very well, I am confident and I feel like I’m still getting better,” Schmid said. “I am almost going to be 55, but still my game is on the upswing.”

This will be Schmid’s fifth major. He finished 33rd last year at the Senior PGA Championships beating big time golfers like Vijay Singh.

“I am always trying to get to the next level,” he said. “A lot of those levels are mental. I think that was a big hurdle for me, to think that I could really compete against those guys.”

Schmid played golf at Kennedy in Cedar Rapids before a standout career at the University of Iowa. Going up against some of the top golfers in the world like Padraig Harrington and Steve Stricker can be intimidating, but it doesn’t phase Schmid.

“I hate to say it but it’s golf. I feel like I should beat them if I play well. There are a lot of good players, but I feel like I’m a good player and it gets down to who plays the best,” Schmid said.

Like a fine wine, Schmid keeps getting better with age and he says his golf game is as good as it has ever been.

“Mechanically I am probably better. Mentally I am much better,” he said. “I think that my swing is just more efficient. I think definitely it helped me (coaching) young kids all the time it’s pushed me to stay in shape.”

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