LAS VEGAS – PGA of America Master Professional Drew Kayser, Director of Golf at Boston College and a member of the New England PGA Section, has been named the 2025 Labron Harris Sr. Award recipient presented by the Golf Coaches Association of America in cooperation with the PGA of America. The Harris Award is presented to the college or high school coach and Class A PGA Professional whose support of the game through teaching, coaching, and involvement in the community has helped ensure the game of golf’s continued growth and who represents the finest qualities the game has to offer.
“As both an NCAA coach and PGA Golf Professional, receiving the prestigious Labron Harris Sr. Award is an extraordinary honor, one that reflects not only my own efforts but the shared commitment of Boston College Athletics and the New England PGA,” said Kayser. “Coach Harris’ legacy reminds us that true coaching extends far beyond competition – it is about shaping character, elevating standards, and guiding young athletes to discover the very best in themselves.”
Kayser became the head men’s and women’s golf coach and Director of Golf at Boston College in 2012 after serving as the assistant coach from 2008-11. He has led the Eagles through their most successful eras in both programs’ history, winning a combined program-record 32 tournaments (11 men, 21 women) and coaching 18 PING All-Northeast Region recognitions. The men achieved their first-ever top-100 national ranking in October 2024 (No. 83 via Scoreboard by Clippd) while the women have climbed as high as No. 57. Kayser’s men have had multiple historic jumps in performance, including a 71-ranking improvement from 2012 to 2013. His 2016 recruiting class was ranked as the sixth-best Division I men’s freshman class by Golfstat.
In 2023, Kayser founded the Red Bandanna Invitational at Turning Stone Resort (men) and Blue Hill Country Club (women). The tournament was named in honor of Welles Crowther, “The Man in the Red Bandanna.” A former Boston College lacrosse player, Crowther lost his life saving as many as 18 during the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City. Survivors mentioned that their rescuer was a man wearing a Red Bandanna. Crowther often wore a Red Bandanna given to him as a child by his father. The Boston College women have won the first three Red Bandanna Invitationals while the men have won two of the first three, both wins happening in a playoff.
Off the course, Kayser’s Eagles have received 39 All-America Scholar recognitions (19 GCAA, 20 WGCA), 10 GCAA Outstanding Team Academic honors, had team GPAs ranking among the highest in Boston College athletics, and achieved 100% graduation rates. On top of excellence in the classroom, Kayser requires his student-athletes to participate in an annual service initiative. He has organized volunteer activities with multiple hospitals in Boston, Team IMPACT, Hyde Park Community Center, the NEPGA Wounded Warriors programs, and GIGL (Girls’ Independent Golf League). His outreach also includes long-time involvement with the National Special Olympics Golf Staff, the PGA President’s Council on Growing the Game, and years of youth development programming at clubs nationwide.
A long-time leader within the New England PGA Section (Class A-12), Kayser has been a PGA Member since 1998 and Master Professional since 2005. He was named New England PGA Teacher of the Year and Eastern Massachusetts Teacher of the Year in 2010, Division I New England Coach of the Year in 2018, and was one of Golf Digest’s Best Teachers in Massachusetts for nine consecutive years (2011-19). Kayser has received consistent recognition as a Top 10 Instructor in Massachusetts by Massachusetts Golfer and earned U.S. Kids Golf Top 50 Kids Teacher honors in both 2007 and 2008.
The Shelton, Conn., native founded the Kayser Performance Golf Academy in Southboro, Mass. in 2010. A training facility dedicated to comprehensive instruction for players of all ages and abilities, the academy has become a well-known resource for golfers throughout the Boston and New England area.
Since working on earning his PGA of America Class A certification until he began coaching at Boston College, Kayser was a golf professional at 10 different locations in seven different states. After five Assistant/First Assistant Golf Professional positions across three states in four years (1993-97), he was First Assistant Golf Professional at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio for three years (1997-2000), managing the Memorial Tournament and Solheim Cup in 1998. His first full-time Head Golf Professional role was at Roaring Fork Club in Aspen Valley, Colo. (2000-02) and held the same role at Wellesley Country Club in Wellesley, Mass. (2003) and Belmont Country Club in Belmont, Mass. (2004-09).
Kayser has been highly active within the PGA of America, including training multiple GCAA member coaches through seminars he presented. He served on the PGA Master Professional Mentoring Committee, with the PGA Professional Golf Management national faculty, and led educational seminars across 19 PGA PGM-accredited universities. He also provided instructional and leadership support within the New England and Colorado PGA Sections, earning the Colorado PGA West Chapter’s Merchandiser of the Year (2001–02) and President’s Plaque awards, and developed internship programs that have shaped aspiring professionals for years.
“This award reaffirms my belief that when we lead with integrity, generosity, and purpose, we not only honor the past but help frame the future of the game we love,” Kayser continued. “I am deeply humbled to receive this recognition, and it strengthens my dedication to serving Boston College, the NEPGA community, and the student-athletes who trust us with their growth both on and off the course.”
All-Time Recipients
2025 – Drew Kayser (Boston College/New England PGA Section)
2024 – Scott Vandegrift (Millersville/Philadelphia PGA Section)
2023 – Rich Mueller (Columbia/Metropolitan PGA Section)
2022 – Tim Poe (Central Missouri/Midwest PGA Section)
2021 – Scott Flynn (Belmont/Tennessee PGA Section)
2020 – Joe Tesori (Le Moyne College/CNY-PGA Section)
2019 – Jaime Howell (Eastern Florida State/North Florida PGA Section)
2018 – Jerry Haas (Wake Forest/Carolinas PGA Section)
2017 – Scott Cartwright (Cal Poly/Southern California PGA Section)
2016 – Harry Hammond (West Chester/Philadelphia PGA Section)
2015 – Puggy Blackmon (South Carolina/Carolinas PGA Section)
2014 – Mike Mayer (Indiana/Indiana PGA Section)
2013 – Mike Small (Illinois/Illinois PGA Section)
2012 – Pat Goss (Northwestern/Illinois PGA Section)
2011 – John Bermel (Northern Iowa/Iowa PGA Section)
2010 – Rick Pohle (Williams/Northeastern New York PGA Section)
2009 – Pat Owen (Navy/Middle Atlantic PGA Section)
2008 – Jim Brown (Ohio State/Southern Ohio PGA Section)
2007 – Herb Page (Kent State/Northern Ohio PGA Section)
2006 – Rod Myers (Duke/Carolinas PGA Section)
2005 – Devon Brouse (Purdue/Indiana PGA Section)
2004 – Jay Hardwick (Virginia Tech/Middle Atlantic PGA Section)
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About Golf Coaches Association of America
Established in 1958, the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) is the professional organization of men’s collegiate golf coaches. The GCAA’s mission is to support its member coaches from six divisions, including the NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA, by creating educational opportunities, providing resources, and promoting its members with the purpose of enhancing their overall performance as coaches, mentors, and teachers. The GCAA also recognizes the excellence and achievements of its members and their student-athletes in academic, athletic and civic endeavors.
Adam Mackey
Director of Communications
Golf Coaches Association of America
(517) 763-4291