Dean qualifies for PGA Championship

THOMPSONVILLE, MICH - Crystal Mountain Director of Golf Brad Dean will be playing in his first major during the 2008 PGA Championship to be hosted by Oakland Hills Country Club, August 7-10.

Dean earned a spot in the PGA Tour's final major of the year with a top-15 finish during this past weekend's PGA Club Professionals National Championship at Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, Georgia. Dean, who finished four-rounds at 2-under-par (70-72-71-73 = 286), is among 20 players from this weeks marquee event earning spots in the upcoming PGA Championship and one of only two from the state of Michigan.

August promises to be an exciting month for Dean who not only gets the opportunity to play against the world's elite golfers in a major championship but he and his wife Kendra are expecting a new addition to the family.

"There's no way I would be able to do any of this without such strong support from my family," said Dean. "We're very excited about the newest addition to the Dean clan and this latest opportunity is just icing on the cake. It's incredible."

Dean's journey to the 2008 PGA Championship began last August with a third place finish in the Michigan Section PGA Championship which earned him an invitation to this past weekend's tournament. While he's had much success as a player with numerous strong finishes in Michigan PGA events and a national championship as a player with Huntingdon College (Montgomery, Alabama), Brad Dean has also been nationally recognized for his talents as an instructor.

Crystal Mountain's Junior Elite program has produced three of the state's last six amateur champions and has promising young talent poised for the next level. This summer Dean attracted instructor Adam Schriber to Crystal Mountain who will also be spending time at the PGA Championship with his prize student Anthony Kim, winner of the 2008 Wachovia Championship.