Chip Richter Elected as 45th Philadelphia PGA Section President
Huntingdon Valley, Pa. (October 29, 2023) — PGA Member Chip Richter of the Country Club of Harrisburg in Harrisburg, Pa., was elected 45th Philadelphia PGA President at the Section’s 2023 Fall Membership Meeting at Philmont Country Club.
Bob Hennefer of Laurel Creek Country Club in Mount Laurel, N.J., and Eric Kennedy of Overbrook Golf Club in Villanova, Pa., will join Richter as Section officers, being elected as vice president, and secretary, respectively. Patrick Shine of Doylestown (Pa.) Country Club, moves to the role of honorary president following his two-year stint as president.
The membership also selected Dustin McCormick of Glen Brook G.C., as director of tournaments, and Anthony Malizia, Bidermann G.C., as director of Section affairs. Section Districts 1, 3 and 5 also elected new directors, with Curtis Kirkpatrick, Indian Spring C.C., Jeff Breiner, C.C. of Harrisburg, and Tom Michaels, Berkshire C.C., taking those roles. The board of directors and Executive Director Geoff Surrette also thanked outgoing directors Kevin Duffy, Commonwealth National G.C., Jason Gebhart, the Bridges G.C., and Brett Nelson, Moselem Springs G.C., for their service.
During the meeting, Richter formally announced the Section’s 2023 class of Playing Legends: Ted McKenzie and Jerry Pisano; Pisano will be inducted posthumously. Established in 1991, the Section’s Playing Legends honorary program recognizes individuals based on criteria set forth by the Philadelphia PGA’s Hall of Fame Committee. One of the main criteria is that individuals must have had success in major events locally or nationally, something that each 2023 inductee has accomplished consistently throughout their careers. To learn more about the 2023 Playing Legends class, click here.
The Section’s playing awards were also formally announced during the meeting and included:
- Rolex Haverford Trust Player of the Year:
Braden Shattuck, PGA, Rolling Green G.C. - Women’s Player of the Year:
Joanna Coe, PGA, Merion G.C. - Rolex Robert “Skee” Riegel Senior Player of the Year:
Rich Steinmetz, PGA, Spring Ford C.C. - Super Senior Player of the Year:
Brian Kelly, PGA Life Member - F. Edward DeBaufre Trophy for Scoring Average:
Trevor Bensel, PGA, Sandy Run C.C. - Comeback Player of the Year:
Dave Quinn, PGA, Laurel Creek C.C. - Ike Turner Most Improved Player:
Brad Sanders, PGA, Sunnybrook G.C. - Philadelphia Assistants’ Organization Player of the Year:
Anthony Sebastianelli, Rolling Green G.C. - Central Counties Chapter Player of the Year:
Brian Bergstol, PGA, Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort
The Section was honored to host PGA of America Chief Operating Officer Craig Kessler as a special guest to the meeting. Kessler took part in a town hall discussion with the Philadelphia PGA Professionals in attendance, and spoke about the Association’s strategic focus and plans for the future.
The Section also acknowledged the first-ever recipients of the Bud Jennings PGA Golf Management Scholarship: PGA Associates Victoria Petrosky of Fox Hill Country Club in Exeter, Pa.; and Gregory Rhoads of Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield, Pa. The scholarship was developed by the Jennings family to honor Bud Jennings, a lifelong golfer and longtime Chester Valley Golf Club member. Given Bud’s love for the game of golf, and his willingness to give back and help others, the Jennings family says that this award is the perfect way to remember his legacy. To learn more about the scholarship and the 2023 recipients, click here.
Following the meeting, 114 of the nearly 200 PGA Professionals in attendance teed it up in the Fall Meeting’s two-person scramble, with Rolling Green G.C.’s Braden Shattuck and Anthony Sebastianelli tying Joanna Coe, Merion G.C., and Tessa Teachman, Aroninink G.C.; and Gulph Mills G.C.’s Tom Gilbert and Louis Kelly; atop the leaderboard at 9-under-par. Four teams tied for fourth place.
One the the highlights of the tournament was Parks Price, C.C. of York, making a hole-in-one on No. 17. Price used a 6-iron from 184 yards. Well played, Parks!
To view the full 2023 Philadelphia PGA Fall Meeting leaderboard, click here.
The 2023 Philadelphia PGA Fall Meeting is supported by Cobra Golf, Evolve Golf, Signature Golf, StickX, and Maui Jim. The Philadelphia PGA Section and its PGA Professionals thank our partners, Philmont Country Club, its membership, management, and host PGA Professionals, and staff, as the event would not be possible without their support.
About the Philadelphia PGA Section
The Philadelphia PGA Section, covering eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware, is one of 41 geographical managing entities of the PGA of America. This Section manages nearly 900 PGA Members and Associates who are employed at over 590 golf facilities in our region.
Contact: Matt Frey, PGA, Communications Director, mfrey@pgahq.com
Ted McKenzie, now retired, has a remarkable résumé for both playing professional accomplishments. He was the longtime PGA Professional at Waynesborough Country Club in Paoli, Pa., and later helped found the famed Stonewall Links in Elverson, Pa. During his career, he worked his way through the ranks of the Philadelphia PGA Section’s Board of Directors, ultimately serving as the Section’s president, and also served as the Section’s tournament chair. For over 20 years, McKenzie was one of the leading players in the Section. His two biggest wins within the Section included the 1971 Philadelphia Open and the 1979 Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship. He earned the Player of the Year title in 1975, and also earned the F. Edward DeBaufre Trophy for Scoring Average the same year. Throughout his career, he qualified for two U.S. Opens, seven PGA Professional Championships and a Senior PGA Professional Championship. In the first 13 years of the Challenge Cup Matches against the Middle Atlantic PGA Section, McKenzie qualified for the team 11 times and he earned a berth on the team a total of 12 times. In 1984, he was honored as the Section’s PGA Golf Professional of the Year and was inducted into the Philadelphia PGA Hall of Fame in 2006.
Jerry Pisano, named a Philadelphia PGA Playing Legend posthumously, worked as the PGA Professional at several facilities, including Overbrook Golf Club in Villanova, Pa., Locust Valley in Coopersburg, Pa., Radnor Valley Country Club in Villanova, Pa., and Edgmont Country Club in Newtown Square, Pa. Pisano won the Philadelphia Open three times, in 1957, 1962, and 1965, in addition to the 1964 Pennsylvania Open. Over the course of his career, Pisano competed in five major championships, including three PGA Championships (1961, 1962, and 1963), and two U.S. Opens (1962 and 1963).
Victoria Petrosky currently serves as the director of instruction at Fox Hill Country Club in northeastern Pennsylvania, following stints working as assistant professional at the club, as well as at Irem Country Club. She says having passion for her career makes her an outstanding PGA Associate. Prior to her work in the golf industry, she earned a degree in nursing, but decided to become a PGA Professional because she has a true passion for the game of golf, as well as helping others find the same passion for the sport. Petrosky also played on the Section’s Philadelphia PGA Junior Tour as a junior. In the future, she hopes to create instructional programs for underprivileged youth golfers, helping to improve their lives.
Greg Rhoads has been an assistant professional at Rolling Green Golf Club near Philadelphia since the spring of 2022, following stints working as an assistant at Lebanon (Pa.) Country Club and the River Club in South Carolina, in addition to coaching at the GOLFTEC in Malvern, Pa. Rhoads says that showing others that golf is not only a fun game to play but also a tool to develop critical life skills that enhance a person’s sense of purpose, connection and fulfillment should be the overwhelming goal of every PGA Professional. While at Rolling Green, he has been active in recruiting caddies, and helping them earn scholarships through the J. Wood Platt Trust. He also administers summer-long youth golf camps, the club’s PGA Jr. League team, and assists in managing the golf staff. In the future, he hopes to serve on various Section committees and on the board of directors.
