Five Teams Share the Top Spot at AB Thorn Memorial Pro-Am
Lancaster, Pa. – After a one-year hiatus the AB Thorn Memorial Pro-Am once again returned to the Philadelphia PGA tournament schedule. The long-time event was not played in 2018 due to inclement weather. However, as players returned to the rolling hills of Lancaster Country Club this year, they were treated to a near perfect golf course. The AB Thorn is played as a four-ball (better ball of partners) tournament with each team consisting of one PGA Professional and one amateur playing to a scratch handicap.
With the course playing tough, any team finding their way into red figures was going to give themselves a chance at coming away with a victory. In the end the number that teams needed to reach was 3-under (67) and by the conclusion of the tournament, five teams found their way to that number and a share of first place.
The first team to post a score of 3-under (67) was Scott Reilly (Philadelphia Country Club) and his partner Chris Button. The pair each contributed birdies to their overall score helping to overcome a lone bogey on the difficult par-3 8th hole.
The next team to reach 3-under also came out of the tournament’s morning wave and feature Matt Goudie (Lancaster Country Club) and partner Ken Phillips. The team posted five birdies against two bogeys, including a blemish on their closing hole, the par-4 18th, to drop them back into a first-place tie.
The third team to finish the tournament at 3-under was the pair of Lee Gardenhour (Chambersburg Country Club) and his partner Kenny Smith. The duo posted four birdies and an eagle two on the par-4 14th hole and found themselves at 5-under heading to the 17th tee. Unfortunately, the pair carded a double bogey to fall back to 3-under which is where the finished at the end of the tournament.
The fourth team to join the groups at 3-under was the duo of Rob Shuey (Philadelphia PGA) and his partner Ryan Knolles. As a team, Shuey and Knolles posted six birdies helping them to overcome their three team bogeys and making them the fourth team to finish at the magic.
The fifth and final team to reach the winning score of 3-under was the pair of Rich Steinmetz (Spring Ford Country Club) and partner Kevin Koch who despite bookending their round with bogeys manage to post enough red numbers in between to join the crowded first-place spot.
Special congratulations to Dustin Wallis of Dustin Wallis Golf of Philadelphia Cricket Club on carding a hole-in-one on the par-3 17th hole at Lancaster Country Club. Wallis used a 7-iron on the 160-yard hole to accomplish the feat, which was his fourth career hole-in-one.
The Section thanks our tournament sponsors Greg Norman Apparel, Imperial Headwear and Synlawn for their continued support of the Philadelphia PGA tournament program and specifically the AB Thorn Memorial Pro-Am. Additionally, the players and staff thanks the members and staff of Lancaster Country Club for their outstanding hospitality.
The next event on the Philadelphia PGA tournament calendar is the Fall Pro-Pro Championship set to be played Monday, September 30 at Cedarbrook Country Club. For more information on the Philadelphia PGA and our tournament program visit www.phillypga.com or you can find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @PhiladelphiaPGA.