Medford, N.J. – For the first time in more than a decade, the Philadelphia PGA traveled into South Jersey, and Medford Village Country Club, for the 2019 Jack Jolly / Golf Pride Championship. Despite the recent weather that plagued the region, course conditions were impeccable thanks in large part to the maintenance staff at Medford Village Country Club.

The Jack Jolly / Golf Pride Championship is the fourth points event on the Philadelphia PGA calendar and is played as an individual stroke play event. The field featured more than 100 Professionals from across the Section and also included members of the Philadelphia Assistants’ Organization (PAO) who were competing in the PAO event which was held in conjunction with today’s Championship. As a note some PAO members were competing in both of the day’s tournaments.

Philadelphia PGA veteran Mark Sheftic (Merion GC) was the first player to separate himself from the field. Sheftic got off to a fast start birdieing four of his opening nine holes. However, as Sheftic played the inward nine he found some trouble on the par-3 eleventh hole, posting a bogey, and ultimately finishing with a score of 4-under (68).

Not far behind Sheftic was Michael Little (Lookaway GC) who quickly joined Sheftic for the clubhouse lead after posting an identical 4-under (68). Little made the turn at even par after trading one birdie, par-5 fifth hole, and one bogey, par-4 ninth hole. As he played his way back to the clubhouse Little got red hot carding four birdies on the back side, including back-to-back birdies to end his round.

In the afternoon wave Doug Delaney (Union League National GC) made things interesting after posting the third 4-under (68) of the day. Delaney was on cruise control on the front side with nine pars, then took advantage of the back nine posting four birdies over a five-hole stretch.

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However, for all three players at 4-under their dreams of victory would come to an end as Philadelphia PGA rookie, Tom Cooper (Pine Valley GC) carded a sizzling nine birdies, three more than any other player in the field, en route to a tournament best 7-under (65). Cooper posted four birdies against one bogey on the outward nine while adding five additional birdies against only one bogey on the inward nine.

Waiting in the clubhouse, Cooper was watching the leaderboard hoping his score was good enough for his first Section win. “I’ve been hitting the ball really well the past couple weeks. I made an important putt on the par-4 second hole and carried that momentum for the rest of the round,” said Cooper. “I was hitting greens, something you have to do here, and everything was just clicking.” In the end Cooper’s 7-under (65) was good enough for a three-shot victory. Cooper also credits his victory to playing with some great professionals who had pushed him the entire day.

In the senior division, Dave Quinn (Laurel Creek CC) took home the top spot with a score of 3-under (69). Quinn started off his round with a nice birdie on the par-4 first hole while adding two additional birdies on the front nine. Finish in a second-place tie in the senior division were a group of players tied at 2-under (70). The first to reach the number was John Appleget (The Shore Club) who was eventually joined by Bob Lennon (Wilmington CC) and Hugo Mazzalupi (Patriots Glen National GC) out of the afternoon wave.

George Forster (Radnor Valley CC) became victorious again in the super-senior division. Forster had a clean scorecard until the par-4 fifteenth hole where he made his lone bogey to finish with an even par (72). Bill Sautter (Philadelphia Cricket Club) and Don DeAngelis (Spring Ford CC) both finished tied for second place after shooting a 1-over (73).

The Section would like to thank the members and staff of Medford Village Country Club as well as our tournament sponsors, Jack Jolly & Son and Golf Pride Grips. The next event on the Philadelphia PGA calendar is Pro-Scratch Championship on June 27, 2019 at Moselem Springs Golf Club.

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Lancaster, Pa. – The Philadelphia PGA traveled to Conestoga Country Club in the heart of the Amish Country on a day packed with humidity that led to a brief period of rain. The Conestoga CC tested the entire field’s playing ability due to the wet, lush rough which was the result of overnight rain.

To start the day off, Mike Tobiason (Deerfield Golf Club) came into the clubhouse with the first under par score of 1-under (69). Tobiason didn’t have one blemish on his card and capped the day off with a birdie on the par-4 18^th hole.

The driver’s seat was quickly taken over by Eric Kennedy (Overbrook Golf Club). Kennedy started off hot with an eagle on the par-5 1^st hole. He ended up with three more birdies and one bogey to enter the clubhouse as the leader. “I decided to hit driver everywhere after watching the final round of the U.S. Open last night,” said Kennedy. The announcers planted a seed in Kennedy’s head prompting him to play aggressive and not to lay back.

Just a few groups back was the low man of the day. John Pillar (Country Club of Woodloch Springs) carded a 6-under (64). Pillar had a near perfect round with seven birdies and a lone bogey that came on the par-3 5^th hole. He navigated around the 6,400-yard-long golf course with no goal in mind. “I came into this event with no expectations. Having a busy week left me with little time to focus on the state of my game,” Pillar said. “My game plan was to just keep the ball in front of me and hit fairways.” Pillar also gives credit to playing with Brian Kelly and Eddie Perrino, two guys he is comfortable with and able to keep things light on the course.

The rest of the field chased Pillar and when a brief rain shower dampened the greens and allowed players to attack more holes, Pat Butkus (Tavistock Country Club) gave Pillar a scare with another 4-under (66). Butkus made four birdies to end his round without a blemish on his card. Playing with Pillar, Brian Kelly (Bucknell Golf Club) shot a 3-under (67). Kelly started the day with six straight pars and mixed in four birdies and one bogey.

Pillar also led the way in the tournament’s senior division with his 6-under (64). Brian Kelly (Bucknell Golf Club) finished in second in this division with a 3-under (67). Stu Ingraham took home third place with a 2-under (68).

The Conestoga Classic also featured a super senior division. Finishing in the top spot in the super senior division was Bill Sautter (Philadelphia Cricket Club). Sautter carded a 1-over (71) to finish two shots clear of division runner-up Don DeAngelis (Spring Ford Country Club). George Foster (Radnor Valley Country Club) and Gary Hardin (Northampton Country Club) both shot 4-over (74) to tie for third place.

The Philadelphia Assistants’ Organization (PAO) event came down to a playoff. Brian Bergstol (Shawnee Inn & GC) and Parks Price (CC of York) were the only two of the seven tied at 1-under par 69 who were still there at the end of regulation play. Both went back on the course in a sudden-death playoff. It took three extra holes to settle things as Bergstol finally prevailed.

The Section would like to thank the members and staff of Conestoga Country Club for hosting our event as well as our tournament sponsors, Golf Max, Morell Studios and the PGA Tour.

The Philadelphia PGA will return to action on Monday, June 24 at Medford Village Country Club for the Jack Jolly/Golf Pride Championship.

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Allentown, Pa. – On Tuesday, May 21 Lehigh Country Club hosted the first Philadelphia PGA Spring Pro-Lady Team Championship. Teams consisted of one PGA Professional with three female amateur partners with the classic William Flynn-designed golf course providing a spectacular backdrop for the day’s action to unfold.

Early in the day it looked as though the hometown team of Chris Wegner (Lehigh Country Club) and his amateur partners Diane Adams, Patty Cox, and MaryAnn Meehan who posted ten birdies and two eagles en route to a 12-under (58) would be the team to beat. The score was a product of a total team effort as each member contributed on multiple holes. However, with the majority of the field yet to post scores they had a long wait to see if their score was good enough.

As the afternoon progressed a second team was able to join the leaders with a matching score of 12-under (58). Tom Koenig (Penn Oaks Golf Club) and his partners Dawn Capriotti, Donna Dalusio, and Tina Landis posted twelve team birdies without a single blemish to join the team from Lehigh at the top of the leaderboard.

Late in the day a third team managed to join the teams at 12-under (58) after posting three net eagles and six birdies against only one bogey. Jeff Breiner (Country Club of Harrisburg) and his amateur partners Kitty Campbell, Leigh McBride, and Pam Troutman overcame an early bogey and finished strong with two net eagles on the inward nine.

Unfortunately for the teams at 12-under the group from Woodstone Country Club had their own idea for the tournament. Professional Gregg Meyer and his partners Donna D’Amore, Cookie Felchock, and Joy Wallace carded an impressive four net eagles to go along with seven net birdies to finish with a final team score of 15-under (55) and a solo first place finish.

In the tournament’s gross division, a pair of teams tied for the top spot after finishing with matching scores of 2-under (68). The first team to post that number played in the tournament’s first pairing and featured PGA Professional Jim Smith, Jr. (Philadelphia Cricket Club) and his partners Joanne Bidwell, Kristen Fireman, and Courtney Schultz. They were joined late in the day by the team of Cameron Small (Aronimink Golf Club) and his partners Lynne Jones, Casey Reiss, and Jeanne Waldron to share the tournament’s top spot.

The Section thanks our tournament partners Lincoln Motor Company, Skechers Golf, Belle Monde Luggage and the SVS Wealth Management Team at Morgan Stanley. The Philadelphia PGA resumes tournament action on Tuesday, May 28 at Sunnybrook Golf Club for the annual Haverford Philadelphia PGA Classic.

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Greenville, Del. – The second event of the young Philadelphia PGA season, the Spring Pro-Pro Championship, was played Monday, May 6 at Fieldstone Golf Club. The Pro-Pro brings together two PGA Professionals partnered in a four-ball competition (better of ball of partners). Despite a chilly start the fifty-four teams that teed it up in the tournament were eventually treated to near perfect weather as the clouds made way for afternoon sunshine.

The pace early in the day was set by the team of Mike Moses and Branden Shattuck of Concord Country Club. As a team the pair played bogey-free carding seven birdies along the way to finish with a 7-under (64) total and an early clubhouse lead. However, with most of the field still on the course the pair needed to watch the leaderboard throughout the afternoon.

Playing in the tournament’s final group, the team of Chris Kopelcheck of Gulph Mills Golf Club and Brandon Kuzmich of Merion Golf Club managed to climb the leaderboard and matched Moses and Shattuck at 7-under (64). The pair posted three birdies on the front nine and posted an additional four birdies as they made their way back to the clubhouse.

Unfortunately for the teams at 7-under the team of Scott Chisholm from Rolling Green Golf Club and Nathalie Filler of the Philadelphia Cricket Club had their own idea. After playing the opening nine holes at 3-under the pair continued their good fortune on their inward nine. Chisholm and Filler posted five additional birdies including a pair of birdies on the final two holes to finish with a team score of 8-under (63) and a one-shot victory.

The Section thanks our Spring Pro-Pro Championship partners Ahead, All-Star Pro Golf, 2UNDR, the SVS Wealth Management Team at Morgan Stanley, and the PGA Tour. The Section also thanks the membership and staff of Fieldstone Golf Club for their hospitality in hosting this event.

The Philadelphia PGA will be back in action on Monday, May 13 returning to Radley Run Country Club for the first time in more than a decade for the season’s second points event, the Delaware Valley Open. 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.

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