Clarks Summit, Pa.. (September 11, 2023) — As the Country Club of Scranton and Elmhurst Country Club both host their first-ever Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship, PGA Members Bob Lennon of Wilmington (Del.) Country Club and Zac Oakley of Bidermann Golf Club in Wilmington, Del., lead the championship entering the second round.

Both Lennon and Oakley finished with 5-under-par 65s at Elmhurst C.C., and lead two-time (2019, 2020) Philadelphia PGA Professional Champion Alex Knoll, Glen Brook G.C., and Rob Shuey, Colonial Golf & Tennis Club, by one stroke. The trio of Steve Sanderson, Saucon Valley C.C.; 2018 Champion Billy Stewart, Union League Liberty Hill; and Michael Meisenzahl, Little Mill C.C.; round out the top five at 3-under-par. Defending champion Brian Bergstol, Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort, is tied for 18th at even par.

“I made a bunch of birdies during the day,” Lennon said discussing his first round. “I putted real

Oakley said that while he hit a lot of greens, the putting surfaces were tricky, claiming to have focused a lot on speed.

“I know there’s no flat putts [at C.C. of Scranton], so I hope to hit a lot of greens, and will practice five and six-foot putts headed into the second round,” said Oakley.

To view Lennon’s full remarks, click here; for Oakley’s remarks, click here.

Scranton played significantly more difficult than Elmhurst in the opening round, with their scoring averages finishing at 77.93 and 75.30, respectively. Scranton’s course is longer than Elmhurst, and seemingly played even longer due to damp conditions from recent storms. Furthermore, Scranton’s fabled and undulating Walter Travis-designed greens proved to be a great test for the field during the first round.

Lennon earned his first-ever Philadelphia PGA Section victory earlier this summer at the Conestoga Classic, while Oakley, who is no stranger to the Section’s winner’s circle, won his first title of the season at the 2023 Philadelphia Assistant PGA Professional Championship.

One-hundred-thirty of the Philadelphia PGA Section’s best players are competing for the William B. Packer Trophy and a berth into the 2024 PGA Professional Championship, ​April 25-27, at Fields Ranch at PGA Frisco in Texas. From there, PGA Members from the 41 PGA Sections will compete to join the Corebridge Financial PGA Team and earn a berth into the 2024 PGA Championship on May 13-19, at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky.

The second round continues tomorrow, Tuesday, September 12 at 8:00 a.m. at both the C.C. of Scranton and Elmhurst C.C. The low 60 players and ties will advance to the final round on Wednesday, September 13 at the C.C. of Scranton. Follow the action via our live scoring by visiting golfgenius.com/pages/4010280. For more information on the championship, including the week’s schedule, pairings, and more, visit the championship’s official e-publication. Members of the media are welcome onsite to cover the championship.

To view the full 102nd Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship leaderboard, click here.

The 102nd Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship is presented by Club Car, Corebridge Financial, and Rolex, and is supported by Golf Channel, Gallagher, the PGA Tour, Titleist, FootJoy, Callaway, Nike, TaylorMade Golf, and SCNS Sports Foods. The Philadelphia PGA Section and its PGA Professionals thank our hosts, the Country Club of Scranton and Elmhurst Country Club, its members, management, host PGA Professionals, and staff, as well as our partners, as the event would not have been possible without their support.

The next Philadelphia PGA Rolex / The Haverford Trust Company Player of the Year tournament on the schedule is the Philadelphia Players Championship on Monday, September 18, at Lookaway Golf Club.

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

The Philadelphia PGA Section, in coordination with our Teaching & Coaching Committee, is happy to introduce a monthly Coaches Corner virtual discussion series. The series, slated to begin on Wednesday, September 27 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time, is designed to stimulate conversations and the sharing of golf instruction best practices amongst our PGA coaches. The hour-long Coaches Corner sessions will be held monthly:

• In-season: April – October on the fourth Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. ET
• Off-season: November – March on the fourth Monday at 8:30 a.m. ET

While the sessions are geared toward full-time PGA directors of instruction and coaches, they are open to PGA Professionals of any classification. Each session will have a discussion leader from the Teaching & Coaching Committee to help moderate the conversations, while some sessions may include guest speakers.

To register for the first session, and subsequent dates, click here.

To join the webinars, follow the below link:
Join Google Meet
meet.google.com/zrq-urwp-bsx

Can’t join via computer or tablet? Dial-in via telephone:
+1 401-830-0271‬
PIN: ‪182 670 840‬#
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

On the evening following the conclusion of the 2023 Silvercrest Cup at Applebrook Golf Club, Michael Little, PGA, contacted Philadelphia PGA Section Executive Director Geoff Surrette, PGA, in reference to a possible scorecard error after reading the event press release. Even though he agreed with his marker at the scoring table, something did not feel right, so a conversation was set up with his marker to review his score.

After a conversation with Mike, his designated marker, and the third PGA Professional in their pairing, it was determined that he had mistakenly signed for par, not bogey on hole No. 2, placing him in breach of Rule 3.3b. Unfortunately, the penalty for the breach of this Rule is disqualification. Due to this change Dave Pagett, PGA, Whitemarsh Valley C.C., and defending champion and low amateur Andrew Keeling, Kennett Square G. & C.C., will be declared co-champions.

As golf is a self policing game we appreciate Mike coming forward and bringing this to the attention of the committee. Mike went on to say “Obviously I am upset about this situation and think the weather and the moment got the best of me. I want to be the first to congratulate Dave Pagett, PGA, and  Andrew Keeling on their co-victory. Thank you again to Silvercrest Asset Management Group, Applebrook Golf Club, and the Philadelphia PGA Section for a great event.”

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

Malvern, Pa. (August 29, 2023) — PGA Member Tessa Teachman of Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pa., won the third annual Women’s Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship at Chester Valley Golf Club by three strokes over HoneyBrook G.C.’s Jennifer Cully, PGA.

Tuesday’s appearance was Teachman’s first in the championship, having moved to the Philadelphia PGA Section earlier this year. She finished with a 4-over-par 74, making a clutch birdie on her final hole, the 379-yard par-4 18th.

Teachman said that she putted well during her round, making only 20 strokes on the greens. She went on to say that she was not monitoring the leaderboard, and was not aware of her position until after she signed her scorecard.

“I sat down to have some lunch with the mindset of a playoff possibly,” Teachman said.

While she has a lot of professional competitive history, she had not been playing in a lot of tournaments as of late due to an injury. She went on to thank Chester Valley Golf Club for hosting, Aronimink Golf Club, and the Section.

“I look forward to playing in many more events!,” she said.

The defending champion, Joanna Coe, Merion G.C., finished in third place at 8-over-par. Three PGA Professionals tied for fourth place: Brit Weddell, Green Valley C.C.; Patty Post, University of Delaware; and Kelly Sanderson, Huntingdon Valley C.C.

To view the full 2023 Women’s Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship leaderboard, click here.

The 2023 Women’s Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship is supported by Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board, KM Golf Sales, and the PGA Tour. The Philadelphia PGA Section and its PGA Professionals thank our host, Chester Valley Golf Club, their members, management, host PGA Professionals, and staff, as well as our partners, as the event would not have been 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

Malvern, Pa. (August 28, 2023) — Reigning Philadelphia PGA Professional Champion Brian Bergstol of Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort in Shawnee on Delaware, Pa., teed off in the second pairing of the tournament and finished with a 5-under-par 66 to win the 2023 Jack Jolly & Son Championship at White Manor Country Club by one stroke over Merion G.C.’s Joanna Coe, PGA. The tournament is a Philadelphia PGA Rolex / The Haverford Trust Company Player of the Year event.

Bergstol had a steady round, making six birdies, and only one bogey, but had to wait for the rest of the 126-person field to finish before declaring victory. In addition to the Jack Jolly & Son title, he will be defending his Low PGA Professional title in next week’s Silvercrest Cup finals and the Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship, September 11-13.

While Bergstol’s score held the entire day, several PGA Professionals made a good run to tie him. Behind Coe, 2023 PGA Professional Champion Braden Shattuck, Rolling Green G.C., finished in third place at 3-under-par, followed by five PGA Professionals in a tie for fifth place at 2-under-par: Steve Sanderson, Saucon Valley C.C.; Andrew Cornish, Cedarbrook C.C.; Anthony Sebastianelli, Rolling Green G.C.; Ryan Rucinski, Wilmington C.C.; and Ross Brown, Fox Hill C.C.

There was a logjam atop the Senior Division, with four PGA Members tying for first place at even par: Eric Kennedy, Overbrook G.C.; Rich Steinmetz, Spring Ford C.C.; Mike Moses, Concord C.C.; and Barry Dear, Golf Academy at Blue Heron Pines. Five others tied for fifth place, one stroke back: John Spina, Philadelphia Cricket Club; John DiMarco, Legacy at Woodcrest; Dave McNabb, Applebrook G.C.; Jeff Kiddie, Aronimink G.C.; and Pete Lovenguth, Sandy Run C.C.

Mike Moses topped the Super Senior Division with his even-par round of 71, bettering John DiMarco by one stroke. PGA Life Member George Forster tied for third place at 2-over-par with Greg Farrow, Deerwood C.C. Wilmington C.C.’s Bob Lennon, PGA, rounded out the top five at 3-over-par.

The Philadelphia Assistants’ Organization (PAO) also hosted a concurrent event, with Bergstol taking the top prize. Andrew Cornish and Anthony Sebastianelli tied for second place three strokes behind Bergstol, followed by Zach Barbin, Chesapeake G.C., at 1-under-par, and Trevor Bensel, Sandy Run C.C., at even par.

To view the full 2023 Jack Jolly & Son Championship leaderboard, click here.

The 2023 Jack Jolly & Son Championship’s title partner is Jack Jolly & Son Inc., and is supported by Jani-King, KM Golf Sales, Ohana Farm LLC, and the PGA Tour. The Philadelphia PGA Section and its PGA Professionals thank our host, White Manor Country Club, their members, management, host PGA Professionals, and staff, as well as our partners, as the event would not have been 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

Cinnaminson, N.J. (August 21, 2023) — Saucon Valley Country Club won the inaugural PGA HOPE Philadelphia Cup in dominating fashion at Riverton Country Club on Monday. As a result of their six-stroke victory, the team, led by PGA Member Mike Wood, included four U.S. military veterans, Bill Lippincott, Cal Bostick, Leo Kollar, and Shaun Osting, will represent PGA REACH Philadelphia’s 10 PGA HOPE chapters in the 2024 PGA Secretary’s Cup during PGA Championship week in Kentucky.

The PGA HOPE Secretary’s Cup celebrates the PGA HOPE program by providing a unique and memorable experience for our military Veterans and the PGA Professionals who work tirelessly to positively impact Veterans’ lives. This annual event in conjunction with the week of PGA Championship, began in 2016 and is named after the Secretary of Veteran Affairs in recognition of the Memorandum of Understanding between PGA REACH and the Department of Veteran Affairs. Each team is made up of four veterans from a PGA HOPE program and one PGA or LPGA Professional.

The team from Saucon Valley turned in a net team score of 55, 16-under-par, topping Regents’ Glen C.C.’s Andrew Geesey, PGA, Jonathan Charles, Don Brown Jr., Kenney Souders, and Garrett Tordeur, by six strokes.

To view the full 2023 PGA HOPE Philadelphia Cup leaderboard, click here. To view photos from the event, click here.

The field also provided a warm tribute to John Carpineta, PGA, also known as “Johnny C,” who will be honored with the PGA of America’s PGA Patriot Award in Frisco, Texas, in November. The award bestows special recognition on a PGA Professional who personifies patriotism through the game of golf and demonstrates unwavering commitment and dedication to the men and women who have valiantly served and protected the United States of America.

The 2023 PGA HOPE Philadelphia Cup’s presenting partner is MedEast Post-Op & Surgical Inc. and was supported by Greyson Clothiers, PXG, and Univest. The Philadelphia PGA Section and its PGA Professionals thank our host, Riverton Country Club, their members, management, host PGA Professionals, and staff, as well as our partners, as the event would not have been possible without their support.