Bethleham, Pa. (October 17, 2023) — The Golf Association of Philadelphia team of amateurs captured the title in the 31st Philadelphia Challenge Matches, defeating PGA Professionals from the Philadelphia PGA Section 10.5 points to 7.5 on a cool, but sunny autumn day at Saucon Valley Country Club.

The GAP amateur players had steady control of the matches, both in the Four-Ball competition (3.5 points to 2.5), and Singles matches (7 to 5). While most of the matches remained close, there were some blowouts on both sides: Philadelphia PGA Captain Braden Shattuck and Zach Barbin topped Matthew Mattare and Anthony Cordaro 5 and 3 in their Four-Ball Match, Michael Little, PGA, beat Campbell Wolf 6 and 5 in Singles, and amateur David Mecca bettered Brian Bergstol, PGA, 6 and 5.

The Golf Association of Philadelphia has seen improved results in recent years, having now won the Challenge Matches in three of the last four competitions. The Philadelphia PGA Section retains the better overall record, however, at 26-5.

To view the full results of the 31st Philadelphia Challenge Matches, click here.

The Philadelphia Challenge Matches would not be possible without the support and energy of Robin McCool. McCool was instrumental in getting the matches started nearly 30 years ago and revitalizing them by bringing in support from Jim Wilson of Ping, Jim Ravina of Donald Ross, Kevin McClellan of KM Golf Sales, and our host facility, Saucon Valley Country Club. McCool serves as the Honorary Captain for the GAP team and serves as Honorary Chair of the event. Everyone owes Robin a debt of gratitude for all of his efforts.

The Philadelphia Challenge Matches pits two 12-person teams, including at least two senior contestants, from GAP and the Philadelphia PGA Section in a concurrent individual match and better-ball match. Each match is worth one point. Ties are halved. The Philadelphia Section leads the series, 22-3-4. There were no contests in 2019 and 2020 due to severe weather and the COVID-19 pandemic, respectively.

The GAP team included Andrew Keeling, Kennett Square G. & C.C.; Ben Cooley, Huntingdon Valley C.C.; Chris Storck, Ledgerock G.C.; Christopher Ault, Yardley C.C.; Cole Willcox, Merion G.C.; Jeff Frazier, Carlisle C.C.; John Brennan, Philadelphia Cricket Club; Matt Mattare, Saucon Valley C.C.; Michael Brown, Jr., LuLu C.C.; Peter Barron III, Galloway National G.C.; Rij Patel, C.C. of York; and Troy Vannucci, Little Mill C.C.

The team of Philadelphia PGA Professionals was led by Captain Zac Oakley, Bidermann G.C.; Trevor Bensel, Sandy Run C.C.; Brian Bergstol, Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort; Terry Hertzog; Eric Kennedy, Overbrook G.C.; Michael Little, Makefield Putters; Hugo Mazzalupi; Linfield National G.C.; Eddie Perrino, C.C. of York; Parks Price, C.C. of York; Steve Sanderson, Pine Valley G.C.; and Braden Shattuck, Rolling Green G.C.; and Mark Sheftic, Lookaway G.C.

To view the full results of the 30th Philadelphia Challenge Matches, click here.

The 30th Philadelphia Challenge Matches is supported by Donald Ross Sportswear, Ping, and KM Golf Sales. The Philadelphia PGA Section and its PGA Professionals thank our host, Saucon Valley 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.

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

Oreland, Pa. (October 9, 2023) — PGA Members Trevor Bensel of Sandy Run Country Club in Oreland, Pa., and Brian Bergstol of Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort in Shawnee on Delaware, Pa., teamed to win the 2023 Philadelphia PGA Fall Pro-Pro Championship at Sandy Run C.C. by one stroke over Wilmington C.C.’s Bob Lennon, PGA, and Ryan Rucinski.

Helped with local knowledge of the course from resident PGA Assistant Professional Trevor Bensel, the winning duo finished their day with a 9-under-par round of 63. The two combined for seven birdies and an eagle in the Four Ball format. While the host venue is not the longest course on the Section calendar, the greens were in excellent condition and posed their own challenges on both approaches and putts.

Host and Sandy Run C.C. PGA Head Professional Pete Lovenguth and Fox Chase G.C.’s Rob Rohrbach, PGA, finished in third place at 7-under-par. Philadelphia Cricket Club PGA Members John Spina and Rusty Harbold finished in fourth place at 6-under-par, followed by four teams at 5-under-par: Michael Little, Clubhouse 54, and Nick Biondi, Radley Run C.C.; DuPont C.C.’s Mike Caldwell, PGA, and Matt Finger 5-under-par; Rolling Green G.C.’s Braden Shattuck, PGA, and Anthony Sebastianelli; and Chesapeake Bay G.C.’s Andrew Barbin, PGA, and Zach Barbin, 5-under-par.

To view the full 2023 Philadelphia PGA Fall Pro-Pro Championship results, click here.

The Philadelphia PGA Fall Pro-Pro Championship is supported by John Higinbotham Sales, AM&E, Imperial, Maui Jim, Red Arrow Markers, Sterling Cut Glass, and the PGA Tour. The Philadelphia PGA Section and its PGA Professionals thank our partners, Sandy Run Country Club, its membership, management, and staff, 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

Bedford, Pa. (October 11, 2023) — PGA Member Terry Hertzog of Bent Creek Country Club in Lititz, Pennsylvania, led his team of amateurs, Jonas Vossler, Ron Kreider, and Chris Simon, to victory in the 2023 Philadelphia PGA Bedford Springs Pro-Am at Omni Bedford Springs Resort. This is the first travel pro-am the Section has hosted at the resort.

The winning team finished the 36-hole one gross + one net event at 15-under-par, two strokes better than a second team from Bent Creek: Jim Haus, PGA, Chris Emich, John Dever, and Hank Popplewell. Maple Dale C.C.’s Chris Brosius, PGA, Rich Karolczak, Sean Sullivan, and Fred Eaton, finished in third place at 11-under-par. Two teams tied for fourth place at 5-under-par, including Talamore C.C.’s Andy Watters, PGA, Bill Schneider, Jack Butler, and Lou Trovato; and Carlisle C.C.’s Dan Baker, PGA, Don Young, Shaun Baker, and Jim Parsons.

This week’s event marks the newest travel pro-am on the Section’s event calendar, and was very received by the tournament’s competitors. Located in the Allegheny Mountains of southern Pennsylvania, Omni Bedford Springs Resort was originally established in the early 1800s, and was based around the property’s mineral springs. The course has been touched by many golf course architects of the years, with the first iterations of the course coming in the late 1800s and early 1900s thanks to Spencer Oldham and H.H. Barker. Later, renowned golf course architect A.W. Tillinghast renovated the course, followed with work by Arthur Goss. In the mid 1920s, Donald Ross created the 18-hole layout, with further work from James Harrison in the ’60s. The facility closed in 1986 and fell into disrepair, but was ultimately restored through a $120 million restoration. Ron Forse and Jim Nagle renovated the course in 2006 in the style of Tillinghast, Ross, and Oldham. Since reopening, the course and resort have received critical acclaim.

To view the full 2023 Philadelphia PGA Bedford Springs Pro-Am results, click here.

The Philadelphia PGA Bedford Springs Pro-Am is supported by Kevin McClellan / KM Golf Sales. The Philadelphia PGA Section and its PGA Professionals thank our partners, Omni Bedford Springs Resort, its membership, management, and staff, 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

Newtown Square, Pa. (October 5, 2023) — PGA Member Michael Little of Clubhouse 54 in New Wales, Pa., won the 2023 Philadelphia PGA Match Play Championship by defeating PGA Associate Ryan Rucinski of Wilmington (Del.) Country Club 2 and 1 in the final match at Aronimink Golf Club.

Little survived seven rounds of matches against 117 of his fellow PGA Professionals in the new season-long format. Entering the sixth round at Aronimink, Little first battled reigning PGA Professional Champion Braden Shattuck in the semi-finals, winning 1-up.

“I like the new format for this event,” Little said after his final match. “I liked to see new venues that I may not have otherwise played, and was able to spend more time with my competitors.”

Describing his game plan for the final day, Little said: “How do I beat Braden? I knew he wasn’t going to miss, and if he did miss, he will have a chance to make up for it. He made a lot of putts, but I did too. It was more of a putting match than anything else.”

In the afternoon match against Rucinski, Little said he quickly realized he could not take a break or get comfortable.

“[Rucinski] was coming for me, and he wanted to win as much as I did,” Little continued. “His competitiveness helped me focus, and allowed me to buckle down and continue to be aggressive.”

Prior to his matches against Shattuck and Rucinski, Little topped Matt Hoffman, Carlisle Barracks G.C., 7 and 6; Brendon Post, University of Delaware, 5 and 4; and Dave Pagett, Whitemarsh Valley C.C., 3 and 2.

Today’s win is his second win in the event, having previously won in 2018 at Whitemarsh Valley C.C. Additionally, the points he received for the win makes him eligible for the Section’s Playing Legends honor.

“Friends of mine are already at that status, and I want to be there too,” Little said. “The last couple of years have been tough for me in competition, and I’ve been a lot closer this year. Winning this championship for the second time means everything to me. It shows that even when you make mistakes, never give up; keep pushing.”

Little went on to thank all of the PGA Professionals who competed in this year’s Match Play Championship, the courses that allowed them to compete at their facilities, our Section partners, his partners Equity Warehouse, Clubhouse 54, Little’s Ice Cream & Water Ice, Blue Bell Country Club, his PGA Coaches Braden Shattuck, Nick Biondi, and Mark Sheftic, his wife, kids, parents, Aronimink Golf Club, and the Section staff.

To view the full 2023 Philadelphia PGA Match Play Championship results, click here.

The Philadelphia PGA Match Play Championship is supported by the Rolex and the PGA Tour. The Philadelphia PGA Section and its PGA Professionals thank our partners, Berkleigh Golf Club, its membership, management, and staff, 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

Kutztown, Pa. (October 3, 2023) — PGA Member Braden Shattuck of Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield, Pa., followed up his impressive 6-under-par opening round with a 5-under-par final round to win the Golf Association of the Lehigh Valley’s 2023 Lehigh Valley Open at Berkleigh Golf Club. Shattuck previously won this event in 2021 in a playoff.

Shattuck, the reigning PGA Professional Champion, entered the final day of play tied for the lead with fellow PGA Member Kyle Early, Waynesborough C.C., and fended off several charging PGA Professionals, including Trevor Bensel, Sandy Run C.C., and Brian Bergstol, Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort, both of whom finished tied for second place at 7-under-par.

“I played fairly conservative,” Shattuck said after his win. “I hit the driver when I needed to be aggressive, but kept it in play and capitalized on the par-5s.”

While he had never seen Berkleigh prior to this week, he complimented the course, saying that the layout has really good bones, and features a lot of beautiful holes.

The 29-year-old Shattuck went on to thank the Rolling Green G.C. members, the club’s staff and PGA Head Professional Scott Chisholm, Titleist, Nike, the Section staff, and the host facility, Berkleigh.

In addition to his win today, Shattuck also increased his lead in the Rolex / Haverford Trust Company Philadelphia PGA Player of the Year standings, thanks in part to his national PGA Professional Championship win in May, and his other first place finishes in the Philadelphia Open Championship, and the Section’s Tournament Players Division Championship.

Gulph Mills G.C.’s Louis Kelly finished in fourth place, four behind Shattuck, followed by Terry Hertzog, Bent Creek C.C., at 2-under-par.

James Boburka, Bethlehem, Pa., earned low amateur honors, going 75-75–150, topping Tom Soares, Emmaus, Pa., by five strokes. David Palumbo, Breinigsville Pa., finished in third place at 13-over-par, while Matt Crilley, Allentown Pa., and Jeff Wiedecke, Easton Pa., rounded out the top five at 14 and 15-over-par.

With his final score at 2-under-par, Terry Hertzog, took top honors in the Senior Division. Mike Molino, PGA, finished in second place, one stroke behind, followed by and Rich Steinmetz, Spring Ford C.C. PGA Life Member Brian Kelly and Royal Oaks G.C.’s Terry Hatch tied for fourth place.

Brian Kelly took the Super Senior Division by one stroke over Rob Shuey, Colonial Golf & Tennis Club, followed by third place finishers Jeb Boyle, PGA, and George Forster, PGA, four strokes behind. John Allen, Squires G.C., finished in fifth place at 8-over-par, tied with Bill Sautter, Philadelphia Cricket Club.

The Philadelphia PGA Section’s Central Counties Chapter hosted an event concurrently with the Lehigh Valley Open, and Brian Bergstol ran away with the win, topping Mike Molino by six strokes. Parks Price, C.C. of York, finished in third place at even par, while Terry Hatch and Brian Kelly finished  in a tie for fourth.

To view the full 2023 GAV Lehigh Valley Open leaderboard, click here.

The 2023 GAV Lehigh Valley Open is supported by the Golf Association of the Lehigh Valley, Payntr Golf, Wilson, Jani-King, and the PGA Tour. The Philadelphia PGA Section and its PGA Professionals thank our partners, Berkleigh Golf Club, its membership, management, and staff, 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

Kutztown, Pa. (October 2, 2023) — PGA Members Braden Shattuck of Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield, Pa., and Kyle Early of Waynesborough Country Club in Paoli, Pa., are tied for the lead entering the final round of the Golf Association of the Lehigh Valley’s 2023 Lehigh Valley Open at Berkleigh Golf Club. The annual tournament was rescheduled from its original July date due to signifcant rainfall.

Both Shattuck and Early finished their opening rounds at 6-under-par, four strokes ahead of a trio of fellow PGA Members who each shot 70: Andrew Turner, Berkshire C.C.; Trevor Bensel, Sandy Run C.C.; and Brian Bergstol, Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort.

Shattuck, the reigning PGA Professional Champion, made four birdies and an eagle en route to his 66, while Early, who earned his first Section victory this summer in Doylestown, had a decidedly more up-and-down round, making eight birdies, one eagle, and four bogies. The final round will take place tomorrow, Tuesday, October 3, with a 10:00 a.m. shotgun start.

Two are also tied atop the Senior Division, with Terry Hertzog, Bent Creek C.C.; and PGA Life Member Brian Kelly both at 1-under-par. Rob Shuey, Colonial Golf & Tennis Club, and PGA Life Member Jeb Boyle are one stroke behind the leaders, followed by Terry Hatch, Royal Oaks G.C., in fifth place at 1-over-par. Kelly also leads the Super Senior Division by one stroke over Shuey and Boyle, with Squires G.C.’s John Allen and PGA Life Member George Forster four back.

The Philadelphia PGA Section’s Central Counties Chapter is also hosting an event concurrently with the Lehigh Valley Open, where Turner and Bergstol are tied for first place. Kelly is one stroke behind the leaders, followed by Hatch, Parks Price, C.C. of York; and Brian Buskirk, HoneyBrook G.C.; at 1-over-par.

Nine golfers are competing in the Lehigh Valley Open for low amateur honors, with David Palumbo, Breinigsville Pa.; and James Boburka, Bethlehem Pa.; locked at 3-over-par. Jeff Wiedecke, Easton Pa., is in third place at 4-over-par, followed by Tom Soares, Emmaus, Pa.; and Matt Crilley, Allentown Pa.; three back.

To view the full 2023 GAV Lehigh Valley Open leaderboard, click here.

The 2023 GAV Lehigh Valley Open is supported by the Golf Association of the Lehigh Valley, Payntr Golf, Wilson, Jani-King, and the PGA Tour. The Philadelphia PGA Section and its PGA Professionals thank our partners, Berkleigh Golf Club, its membership, management, and staff, 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