Cinnaminson, N.J. (August 25, 2025) — The team representing Five Ponds Golf Club in Warminster, Pa., walked away with the championship belts after winning the third annual PGA HOPE Philadelphia Cup Presented by MedEast Post-Op & Surgical Inc. at Riverton Country Club. The team, led by PGA of America Golf Professional Rick Flagler, included four U.S. military veterans, Joe Dooley, Mike Rudart, Craig Adams, and Steve Fischer, and will represent PGA of America REACH Foundation Philadelphia’s 20 PGA HOPE chapters in the 2026 PGA HOPE Secretary’s Cup at Chester Valley Golf Club during PGA Championship week here in the Philadelphia PGA Section.

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 Five Ponds team turned in a net team score of 59, 12-under-par, to top the Frog Hollow Golf Club, PGA Member Patrick Keefe, David Rugg, Robert Merring, Travis Lockwood, and Mark Theroux, by one stroke. Two teams tied for third place at 10-under-par: the Country Club of Harrisburg Chapter, which included PGA Member Jeff Breiner, George Vasiloff, Antonio Wallace, Michael Jaye, and Vern Schmidt; and the Media Presented by Visit Delco Chapter, featuring PGA Member Ben Debski, Joe Hart, Ron West, Garret Hrynko, and Chris Pfahl.

View the full 2025 PGA HOPE Philadelphia Cup leaderboard by clicking here.

Veterans and active duty service members can learn more and register for upcoming PGA HOPE clinics by clicking here.

The 2025 PGA HOPE Philadelphia Cup is presented by MedEast Post-Op & Surgical Inc., is supported by Greyson Clothiers, KM Golf Sales / Kevin McClellan / Ahead, and Kevin DePaulis / PRG Golf. The Philadelphia PGA Section and its PGA of America Golf Professionals thank our partners, host Riverton 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 of America Members and Associates who are employed at over 590 golf facilities in our region.

Contact: Matt Frey, PGA, Communications Director, mfrey@pgahq.com

West Chester, Pa. (August 19, 2025) — The road to the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club began yesterday with the 104th Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship at Concord Country Club, and PGA of America Golf Professional Braden Shattuck of Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield, Pennsylvania, leads the championship by three strokes over and Riley Wheeldon of Aronimink Golf Club entering tomorrow’s final round.

One-hundred-forty-two of the Philadelphia PGA Section’s best players are competing for the William B. Packer Trophy and a berth into the 2026 PGA Professional Championship, ​April 23-25, at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Oregon. From there, PGA Members from the 41 PGA Sections will compete to join the Corebridge Financial Team and earn a berth into the 2026 PGA Championship on May 11-17, at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. It is the first PGA Championship held in the Philadelphia PGA Section since 1962, where Aronimink also played host. Philadelphia PGA Professionals are vying for 11 spots to compete in next year’s PGA Professional Championship. Shattuck and Brian Bergstol, Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort, have already secured spots thanks to winning the 2023 PGA Professional Championship and third place finish in the 2025 edition, respectively.

Shattuck, a three-time Philadelphia PGA Player of the Year, sits atop the leaderboard at 9-under-par (rounds of 66-67), and is seeking his first Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship title. His second round started slow, making two bogeys in five holes, but he quickly rebounded, scoring 5-under-par on his second nine of the day.

“Rough start, but I really found something on the next nine,” Shattuck said following his round. “I’ve been playing well, and I know I’ve been hitting it well, so I just have to keep attacking pins, and keep trying to make putts.”

Shattuck said he has the same game plan for tomorrow’s final round.

Wheeldon is also seeking his first Section Championship, and is followed by past champion Zac Oakley, Bidermann Golf Club (2023), and Will Scarborough, the Peninsula Golf & Country Club, who are both tied for third place, four strokes behind the leader. Chesapeake Bay Golf Club’s Zach Barbin is in fifth place at 4-under-par.

Danny Lewis, Trout National; Trevor Bensel, Lulu Country Club; and Chris Krueger, Kings Creek Country Club; are all in a tie for sixth at 2-under-par.

The final round is scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday, August 20 at 7:30 a.m. at Concord Country Club. The low 60 players and ties will advance to the final round on Wednesday, August 20 at Concord. Follow the action via our live scoring by visiting golfgenius.com/pages/5253411. 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.

View the full 104th PGA Professional Championship leaderboard by clicking here.

The 104th PGA Professional Championship is presented by Club Car, Corebridge Financial, and Rolex, and is supported by Gallagher, Golf Channel, the PGA Tour, Titleist / FootJoy, Callaway, Nike, Ship Sticks, TaylorMade, Visit Delco, and StrackaLine. The Philadelphia PGA Section and its PGA of America Golf Professionals thank our partners, host Concord Country Club, their owners, membership, management, and staff, as the event would not have been possible without their support.

The next Rolex / Haverford Trust Company Philadelphia PGA Player of the Year points event is the Jack Jolly & Son Championship at Laurel Creek Country Club in Mt. Laurel Township, New Jersey, on Monday, September 8.

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 of America Members and Associates who are employed at over 590 golf facilities in our region.

Contact: Matt Frey, PGA, Communications Director, mfrey@pgahq.com

West Chester, Pa. (August 18, 2025) — The road to the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club begins this week with the 104th Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship at Concord Country Club, and PGA of America Golf Professionals Braden Shattuck of Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield, Pennsylvania, and Riley Wheeldon of Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, each opened with 5-under-par 66s to co-lead the championship by two strokes over Will Scarborough of the Peninsula Golf & Country Club following the opening round.

One-hundred-forty-two of the Philadelphia PGA Section’s best players are competing for the William B. Packer Trophy and a berth into the 2026 PGA Professional Championship, ​April 23-25, at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Oregon. From there, PGA Members from the 41 PGA Sections will compete to join the Corebridge Financial Team and earn a berth into the 2026 PGA Championship on May 11-17, at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. It is the first PGA Championship held in the Philadelphia PGA Section since 1962, where Aronimink also played host. Philadelphia PGA Professionals are vying for 11 spots to compete in next year’s PGA Professional Championship. Shattuck and Brian Bergstol, Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort, have already secured spots thanks to winning the 2023 PGA Professional Championship and third place finish in the 2025 edition, respectively.

Shattuck, who worked as an assistant golf professional at Concord while he was working to earn his PGA Membership, kept a clean card, having made five birdies and zero bogeys.

“My round was very good,” Shattuck said after his round. “I had good control over my driver and irons, and did a good job of keeping it in front of me.”

Wheeldon, who moved to the Section in April, had a more up-and-down round, having made eight birdies, one bogey, and a double bogey.

“I played nicely,” Wheeldon said after completing his round. “I had 16 really good holes. I would like to have a hole and a three-putt back, but for 16 of the 18 holes, it was very solid.”

Andrew Turner, Country Club of York; Zach Barbin, Chesapeake Bay Golf Club; Joanna Coe, Merion Golf Club, and Tom Michaels, Berkshire Country Club; all find themselves in a tie for fourth place, three strokes behind the leaders. Four PGA Professionals are tied for eighth at 1-under-par.

The second round continues tomorrow, Tuesday, August 19 at 7:30 a.m. at Concord Country Club. The low 60 players and ties will advance to the final round on Wednesday, August 20 at Concord. Follow the action via our live scoring by visiting golfgenius.com/pages/5253411. 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.

View the full 104th PGA Professional Championship leaderboard by clicking here.

The 104th PGA Professional Championship is presented by Club Car, Corebridge Financial, and Rolex, and is supported by Gallagher, Golf Channel, the PGA Tour, Titleist / FootJoy, Callaway, Nike, Ship Sticks, TaylorMade, Visit Delco, and StrackaLine. The Philadelphia PGA Section and its PGA of America Golf Professionals thank our partners, host Concord Country Club, their owners, membership, management, and staff, as the event would not have been possible without their support.

The next Rolex / Haverford Trust Company Philadelphia PGA Player of the Year points event isthe Jack Jolly & Son Championship at Laurel Creek Country Club in Mt. Laurel Township, New Jersey, on Monday, September 8.

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 of America Members and Associates who are employed at over 590 golf facilities in our region.

Contact: Matt Frey, PGA, Communications Director, mfrey@pgahq.com

Welcome to the latest episode of the Philadelphia PGA Section’s web series, “Playing Through,” where PGA of America Golf Professionals, Section staff, Section partners, and other industry professionals are asked 18 questions about their lives and careers.

This episode features PGA of America Member Brent Wallace, the PGA director of golf at Northampton Country Club in Easton. Pa.

To watch the episode, click on the embedded video below.

If you are interested in appearing in a future episode, please complete this form by clicking here. To watch past episodes, click here.

Springfield, Pa. (August 11, 2025) — PGA of America Golf Professional Ryan Rucinski of Wilmington (Del.) Country Club and his amateur partner Avery McCrery finished with a team score of 12-under-par 59 to win the 2025 Philadelphia PGA Pro-Scratch Championship at Rolling Green Golf Club by two strokes over Moselem Springs Golf Club’s Jeff Fick, PGA, and Dave Palumbo.

The event’s format was Gross Four-Ball Stroke Play / Better Ball of Partners for 18 holes.

Rucinski and McCrery combined for 12 birdies and an eagle. The eagle, was Rucinski’s hole-in-one on the par-3 16th hole; he used a pitching wedge from 140 yards. McCrery, coming off her appearance in last week’s U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon, set a new women’s course record at Rolling Green: an 8-under-par 63.

Merion Golf Club’s Joanna Coe, PGA, and Nelson Hargrove finished in third place at 9-under-par. Two teams tied for fourth place at 8-under-par: DuPont Country Club’s Mike Caldwell, PGA, and Jason Henzes; and Woodstone Country Club’s Gregg Meyer, PGA, and Nick Lukow. Two more tied for fifth place at 6-under-par: St. Davids Golf Club’s Wesley Calderone and Steve Dressel; and Laurel Creek Country Club’s Dave Quinn and Jack Irons.

View the full 2025 Philadelphia PGA Pro-Scratch Championship leaderboard by clicking here.

The 2025 Philadelphia PGA Pro-Scratch Championship is supported by Turtleson and Ohana Farm LLC. The Philadelphia PGA Section and its PGA of America Golf Professionals thank our partners, host Rolling Green Golf Club, their owners, 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 of America Members and Associates who are employed at over 590 golf facilities in our region.

Contact: Matt Frey, PGA, Communications Director, mfrey@pgahq.com

West Chester, Pa. (August 4, 2025) — PGA of America Golf Professional Riley Wheeldon of Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pa., finished with rounds of 69-67–136, 4-under-par, to win the 49th Pro-Am for Wishes at Penn Oaks Golf Club by one stroke over a trio of PGA Professionals.

The Pro-Am for Wishes first started in 1976 at Whitford Country Club, and has been held annually at Penn Oaks Golf Club since 2008 (the 2020 edition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic) to benefit Make-A-Wish Philadelphia, Delaware & Susquehanna Valley. Since the event moved to Penn Oaks, it has raised over $700,000 for the Make-A-Wish foundation.

Today’s win is Wheeldon’s second Philadelphia PGA victory, having won the Hutch Invitational in June.

“I played quite nicely,” Wheeldon said following his round. “I got a little frustrated with how few putts were dropping, but I had enough to fall in the end.”

He made an eagle, four birdies and two birdies in his final round.

Wheeldon went on to thank everyone at Aronimink Golf Club, Penn Oaks Golf Club, and Make-A-Wish Philadelphia, Delaware, & Susquehanna Valley, and the Section staff.

“It feels great to be able to compete as much as we do [in the Philadelphia PGA Section],” continued Wheeldon. “I’m very happy to be here.”

Trevor Bensel, LuLu Country Club, and Stephen Swartz, Carlisle (Pa.) Country Club, and Braden Shattuck, Rolling Green Golf Club, tied for second place. Zac Oakley finished in fifth place at 4-under-par.

Stephen Swartz took the top prize in Senior Division, bettering Applebrook Golf Club’s Dave McNabb by six strokes, and Laurel Creek Country Club’s Dave Quinn by seven. Wilmington Country Club’s Bob Lennon finished in fourth place at 3-over-par, while Spring Ford Country Club’s Rich Steinmetz finished in fifth place at 6-over-par.

View the full 2025 Pro-Am for Wishes leaderboard by clicking here.

The 2025 Pro-Am for Wishes is presented by Cavan Construction Co. Inc., Tamora Group, and Woodward Properties. The Philadelphia PGA Section and its PGA of America Golf Professionals thank our partners, host Penn Oaks Golf Club, their owners, membership, management, and staff, as the event would not have been possible without their support.

The next Rolex / Haverford Trust Company Philadelphia PGA Player of the Year points event is the 104th Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship at Concord Country Club in West Chester, Pa., on Monday, August 18 – Wednesday, August 20.

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 of America Members and Associates who are employed at over 590 golf facilities in our region.

Contact: Matt Frey, PGA, Communications Director, mfrey@pgahq.com