PGA Member Bob Lennon Earns First Section Victory at 2023 Conestoga Classic
Lancaster, Pa. (June 19, 2023) —PGA Member Bob Lennon of Wilmington (Del.) Country Club, turned in a 5-under-par 65 at Conestoga Country Club to secure his first Philadelphia PGA Section victory, at age 63, at the 2023 Conestoga Classic by one stroke stroke over seven of his fellow PGA Professionals.
Though Lennon made two bogies, including on his final hole of the day, No. 9, his seven birdies gave him enough clearance over the runners-up: David Hicks, Philadelphia C.C.; Andrew Turner, Berkshire C.C.; Michael Little, Clubhouse 54; Anthony Schweppe, Sittler Golf Center; Dave Quinn, Laurel Creek C.C.; John Lynch, Bidermann G.C.; and Braden Shattuck, Rolling Green G.C.
“It’s about time,” Lennon said in discussing the emotions surrounding winning his first-ever Section event. “My putter isn’t usually too hot, but today I putted great. I started off with four straight birdies, which really got the adrenaline going from the beginning.”
He went on to thank Conestoga Country Club members and staff for letting him compete in the event, as well as the Philadelphia PGA Section staff for organizing the event.
The event is a Philadelphia PGA Rolex / The Haverford Trust Company Player of the Year tournament and the third Silvercrest Cup qualifier of the year. Returning for the second year, the Silvercrest Cup series will include four qualifying events for Philadelphia PGA Professionals, and will culminate in a $30,000 Silvercrest Cup final, hosted at Applebrook Golf Club in Malvern, Pa. For more information on the season-long race to the Silvercrest Cup, click here. In addition to receiving the winner’s share of the purse, Lennon also took home an additional $2,500 from the Silvercrest Cup qualifier bonus pool.
PGA Life Member Brian Kelly finished atop the Senior Division, bettering John Pillar, C.C. at Woodloch Springs, by one stroke. Rich Steinmetz, Spring Ford C.C.; Eric Kennedy, Overbrook G.C.; and Bill Smith, Berkleigh G.C.; tied for third place at even par. PGA Life Member Michael Versuk took top honors in the Super Senior Division with 3-over-par 73 to better Bill Sautter, Philadelphia Cricket Club, by one stroke. Joe Ambrose, Saucon Valley C.C., and Wayne Phillips, Lehigh C.C., tied for third place at 7-over-par, followed by Darryl Lock, Skippack G.C., at 8-over-par in fifth place.
The Philadelphia Assistants’ Organization (PAO) held an event concurrently with the Conestoga Classic, with Andrew Turner taking the title in a playoff with David Hicks. Brian Bergstol, Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort; Matt Finger, DuPont C.C.; and Andrew Cornish, Cedarbrook C.C. tied for third place at 2-under-par. Turner also won the Central Counties Chapter event, which was also held concurrently with today’s main event. Dustin Wallis, C.C. at Woodloch Springs, and Terry Hertzog tied for second place one stroke behind Turner, followed by Brian Kelly, Richie Krebs, Briarwood G.C.; and Brian Bergstol, two back.
To view the full 2023 Conestoga Classic leaderboard, click here.
The 2023 Conestoga Classic is supported by supported by Jani-King, KM Golf Sales, Ohana Farm LLC, Silvercrest Asset Management Group, and the PGA Tour. The Philadelphia PGA Section and its PGA Professionals thank our host, Conestoga 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.
The next Philadelphia PGA Rolex / The Haverford Trust Company Player of the Year tournament on the schedule is the 2023 GALV Lehigh Valley Open at Berkleigh Golf Club in Kutztown, Pa., on Monday, July 10 – Tuesday, July 11. The fourth and final Silvercrest Cup qualifier is the 2023 Doylestown Open at Doylestown (Pa.) Country Club, scheduled for Friday, July 28.
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.
Kelly, who had previously worked as a assistant professional at the host club, turned in the second-lowest score of the final round, a 1-under-par 69, to finish the event at 139, one-under, to post the clubhouse lead. Sebastianelli entered the final round tied for the lead with Rich Steinmetz, Spring Ford C.C., at 4-under-par, but finished with a 3-over-par 73 to tie Kelly. The final round of the event played much more difficult than in the first round, with the average score around 80.
Corey Katzen recorded rounds of 72-78–150 to finish as low amateur and win the Marotto Medal by seven strokes over Josh Feldschnieder, and eight over Pete D’Angelo.
