Lafayette Hill, Pa – For the third and final day of the 2018 Match Play Championship the Philadelphia PGA returned to Whitemarsh Valley Country Club. After two exciting days of golf the field was whittled down from having 64 players to just four all looking to capture the 2018 season’s final point’s event.

In the morning semi-final matches Brett Melton (Radley Run CC) beat Billy Stewart (ACE Club) 2 up and Michael Little (Lookaway GC) beat Rich Steinmetz (Spring Ford CC) 3&1 to set up the final match of Brett Melton and Michael Little.

Little seemed to have the match under control after 9 holes, he was 2 up. After 13, Little was 4 up with 5 holes to go but Melton started to mount a comeback. Melton won 15, 16, 17 to be back by one with one to play. The par 5, 18^th green proved to be too difficult for Melton when he 3 putted to lose the match.

“I want to thank Whitemarsh Valley Country Club for a great last three days, the course was in great shape. I played 6 tough matches against great players and it feels good to win the final event of the season. I would also like to thank Chuck Rininger and the members of Lookaway Golf Club for letting me play and I am looking forward to the next year.” Michael Little (Lookaway GC)

Congratulations also go to Billy Stewart (ACE Club).  By making it to the semifinals he was able to lock up the Omega Player of the Year for the 2018 season.

The next event on Philadelphia PGA calendar is the annual Fall Meeting which, this year, is being held at Steel Stacks in Bethlehem, PA. The meeting is a chance for the Section’s officers to update the membership on all business matters. Following the meeting there will be a Pro-Pro Scramble at Saucon Valley Country Club.

The Section would like to thank the membership and staff at Whitemarsh Valley Country Club for their hospitality during the week. The Section also thanks event sponsors Omega and the PGA Tour for their continued support of our tournament program.

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Lafayette Hill, Pa. – The third and fourth rounds of the 2018 Match Play Championship were played on a near perfect fall day at Whitemarsh Valley Country Club. After surviving the tournament’s first day, 16 players returned in hopes of continuing their success for a second consecutive day.

The third round started in the morning where 16 players battled for a spot in the fourth round in the afternoon. The players that made it through to the next round were Greg Farrow 17. (Deerwood CC) versus Rich Steinmetz 9. (Spring Ford CC), Zachary Kempa 36. (Chester Valley GC) versus Michael Little 5. (Lookaway GC), Brett Melton 3. (Radley Run CC) versus Zack Oakley 11. (Waynesborough CC).

After grabbing a quick lunch, the remaining 8 players returned to the golf course for the quarterfinal matches. The first Pro to punch their ticket to the semifinals was Rich Steinmetz. Steinmetz defeated Farrow in their match 1 up. Steinmetz will play Michael Little (Lookaway GC) who defeated Kempa 4&2. Billy Stewart would defend his number 2 stop by defeating Swartz 2&1. Stewart will play Brett Melton who defeated Zac Oakley 4&3.

The third and final day of the Match Play Championship will be held Wednesday, October 24. The final four players will get their semifinal matches underway in the morning with the championship match set to be played in the afternoon.

The Philadelphia PGA continues to thank the membership and staff of Whitemarsh Valley Country Club for their support of the Match Play Championship. The Section also thanks our tournament sponsors Omega and the PGA Tour for supporting the Philadelphia PGA tournament program.

Fleetwood, Pa. -Twenty-four golf professionals arrived at Moselem Springs Golf Club yesterday morning ready to tee it up in the Turnpike Cup.  This event is match play with two teams of twelve representing the Philadelphia Section PGA and the New Jersey Section PGA.  Unfortunately for both teams, mother nature had other ideas, covering the entire course with the first frost of the season.  After an hour delay, the matches finally began.

The Philadelphia Section was represented in the first match by Mike Moses (Concord CC) and Bill Sautter (Philadelphia Cricket Club) playing as the two seniors for the team.  They were followed by Billy Stewart, (ACE Club) current leader in the race for Omega Player of the Year, with Brian Bergstol (Shawnee Inn and GR), Trevor Bensel (Overbrook GC) with Tony Perla (Phila PGA), Stu Ingraham (M Golf Range) with Scott Reilly (Philadelphia Country Club), Steve Swartz (Out Door GC) with Dustin McCormick (Glen Brook GC) and Kevin Nicholson (Phila PGA) with Rob Shuey (Colonial GC).  Each team played a four-ball match (better ball of partners) against the New Jersey team, while playing an individual match against one of the partners simultaneously.  There was a total of 18 points up for grabs with the Philadelphia team needing 9 1/2 points to win the Cup back.

The matches were all very close, but, in the end, the Cup is back in Philadelphia, for the first time in three years, with a 12-6 victory.

We would like to thank Manager/Director of Golf at Moselem, Eric Shillinger for hosting this event and Dunning Golf for supplying today’s uniforms.

The final event in the race for the title of Omega Player of the Year will be the Match Play Championship which will begin on Monday at Whitemarsh Valley CC and conclude with the finals on Wednesday afternoon.

Philadelphia, Pa. – The 15^th annual McQuiston Sr. Pro – Jr. Pro Championship was held at Bala Golf Club on Thursday, October 18^th. The event, named in honor of longtime PGA Professional and past Philadelphia PGA President Henry McQuiston, pairs one senior PGA Professional (age 50 and older) with one PGA Professional in a four-ball, better ball of partners, tournament. This is the first year the event has been played without Henry McQuiston as he passed away shortly after the event last year.

On a chilly, fall afternoon 30 teams gathered at Bala GC, which is the only private golf facility within Philadelphia city limits, to compete in this annual event.  With the tournament’s shotgun start, scores were coming in fast at the end of the day with the score to beat a 6-under par (62). The team posting the low score of the day was John DiMarco (Laurel Creek CC) and Joe Kogelman (GolfTEC Moorestown). The duo shot 3-under par (30) on the way out and had 3 back-to-back birdies on the back nine to shoot 3-under par (32) for a total of 62 for the tournament.

One stroke back, in 2^nd place was the team from The ACE Club, Linda Nevatt and Billy Stewart finishing at 5-under par (63).  The pair posted six birdies with only one bogey to finish 5-under-par.Three teams tied for 3^rd place posting a score of 4-under-par (64) Dustin McCormick (Glen Brook GC) and Dave Quinn (Philmont CC), Mark Sheftic (Merion GC) and Rick Flesher (Applebrook GC), Brian Bergstol (Shawnee Inn and GR) and Terry Hatch (Hidden Valley GC).

The Section would like to thank the membership of Bala Golf Club for their support of this great event. Additionally, the Section thanks Vineyard Vines and Mr. Cory Creland for providing gifts to all participants. The Philadelphia Section PGA will be back to action to face the New Jersey Section tomorrow at Moselem Springs Golf Club for the Turnpike Cup.

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Shawnee on Delaware, PA – The 67^th installment of the Shawnee Open was played on Sunday, October 7 – Monday, October 8 at historic Shawnee Inn and Resort. The tournament, which first began in 1912, features a venerable list of past champions. Although the tournament has been postponed for a variety of reasons throughout its history, it has been contested every year in its current format since 1998 (2006 & 2011 flooding canceled tournament). This year’s tournament featured forty-five competitors from across the Philadelphia Section.

The opening round of the tournament felt less like an October afternoon and more like a late summer day. Playing in the tournament first pairing, Brian Bergstol (Shawnee Inn) posted the number for everyone to chase. Bergstol posted seven birdies and one double bogey en route to an opening round 5-under (67).

At the end of the opening day his closest competition came from a trio of players who finished with scores of 3-under (67). The first to reach the number was current Omega Player of the Year Points leader Billy Stewart (The ACE Club). Stewart was quickly joined by Dave Quinn (Philmont Country Club) and 2007 Shawnee Open champion Stu Ingraham (M Golf Range). Four additional players sat just three shots back after finishing with scores of 2-under (70) on day one.

As play headed into today’s second round, the weather changed dramatically with temperatures hovering around 60 degrees and an on and off misty rain. The weather didn’t cool off Bergstol however as he added another great round with six more birdies and an eagle finishing with a stretch of five threes in a row for a second round score of 8-under (64) and a two-day total of 13-under (131). Bergstol’s pursuers tried to keep pace but in the end his impressive score proved too much to overcome.

After getting it to 5-under for the day, Billy Stewart found some trouble on the par-3 16^th hole and dropped back to 4-under for the day and 7-under for the tournament, which is where he finished at the end of the day. Although he did not match Bergstol at the top of the leaderboard, Stewart’s 7-under (137) was good enough for a solo second place finish.

Trailing Bergstol by two shots heading into the final round, Dave Quinn was within striking distance if he could put together a solid round. Quinn did manage to card four birdied in the second round but a double bogey on the tenth hole dropped him from contention and he finished with a 36-hole total of 5-under (139) giving him a fourth place finish. While Quinn fell short in the regular division his 5-under (139) was good enough for the top spot in the Senior Division.

The biggest move of the day came from Dustin McCormick (Glen Brook Golf Club). McCormick followed up his opening round 1-under (71) with an impressive 5-under (67). McCormick played a flawless second round highlighted by five birdies helping him to vault into a third place finish with a two-day total of 6-under (138).

Rounding out the podium behind Quinn in the Senior Division was Dave McNabb (Applebrook Golf Club). McNabb finished five shot better in his second round moving him six spots up the senior leaderboard and into a second place finish. Finishing third in the senior division was George Forster (Radnor Valley Country Club) who followed up his opening round even par finish with a second round 2-under (70) giving him a 2-under (142) total. Forster also took the top spot in the tournament’s Super Senior Division.

The Section thanks the membership and staff of Shawnee Inn and Resort for their continued support of the Philadelphia PGA and the tournament program. The Section returns to action on Thursday, October 11 at Bala Golf Club for the McQuiston Sr. Pro – Jr. Pro Championship.

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Elverson, Pa. – After a seemingly endless summer of rain, a well-deserved day of sunshine greeted all the teams in the field at French Creek Golf Club for the Fall Pro-Pro Championship. The Pro-Pro Championship pairs two PGA Professionals together in a Four Ball or better ball of partners event. Adding some fun to today’s event, the Philadelphia PGA took a page from the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic and introduced teams with music selected prior to the event.

Setting the pace early in the tournament was the pair of Sam Ambrose (Aronimink Golf Club) and Andrew Turner (Sunnybrook Golf Club). The team got off to a nice start with birdies on three of their first nine holes. However, the pair really made their mark on the back nine at French Creek carding two eagles and two birdies posting 6-under on the inward nine to finish with a team score of 9-under (62) and would now have to wait and see if their score was good enough for a win.

Although teams came close, at the end of the tournament no team was able pass Ambrose and Turner for the top spot. However, a pair of teams shared second place after finishing one shot behind the first place team.

The first team to finish with a score of 8-under (63) was John Allen (Huntingdon Valley Country Club) and Trevor Bensel (Overbrook Golf Club). As a team, Allen and Bensel carded one eagle and eight birdies. Unfortunately for the pair it was a pair of bogeys, including one on the penultimate hole that ultimately dropped them from contention.

The second team to finish with a team score of 8-under (63) was the pair of Stu Ingraham (M Golf Range) and Dave Quinn (Philmont Country Club). With a birdie on their first hole, Ingraham and Quinn got off to a fast start however they only managed to add two more birdies on the front nine to make the turn at 3-under. The duo did have more luck on their inward nine carding five additional birdies but their luck ran out on the 17^th hole and in the end they fell one shot short of the leaders.

The Section thanks the membership and staff of French Creek Golf Club for hosting the Fall Pro-Pro Championship. We also thank our tournament partners Club Prophet Systems, Sun Mountain, Morell Studios, Evolve Golf, Anderson Ord, and the PGA Tour for supporting the tournament program,

The Section gets back to action tomorrow, Tuesday, October 2 for the annual renewal of the Philadelphia Challenge Cup Matches. The event pits 12 Philadelphia PGA Professionals against 12 of the top amateurs from the Golf Association of Philadelphia in a Ryder Cup style event. This year’s matches will be played at Lehigh Country Club.

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Philadelphia, Pa. – In mid-September, the Philadelphia PGA’s Hall of Fame committee gathered at the Section Office with the formidable task of selecting the newest members of the Philadelphia PGA Hall of Fame. After a thorough process of reviewing all the nominated candidates, the committee is excited to announce that Tom Carpus, Peter Micklewright, and Herbert Jewson will become the 41^st, 42^nd, and 43^rd members of the Philadelphia PGA Hall of Fame. The new inductees will be formally recognized in front of their peers at the annual Fall Meeting on Monday, October 29 at SteelStacks in Bethlehem, Pa.

Tom Carpus was elected to PGA membership in the summer of 1988 and now holds the rank of Master Professional (2004). During his time as a PGA Member Carpus has worked at several facilities including, Rolling Green Golf Club, Greate Bay Country Club, and Kennett Square Golf and Country Club, where he spent the majority of his time. However, Carpus’ contributions as a PGA Professional go beyond the boundaries of the Philadelphia Section. Carpus has served as a member of the PGA of America Rules committee having risen to the level of Chairman during the 2017-2018 seasons. During this time Carpus administered several PGA of America championships as well as Ryder Cup events. This commitment to the rules has led Carpus to his latest endeavor, PGA Tour Champions Rules Official.

Like all members of the Philadelphia PGA Hall of Fame, Carpus is not just defined by his employment history but also by his service to his fellow PGA Professionals and the community around him. From early in his career Carpus was involved in Section governance having served as a District Director, Director of both Section Affairs and Tournaments before ascending through the ranks of the Executive Committee culminating in his term as Philadelphia PGA President from 2004-2005. Carpus also gives back to his community in leaps and bounds. Since 1999, Carpus has been instrumental in raising more than $350,000 for the American Diabetes Association and the Folds of Honor Foundation through events held at his facilities. Additionally, Carpus volunteered as a mentor for the Variety Club Buddy Program which paired a PGA Professional with a Variety Club child.

“I want to thank the Philadelphia PGA Hall of Fame Committee and President John Rogers for this great honor”, said Carpus of his nomination. “When John called me, I thought of the many PGA professionals that influenced my career, some of which are members of the Hall of Fame. The Philadelphia Section is rich in history, and I feel very blessed to be a part of the best PGA Section in the country.”

The second inductee into the Philadelphia PGA’s Hall of Fame class of 2018 is Peter Micklewright. Elected to PGA membership in September of 1982, Micklewright has shown commitment to both his fellow PGA Professional and the members he served as the Head Professional of Blue Ridge Country Club in Harrisburg from 1983-2017. In addition to his duties at Blue Ridge, Micklewright also served on various Central Counties Chapter and Section committees including Chapter President and District Director. Micklewright also achieved Master Professional status in 1995, which at the time made him the 145^th PGA Professional to accomplish the feat. Micklewright has also been previously recognized for his accomplishments as a PGA Professional. He was twice named the Philadelphia PGA Junior Golf Leader (1989, 1992) as well as the Central Counties Chapter Golf Professional of the Year (1988) and the Philadelphia PGA Golf Professional of the Year (2005).

Even when his schedule was jammed pack with club events Micklewright found time to give back to his community and to his family. In 1985, Micklewright was the co-founder of the Harrisburg Golf for Kids Day. While that program does not exist in name, the structure set up by Micklewright can be found in the current day Boys and Girls Club event. Micklewright also coached youth sports including baseball, basketball and when he was told that the golf program in the Susquehanna Township School District was going to be shut down because of lack of funding, Micklewright volunteered his time to keep the program going. Perhaps the biggest impact Micklewright had on an individual was with his son Peter Micklewright, a PGA Professional in the Tri-State Section. Micklewright’s son began working with him at Blue Ridge Country Club and continues to implement many of the professional and life lessons his father taught him at his facility, Edgewood Country Club in Pittsburgh, Pa.

“It’s is an amazing honor and a culmination of my entire career”, said Micklewright on being inducted in the Hall of Fame. “To be included on a list as prestigious as this is a great feeling. To be recognized by your peers for the work that you have done for more than 30 years is truly humbling.”

The final inductee into the Hall of Fame class of 2018 is Herbert “Herb” Jewson. Born in Ireland in 1890, Jewson moved to the United States in 1913 to serve as an apprentice to Ben Nicholls at Whitemarsh Valley Country Club. Jewson ultimately was elected as a member of the PGA of America in 1916. After Whitemarsh Valley, Jewson had brief stints at Woodbury Country Club (1916-1917) and Huntingdon Valley Country Club (1919) before settling in at Roxborough Country Club, site of present day The ACE Club. During his 40 years at Roxborough, Jewson served as Head Professional, General Manager and Superintendent.

Jewson service to the Philadelphia PGA goes beyond his work at any one facility. Jewson was a founding member of the Section when it was established on December 2, 1921. Jewson also served on the Section’s Executive Committee as its Secretary, Treasurer and twice as Section President, the only Section member to have that distinction. Jewson was also a PGA of America Vice-President, now titled District Director, from 1924-1925 and 1927-1928.

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Westhampton, N.J. – Nearly four months after it’s originally scheduled date, the Delaware Valley Open (DVO) was finally contested at Deerwood Country Club on Tuesday, September 11. With a field consisting of nearly 80 players from across the Philadelphia PGA everyone playing in today’s event was happy to have a long enough break from the rainy weather to play golf.

Playing in the tournament’s first group, Mike Little (Lookaway Golf Club) got things started quickly after posting a score of 5-under (65). Little’s round got off to a slow start with a bogey in his opening hole but recovered quickly to post three birdies, making the turn at 2-under. As he played his way back to the clubhouse Little added four additional birdies against only one bogey to reach the 5-under number.

However, Little’s lead did not last long. Playing only four groups behind Little, Andrew Turner (Sunnybrook Golf Club) also carded a 5-under (65). Like Little, Turner got off to a slow start with bogeys on his first two holes. Fortunately for Turner that is where his troubles ended. Over his last sixteen holes, Turner posted seven birdies bringing his score to 5-under and joining Little at the top of the leaderboard.

Unfortunately for Little and Turner defending champion Steve Swartz (Out Door Country Club) has his sights set on another DVO title. After pars on his first three holes Swartz notched a birdie on the par-3 4^th hole. Swartz added two more birdies on the outward nine to make the turn at 3-under. Swartz also added three birdies on the back nine for a total of six, and was also one of only two players (Mike Wheeler) to play bogey-free, giving him an 18-hole score of 6-under (64). Not only did Swartz grab a one shot lead he also managed to tie the competitive course record at Deerwood Country Club at the same time.

Playing just behind Swartz, Eric Kennedy (Overbrook Golf Club) made a charge at the top spot but a late bogey proved too much to overcome. Kennedy was 5-under on the day as played Deerwood’s par-5 17^th hole. Kennedy had no blemishes on his card up to that point but an untimely bogey dropped him back to 4-under and despite a birdie on the closing hole he was still one shot short of Swartz’ 6-under score.

After Kennedy, no player in the field managed to get closer than two shots to Swartz and in the end he walked away with his second consecutive Delaware Valley Open crown. The first player to accomplish that feat since Dave Quinn did so in 2011-2012.

“I have been practicing my irons the last couple of weeks in preparation for next week’s Championship”, said Swartz on his round. “It is always nice to get a win considering the caliber of players we have in our Section. This will definitely give me some confidence heading into Concord CC and the Championship. I want to thank all of the sponsors for their support of today’s event.”

A pair of players shared the top spot in the tournament’s senior division. Dave McNabb (Applebrook Golf Club) and Greg Farrow (Deerwood Country Club) both carded scores of 4-under (66). Both players paired five birdies against one bogey en route to a shared senior title. The pair finished two shots ahead of Don Allen (Burlington Country Club) and Brian Kelly (Bucknell Golf Club) who finished with scores of 2-under (68).

Host Professional Greg Farrow also finished in the top spot in the tournament’s super senior division. Farrow’s 4-under number was one shot better than the 3-under (67) put up by Don DeAngelis (Center Square Golf Club).

The Section would like to thank our tournament sponsors Jack Jolly & Son, Golf Pride Grips, Morell Studios as well as the membership and staff of Deerwood Country Club. The Philadelphia PGA returns to action on Monday, September 17 with the Mariniello Tournament of Champions Pro-Am followed by the 97^th Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship September 18-20.

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Plymouth Meeting, Pa. – The annual Lincoln Summer Pro-Lady Team Championship was held on an extremely hot and humid summer day at Sunnybrook Golf Club. Despite the challenging weather, 43 teams from across the Philadelphia PGA, featuring one PGA Professional and three female amateurs gathered at the beautiful Montgomery County golf course. The Lincoln Pro-Lady Team Championship featured both a Gross and Net competition.

Leading the way in the Net division was the team from Woodstone Country Club led by PGA Professional Ryan Shaughnessy and his partners Jane Moyer, Donna D’Amore, and Joy Wallace. Each member of the group contributed multiple birdies en route to a team net score of 16-under (56) good enough for a two shot victory over a pair of teams from the Philadelphia Cricket Club. The first Philadelphia Cricket Club team to reach 14-under was the first group out in the morning wave featuring PGA Professional Jim Smith, Jr and his partners Jean Fitzpatrick, Julie Kelly, and Kristen Fireman. However, they were joined late in the day by a second team from the Philadelphia Cricket with PGA Professional Michael Ferguson and partners Marji Goldman, Joanne Bidwell, and Becky Sanderson.

All was not lost for Ferguson and his partners as they did take the top spot in the tournament’s Gross Division. Although the team from Woodstone finished at 8-under (64) net, while Ferguson and partners finished at 7-under, tournament rules prevent them from winning in both divisions meaning Ferguson and partners claimed the top spot. Finishing one shot behind the team from the Philadelphia Cricket Club was a pair of teams who finished at 6-under (66). Eric Kennedy, PGA of Overbrook Golf Club and partners Kathy Wiley, Karen McFadden, and Joann Fisher reached the number in the morning wave while the team with PGA Professional Mark Parson (Harbor Pines Golf Club) and partners Kelly Parson, Linda Parson, and Stephanie Harris did so in the afternoon.

The Section thanks our tournament partners Lincoln Motor Company, SynLawn and Hole-in-One USA as well as the membership and staff of Sunnybrook Golf Club for their support of the Philadelphia PGA and the Pro-Lady Team Championship.

The Section now heads into a one week hiatus before returning to action for the Delaware Valley Open at Deerwood Concord Country Club on Tuesday, September 11.

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