Knoll Leads by Five Shots Heading into the Championship’s Final Round
Philadelphia, Pa. – Once again bright skies and seasonable temperatures greeted players at the Union League Golf Club at Torresdale and Riverton Country Club for the second round of the 98th Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship. For round two, players switched courses, meaning those players who played at the Union League on day one moved to Riverton Country Club on day two and vice versa.
Looking to piggyback off his record setting day one, Alex Knoll (Glen Brook GC) was the first group off at Riverton Country Club. While he did not set another course record, Knoll did post an impressive 2-under (69) in difficult morning conditions. Knoll had three birdies against one bogey to reach 10-under (131) after 36-holes and giving him a sizeable lead heading into the final round.
Two players in the field made major moves up the leaderboard after posting low scores on day two of the Championship. The first player to make a move was Brendon Post (Univ of Delaware). Playing at the Union League, Post posted four birdies, including a stretch of three in four holes from 10-13, before a lone bogey on the par-5 16th hole dropped him back to 3-under for the day and 5-under (136) for the Championship, placing him in solo second place five shots behind Knoll.
The biggest move of the day came from Ryan Lagergren (Stonewall) who posted the best round of the day, a 7-under (64) at Riverton Country Club. Lagergren had six birdies and an eagle on the par-4 18th hole to help him overcome an early bogey. Lagergren’s 7-under second round helped to erase a 2-over (73) in his opening round at the Union League and vaulted him into third place alone.
The final round of the 98th Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship will get underway at 8:30 AM at the Union League Golf Club at Torresdale with the Championship leaders, Knoll, Post and Lagergen set to get their final rounds underway at 12:15 pm.
In addition to the William B. Packer trophy, awarded to the Philadelphia PGA Professional Champion, the tournament also serves as a qualifier into the 53rd PGA Professional Championship set to be held at the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas, April 26-29, 2020.
The Philadelphia PGA has 11 qualifying spots into next year’s event. With five players currently tied for the eleventh and final qualifying spot and another twenty players within four shots of the last spot there is plenty up for grabs in tomorrow’s final round.
For complete coverage of the 98th Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship be sure to follow the action on philadelphia.pga.com or via social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@PhiladelphiaPGA) or the #PPGAChamp.