Lower Gwynedd Township, Pa. (October 14, 2025) — The Philadelphia PGA Section is excited to announce the newest recipients of the Bud Jennings PGA Golf Management Scholarship: PGA of America Associates Tyler Armstrong of the Philadelphia Cricket Club in Flourtown, Pa., and Tessa Henderson of Stonewall in Elverson, Pa.

The scholarship was developed by the Jennings family to honor Bud Jennings, a lifelong golfer and longtime Chester Valley Golf Club member. Given Bud’s love for the game of golf and his willingness to give back and help others, the Jennings family says that this award is the perfect way to remember his legacy.

“Our family is thrilled to announce the recipients of the Bud Jennings PGM Scholarship to Tyler Armstrong and Tessa Henderson,” said Chris Jennings. “Both are deserving candidates, and we are very happy to be honoring my father’s memory while also giving back to the golf community in Philadelphia.”

The $3,000 scholarships are awarded annually to both one male and one female Philadelphia PGA Associate aspiring to be elected to PGA Membership. Scholarship recipients will possess the skills, drive, and character it takes to become a first-class PGA Member. The recipients must show demonstration of outstanding qualities of leadership; demonstration of strong moral character; ability to maintain a substantial record of service to the Philadelphia PGA Section, PGA of America, and the game of golf; well-regarded as a model PGA Associate.

Tyler Armstrong currently works as an assistant golf professional at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, and has been involved in other areas of the golf industry, including helping with the club’s PGA Jr. League team, and has been certified as a PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) instructor.

“Being chosen as a Bud Jennings Scholarship recipient means that I am now able to pursue PGA Membership without the stress of worrying how I will be able to afford it,” said Armstrong. “It will speed up the process in obtaining membership, and is a weight taken off of my shoulders. Thank you to the Jennings family for providing this scholarship and helping not only myself, but other PGA Associates achieve their goals of PGA Membership.”

Tessa Henderson is an assistant golf professional at Stonewall, a position she took after working for two years as an assistant in New Zealand. She says that she offers her facility and the Section a global perspective and a strong foundation in professional golf operations.

“I am incredibly honored to be selected as a recipient of the Bud Jennings Scholarship,” said Henderson. “This recognition means so much to me as I continue to grow within the golf industry and pursue my goals both on and off the course. I am deeply grateful to the Philadelphia PGA Section, and the Jennings family, for their continued support of young golf professionals and their dedication to fostering the next generation of leaders in golf.

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 300 golf facilities in our region.

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

Philadelphia, Pa. (October 16, 2025) — PGA of America Golf Professionals Jeff Kiddie and Riley Wheeldon of Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pa., triumphed at the 2025 Philadelphia PGA Henry McQuiston Senior Professional-Junior Professional Championship on a chilly and very windy day at Bala Golf Club. They turned in an impressive team score of 6-under-par, despite the difficult conditions. The format for the event was Four-Ball.

In second place, only one stroke behind, was the team of Mike Caldwell, Dupont Country Club, and Steve Swartz, Carlisle Country Club. Third place went to Huntingdon Valley Country Club’s Tony Perla and PGA Life Member George Forster at 4-under-par. Rounding out the top five in a tie for fourth with a score of 3-under-par were the teams of Chris Miller, Scranton Golf Center, and John Pillar, Country Club at Woodloch Springs; and Trevor Bensel, Lulu Country Club, and Dave Quinn, Laurel Creek Country Club.

To view the full 2025 Philadelphia PGA Henry McQuiston Senior Professional-Junior Professional Championship leaderboard, click here.

The 2025 Philadelphia PGA Henry McQuiston Senior Professional-Junior Professional Championship is sponsored by Bala Golf Club and supported by Levelwear and Tom Gleason. The Philadelphia PGA Section and its PGA Professionals thank our host, Bala Golf Club, their members, management, host PGA Professionals, and staff, as the event would not have been possible without their support.

About Henry J. McQuiston Jr., PGA
Henry J. McQuiston Jr. was born in Philadelphia in 1932 and grew up next to the Chester Valley Golf Club where his family lived. He and his two brothers played golf at Chester Valley and worked for  superintendent Dick Murphy. McQuiston graduated from West Chester State Teachers College in 1954 and then served two years in the United States Army. After being discharged from the Army, he went to work as a schoolteacher. In 1958 he turned professional and worked at Chester Valley while playing some tournaments on the PGA Tour during the summer months and still teaching school the rest of the year. In 1960 he took the job as the assistant at the Bala Golf Club and two years later he became the head professional. In 1968 McQuiston finished in a tie for second in the Section Championship losing in a three-way playoff and in 1971 he was second in the Philadelphia Open losing a playoff. He qualified for the 1962 PGA Championship, the 1963 U.S. Open and the 1984 PGA Senior Championship. McQuiston qualified for the PGA Tour tournament at Whitemarsh Valley Country Club ten times and made the cut three times. McQuiston was a member of eleven Challenge Cup teams that competed against the Middle Atlantic Section. He qualified for the Club Professional Championship four times and the Senior Club Pro Championship once. In 1970 McQuiston and several other Section members built the Avalon Golf Club and operated it until they sold out in 1986. He was elected as the 20th president of the Section in 1973 and 1974 after having served as the second vice president for two years. McQuiston was the head pro at Bala for thirty-seven years after which he continued on as the pro emeritus at the club. In 2004 McQuiston’s name was added to the Section’s Senior Pro-Junior Pro Championship, which had been held at the Bala Golf Club for over 20 years. He was the Section’s “Golf Professional of the Year” in 1997. In 2005 he was inducted into the Philadelphia PGA Hall of Fame.

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

Lower Gwynedd Township, Pa. (October 15, 2025) — The Philadelphia PGA Section is proud to announce that George Vasiloff, a U.S. Air Force veteran who served from 1983 to 2014, has been selected as the Section’s newest PGA HOPE Ambassador, becoming the fourth ambassador to represent PGA HOPE Philadelphia.

This past week, George joined 19 other PGA HOPE Veterans from across the country at National Golf & Wellness week held at Congressional Country Club. Throughout the week, the ambassadors participated in sessions focused on mental health, stress management, and public speaking, while also receiving personalized golf instruction and the opportunity to play the historic course.

George first became involved with PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) in 2018 at the Country Club of Harrisburg, under the guidance of his lead professional, Jeffrey Breiner, PGA. He was nominated for the ambassadorship and selected from among veterans across all 41 Sections to serve as a spokesperson for the program. George has proudly represented his program location at the Secretary’s Cup in both 2019 and 2023, and this year joined the PGA HOPE Philadelphia Tour, a new opportunity designed for program graduates to stay engaged through competitive and social play.

Fellow veterans describe George as resilient, compassionate, and inspiring—qualities that reflect the true spirit of the PGA HOPE community.

National Golf and Wellness Week marks just the beginning of George’s ambassadorship. He plans to bring his new ideas and strategies back to the Philadelphia Section, helping to expand PGA HOPE’s reach and impact throughout the region. With his dedication and work ethic, there is no doubt George will make a lasting difference in the lives of his fellow veterans.

The Philadelphia PGA Section congratulates George Vaslioff on this well-deserved honor and is proud to have him represent PGA HOPE Philadelphia as an ambassador.

About PGA HOPE

Allentown, Pa. (October 8, 2025) — The Philadelphia PGA Section’s team of 12 PGA of America Golf Professionals defeated the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s amateur team 12 points to 6 points to capture the 33rd Challenge Matches at Lehigh Country Club.

It was a close battle all day with many of the matches coming down to the final few holes. While the Golf Association of Philadelphia has seen improved results in recent years, the Philadelphia PGA Section retains the better overall record, now, at 24-5-4.

The team of Philadelphia PGA Professionals was led by Captain Zach Barbin, Chesapeake Bay G.C.; Austin Barbin, Chesapeake Bay G.C.; Trevor Bensel, Lulu C.C.; Ross Brown, Fox Hill C.C.; Andrew Cornish, Green Valley C.C.; Kyle Early, Waynesborough C.C.; Michael Little, Clubhouse 54; Joe Kogelman, GOLFTEC- Moorestown; Hugo Mazzalupi, Radnor Golf Foundation; Zac Oakley, Bidermann G.C.; Stephen Swartz, Carlisle C.C.; Riley Wheeldon, Aronimink G.C.

The GAP team included Charlie Barrickman, Radley Run C.C.; Stephen Cerbara, Huntingdon Valley C.C.; Zak Drescher, Bent Creek C.C.; Chris Fieger, Sr., Heidelberg C.C.; Jeff Frazier, C.C.; Jack Irons, Medford Lakes C.C.; Patrick Isztwan, Huntingdon Valley C.C.; Scott Kalamar, Green Pond C.C.; Mark Miller, Philadelphia Cricket Club; Drue Nicholas, Galloway National G.C.; Joseph Tigani, Fieldstone G.C.; Troy Vannucci, Little Mill C.C.

In the single matches, Captain Zach Barbin defeated his opponent Scott Kalamar; Swartz topped Fraizer; Mazzalupi beat Fieger 5&3; Bensel, Wheeldon, Cornish, Little and Kogelman all defeated their opponents 3&2; and Oakley won big over Isztwan with a score of 6&5. The amateurs fought hard in their matches as well with Troy Vannucci, Jack Irons and Joseph Tigani all defeating their opponents Austin Barbin, Kyle Early and Ross Brown, respectfully, 3&2.

In the Four-Ball matches, the PGA Professionals split the matches with the amateurs with both sides winning three matches. PGA Members Swartz and Mazzalupi defeated Frazier and Fieger; Bensel and Wheeldon won 3&2 over Nicholas and Cerbara; and Oakley and Kogelman won 2&1 over Isztwan and Barrickman. For the amateurs Vannucci and Kalamar won 3&2 over the Barbin brothers; Drescher and Miller defeated Cornish and Little 2&1; and Tigani and Irons claimed victory over Brown and Early.

The Philadelphia Challenge Matches would not be possible without the support and energy of Robin McCool. McCool was instrumental in getting the matches started 33 years ago and revitalizing them by bringing in support from Jim Wilson of Ping, Jim Ravina of Donald Ross, and our host facility, Lehigh C.C. 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.

To view the full 33rd Philadelphia Challenge Matches leaderboard, click here.

The 33rd Philadelphia Challenge Matches is supported by Jim Wilson of Ping, Jim Ravina of Donald Ross, and Kevin McClellan of KM Golf Sales. The Philadelphia PGA Section and its PGA Professionals thank our host, Lehigh 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.

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