News
Justin Riegel, PGA, Becomes Namesake of Philadelphia PGA Assistant Golf Professional of the Year Award
Lower Gwynedd Township, Pa. (January 11, 2021) — The Philadelphia PGA Section today announced that it has renamed the award given to superlative PGA Assistant Professionals to the Justin Riegel Assistant Golf Professional of the Year. The award recognizes an individual who has displayed the qualities and attributes for what it takes to become an outstanding PGA Professional. Its new namesake, Justin Riegel, the 2015 recipient of the award, tragically passed away in a related accident in June 2020 while working as PGA Head Professional at Philmont Country Club in Huntingdon Valley, Pa.
“The Philadelphia PGA and its nearly 900 men and women PGA Professionals are still mourning the loss of Justin, who left us much too soon,” said Section Executive Director Geoff Surrette, PGA. “He was a wonderful PGA Professional, but was an even better partner, son, and friend. While we will never be able to fill the void left after Justin’s untimely death, we hope this award will honor his name and legacy for future generations of PGA Professionals.”
Justin’s family, including his mother Evette and girlfriend Kate, gave the Section their blessing to rename the award: “It is with genuine gratitude and bittersweet hearts that we, his family, accept this honor on Justin’s behalf. Thank you for celebrating his memory and commitment to the sport. He always encouraged excellence, while eager to share his knowledge and skills. Thank you for providing a way that his life long passion will carry on through his recognition.”
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help support Justin and Kate’s newborn son Harrison Kelly. You may access it by clicking here.
Justin Riegel PGA Assistant Golf Professional of the Year Recipients
2020: Ron Pine, PGA
2019: Steve Frederick, PGA
2018: Ashley Grier, PGA
2017: Dan Mrozinski, PGA
2016: Bryan Kienke, PGA
2015: Justin Riegel, PGA
2014: Sean Palmer, PGA
2013: Ben Debski, PGA
2012: Mark Kelly, PGA
2011: Jeff Breiner, PGA
2010: Joey Pohle, PGA
2009: Rob Agresti, PGA
2008: Tom Byrne, PGA
2007: Ed Gibson, PGA
2006: Andy Watters, PGA
2005: Jack Sodoma, PGA
2004: Rich Steinmetz, PGA
2003: Andy Watters, PGA
2002: Jonathan Doctor, PGA
2002: Jamie Komancheck, PGA
2001: Brian Lee, PGA
2000: Andy Hinson, PGA
1999: Jamie Komancheck, PGA
1998: Eric Korpics, PGA
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. Founded in 1921, the Section celebrates its centennial in 2021.
Contact: Matt Frey, PGA, Communications Director, Philadelphia PGA Section, mfrey@pgahq.com
Philadelphia PGA Section Releases 2021 Tournament Schedule
The 2021 Philadelphia PGA Section tournament schedule has been released and will open for registration at 9 a.m. ET on Monday, February 15 by clicking here. The calendar is highlighted by the 100th Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship at Aronimink Golf Club and Applebrook Golf Club on Monday, August 30 – Wednesday, September 1, 2021. Most tournaments will be open for registration this Monday (2/15) and a couple more events will be added to the calendar as event dates are finalized.
The Tournament Committee has been hard at work this off season as they are always looking to find ways to improve our tournament program year after year. To view updates on the information listed below, please click here.
- COVID-19 event protocols (more info to follow)
- New events, new formats and a new withdrawal policy
- New Philadelphia Players Championship eligibility
- New Senior and Super Senior Scoring Average
- New PAO combined event
Online Registration is also open for Philadelphia PGA Section Membership Programs listed below by clicking here:
- Tournament Players Division (TPD) membership (fees increase $25 on 4/1/21)
- Hole-in-One Club
- Philadelphia Assistants’ Organization (PAO) membership
- Central Counties Chapter (CCC) membership
- CCC Hole-in-One Club
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.
Philadelphia PGA Section Names Conlin’s Print ‘Preferred Printer’
Lower Gwynedd Township, Pa. (February 10, 2021) — The Philadelphia PGA Section today announced a new partnership with Conlin’s Print, a digital print, mail, and marketing solutions company that has served the Philadelphia region since 1980.
As part of the agreement, Conlin’s Print becomes the Preferred Printer of the Philadelphia PGA Section, PGA REACH Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia PGA Junior Tour. Conlin’s Print will also extend an initial 10 percent discount to Philadelphia PGA Members and Associates to use for their print, mail, and/or marketing needs.
“The Philadelphia PGA is excited to partner with Conlin’s Print, a revered firm that produces quality products on time and on budget,” said Section Executive Director Geoff Surrette, PGA. “The benefit that Conlin’s will be providing to our members will certainly help make their jobs easier and boost their professional standing at their facilities and with their members, customers, and students.”
Conlin’s Print President and Owner Bill Conlin said: “We are honored to partner with the Philadelphia PGA Section as the Preferred Printer. We look forward to providing quality products and excellent service to the many Philadelphia PGA Members and Associates. Those that know me can attest that I am a better printer than golfer!”
In addition to their commitment to Philadelphia PGA Professionals, Conlin’s Print ‘preferred’ status will provide the Section a reliable partner for its own printing needs.
PGA Professionals looking to learn more about the Section’s partnership with Conlin’s Print, please contact Section Communications Director Matt Frey, PGA, at mfrey@pgahq.com.
About Conlin’s Print
Since 1980, Conlin’s has served the Philadelphia region with exceptional digital printing, signs, banners, displays, bindery, and direct mail fulfillment services. Businesses of all sizes trust Conlin’s to deliver quality printing and fast turnarounds. When other printers can’t meet your deadline, Conlin’s can! As part of our exemplary customer service, all jobs are guaranteed. For more information, visit conlinsprint.com.
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.
Contact: Matt Frey, PGA, Communications Director, Philadelphia PGA Section, mfrey@pgahq.com
Sunnybrook G.C.’s Brett Walker, PGA, Wins PGA Stroke Play Championship In Playoff Over Omar Uresti
PORT ST. LUCIE, FL- February 9: Brett Walker holds the plaque after winning the 2021 Men’s Stroke Play Championship at PGA Golf Club on February 9, 2021 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. (Photo by Rachel Harris/PGA of America)
PORT ST. LUCIE (Feb. 9, 2021) – Brett Walker of Ukiah, Calif., picked a nice time to win his first professional event, and he did so with style.
Walker fired an 8-under 63 Tuesday to get into a playoff, then birdied the first extra hole to defeat Omar Uresti and win the PGA Stroke Play Championship at PGA Golf Club.
Walker started the final round four shots out of the lead, but played his first 10 holes on the Ryder Course in seven-under to charge into contention against a quality leaderboard that included PGA stalwarts Uresti, Rod Perry, Bob Sowards and Ben Kern.
“You hear those names and it’s easy to get intimidated because they’re all great players,” Walker said. “But I focused on my game. I knew I could win. I just didn’t know it would be today.”
The 29-year-old Walker, who spends his winters in Jupiter and works as a PGA Assistant Professional at John’s Island Club in Vero Beach, earned $5,400 for the victory. Walker and Uresti finished at 13-under 201 before heading to the par-5 17th as the first playoff hole.
Walker’s second shot from 250 yards went over the green. He chipped to 4 feet and watched as Uresti faced a sidehill 8-foot birdie putt.
“I was expecting Omar to make it,” Walker said. “When he missed it, I was like ‘Wow!’ I was nervous. It wasn’t like an out-of-body experience, but my hands were shaking a little. It means so much to see my hard work pay off.”
Uresti, the reigning Senior PGA Professional Player of the Year, birdied his first four holes to move into a share of the lead Tuesday. He parred the next eight holes before making birdies at the No. 13 and No. 17 to force the playoff. It was the second consecutive year he lost the Stroke Play Championship in a playoff.
Perry of Port Orange, Fla., was tied for the lead, but bogeyed the final hole to miss the playoff by a shot. The bogey was the only blemish during a 5-under 66 that vaulted Perry into a third-place tie at 12-under 202 with Trevor Bensel (68) of Villanova, Pa., who started Tuesday with a two-shot lead.
Sowards (67) of Dublin, Ohio finished fifth at 11-under 203, a shot ahead of Kern (68-204) of Georgetown, Texas and Joe Summerhays (68-204) of Syracuse, Utah.
Defending champion Jason Caron (67-206) of Oyster Bay, N.Y., tied for ninth. Caron, a former Jupiter resident, was recently named PGA Professional Player of the Year.
The Stroke Play Championship is part of the PGA Winter Championships, which are presented by GolfPass and PrimeSport.
The PGA Winter Championships are presented by GolfPass and PrimeSport.
View final results
The PGA of America is one of the world’s largest sports organizations, composed of nearly 29,000 PGA Professionals who daily work to grow interest and inclusion in the game of golf. For more information about the PGA of America, visit PGA.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Media Contact:
John Dever, PGA of America, jdever@pgahq.com
PGA Jr. League Leads a Healthy and Responsible Return to Youth Sports in 2021
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (Feb. 1, 2021) – PGA Jr. League player registration for the 2021 season opens today for youth ages 17 and under, following the program’s successful and responsible amended season in 2020.
Nearly 1,700 PGA Professional Captains rose to the challenges of the pandemic by creating responsible team golf experiences for nearly 37,000 kids in 2020. PGA Jr. League developed program-specific guidelines within the framework of the industry-wide Back2Golf Guidelines that were approved by medical advisors in alignment with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and shared these with Captains, Coaches and families, with the intent of resuming PGA Jr. League in the most responsible way.
“During an extremely challenging year, PGA Professionals stepped up to the plate to ensure kids could stay socially connected while physically distanced,” said PGA President Jim Richerson, PGA. “They leveraged PGA Jr. League to create a healthy outlet for kids seeking a team sport experience, and I’m confident their coaching made a positive impact on the livelihood of their players.”
PGA Jr. League was poised for a record-breaking year before issuing a three-month nationwide moratorium beginning last March on all of its practices, games and related activities. Summer and Fall Seasons were combined into one to maximize playing opportunities through the end of the year, while the competitive postseason was cancelled to prioritize the health of participants.
While activities were suspended, PGA Jr. League created a Community Page with the help of Captains and Coaches, as well as players and families, to stay engaged. Captains and Coaches provided backyard drills and activities, while players and families shared their photos and videos of golf practice at home. When the season resumed, PGA Jr. League shifted to its Guidelines in Real Time Page to showcase how PGA Jr. League functioned with healthy practices in place, including “non-handshake handshakes” submitted by players and physically-distanced practice videos from Captains and Coaches.
Despite a condensed season, year-end feedback from parents netted an 82% Net Promoter Score (NPS) for PGA Jr. League, which is industry-leading among youth sports programs. NPS is a standard consumer satisfaction metric that measures the degree to which people would recommend a company to others. Scores range from -100 to +100, with those above zero considered “good;” above 50 considered “excellent;” and above 70 considered “world-class.”
PGA Jr. League is the flagship youth pillar program of the PGA of America’s 501(c)(3) foundation, PGA REACH. With the goal of making the program accessible to all youth regardless of background, circumstance or ability, PGA REACH secured nearly 2,500 scholarships in 2020 for players from active military families or those with extenuating financial circumstances. New in 2021, families will have the option to contribute to the PGA Jr. League Scholarship Fund during the online registration process, which is vitally important to ensuring all youth can be welcomed to a PGA Jr. League team.
Three-time NBA Champion Stephen Curry and FIFA Women’s World Cup Champion Alex Morgan join PGA and LPGA Tour superstars Rory McIlroy, Lexi Thompson, Rickie Fowler and Michelle Wie as PGA Jr. League Ambassadors, lending their support and large platform to support the program.
In addition, PGA REACH has partnered with Stephen and Ayesha Curry’s Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, with the goal of helping youth in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond with the support and opportunities needed to play the game of golf and lead healthy, active lives. This year, Curry lent his voice to a new PGA Jr. League PSA featuring PGA Jr. League player and junior reporter Warren Fisher, 13, in which they discuss playing golf and returning to PGA Jr. League responsibly.
To learn more and register for the 2021 season, families are encouraged to visit PGAJrLeague.com and search for programs nearby.
About PGA REACH
PGA Foundation, Inc. d/b/a/ PGA REACH is the 501(c)(3) charitable foundation of the PGA of America. The mission of PGA REACH is to positively impact the lives of youth, military and diverse populations by enabling access to PGA Professionals, PGA Sections and the game of golf. For more information on PGA REACH, visit PGAREACH.org, follow @PGAREACH on Twitter, and find us on Facebook.
About PGA Jr. League
PGA Jr. League is the flagship youth pillar program of the PGA of America’s 501(c)3 foundation, PGA Foundation, Inc. d/b/a PGA REACH, with a goal of making the program accessible to all interested kids in the United States and around the world. Visit PGAJrLeague.com for more information, and follow @PGAJrLeague on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
About PGA of America
The PGA of America is one of the world’s largest sports organizations, composed of nearly 28,000 PGA Professionals who daily work to grow interest and inclusion in the game of golf. For more information about the PGA of America, visit PGA.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Contacts
Michael Abramowitz, PGA of America, mabramowitz@pgahq.com, 561-624-8458
Hayley Wilson, Alday PR, hayley@aldaypr.com, 865-256-4295
Remembering Jessica Hendrickson
Jessica Hendrickson, of West Chester, PA and Port St. Lucie, FL — loving wife, adored mother and grandmother — passed away at the age of 74 on Saturday, January 23, 2021 after a short and unexpected illness.
Born in New York City, Jessica grew up in Wayne, Michigan with her parents, Miles and Janet, sister Elaine, and grandmother Jessie (“Granny”). She attended Wayne Memorial High School, then Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, where she married her first husband, Jim Hickey, and gave birth to their son, Blair.
Jessica remarried in 1979, to Dick Hendrickson, her surviving husband of 42 years. The two met when Jess decided to take golf lessons from the “tall and handsome” pro at the local golf course, thus beginning an almost five-decade partnership of playing and competing. When Dick qualified for the Senior PGA Tour in 1988, Jess was right beside him, breaking ground as one of the very first female caddies on tour. Working together as their family’s “favorite sports team,” the two competed in 367 tournaments over 11 years, racking up 47 top-ten finishes, and four runner-up titles.
An avid player herself, Jess loved competing and playing with friends, especially at PGA Village in Florida, as well as her home course at Radley Run Country Club in Pennsylvania, where she served as President of Ladies Golf, and won multiple titles including the Ladies Club Championship, Senior Club Championship and Super Senior Championship. And although not one to talk about herself, when pressed, Jess would tell you she was proud of her two holes-in-one.
For all of her accomplishments on the course, it was her dedication and devotion to family that defined Jess the most. Nothing fulfilled her more, or gave her more joy, than tending to the people she loved, whether that meant juggling the hectic schedules of a teenage son and two step-children, moving back to Michigan to nurse her ailing mother, or studying (and remembering) every medical detail of any issue Dick faced. She’d drop everything to take your call when you needed advice, would travel hours to celebrate a birthday, or gladly rearrange her day to read, sing, or bake over FaceTime with her granddaughters in California.
Those who knew Jess will remember her genuine, wholehearted compassion; her big, bright friendly smile; her self-conscious silliness; her competitiveness (golf, mahjong, trying to beat Dick at gin rummy); her faith in the lucky socks she wore while cheering for the Philadelphia Eagles; how her holiday meals and decorations were consistently magazine-worthy; and the fact her home was always immaculate, even though she’d insist it wasn’t.
Jessica is survived by her husband Dick; her son Blair Hickey, daughter-in-law Laura, and their daughters Alex and Charlotte; her stepdaughter Kristin Hendrickson Holder and her son, Joshua; her stepson Brian Hendrickson and his daughter, Sarah; as well as loving members of her extended family in Michigan and Atlanta.
For the safety of family and friends, a memorial service will be postponed until later in the year. In lieu of flowers or gifts, please consider a contribution in Jessica’s name to First Tee Greater Philadelphia, or First Tee Florida Gold Coast, local chapters of a non-profit dedicated to empowering children through the game of golf. (firstteephiladelphia.org or firstteefloridagoldcoast.org).
Ashley Grier Earns Women’s PGA Professional Player of the Year Award for 2020
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (Jan. 22, 2021) – Jason Caron of Oyster Bay, New York; Ashley Grier of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania; and Omar Uresti of Austin, Texas, persevered through the unique circumstances associated with a global pandemic to capture respective 2020 PGA Professional, Women’s PGA Professional and Senior PGA Professional Player of the Year awards.
The trio will be honored in conjunction with the PGA of America’s Annual Meeting, Nov. 2-5, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Caron, the PGA Head Professional at Mill River Club, Inc. in Oyster Bay, began his year in strong fashion, emerging from a three-player playoff to win the 2020 PGA Stroke Play Championship. Caron authored two other wins in Metropolitan PGA Section play, winning the Section’s PGA Professional Championship in September, also in a playoff, before claiming a wire-to-wire, two-stroke victory in the 96th Long Island Open in October. He was subsequently named Metropolitan PGA Section Player of the Year.
Caron, 48, collected 625.000 total points, while Rod Perry of Port Orange, Florida, was runner-up with 590.350. Scott Berliner of Lake Luzerne, New York (565.000), was third and Ryan Vermeer of Omaha, Nebraska (548.750) 一 the 2018 and ‘19 PGA Professional Player of the Year 一 finished fourth.
“I’ve been playing well for about two and a half years now, but I feel like I really broke through in 2020,” said Caron, who was a member of the PGA Tour in 2000 and ‘03 and finished T-30 in the 2002 U.S. Open. “To (earn the PGA Professional Player of the Year award) means a ton. Just to have this on my playing resume, it’s a special accomplishment. It’s an honor to represent my fellow 29,000 PGA Professionals, the Met Section and Mill River, all who have encouraged me to play this game. My hats off to them.”
A PGA Assistant Professional at Overbrook Golf Club in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, Grier tallied 327.500 points to earn her award. The bookend highlights of Grier’s year came with a T-3 finish in the Women’s Stroke Play at PGA Golf Club in February and a November victory in the Philadelphia Assistants Organization Open Championship at Kimberton Golf Club in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. She was later named the Philadelphia PGA Section’s Assistant Player of the Year.
Jennifer Borocz of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida (255.000), was runner-up to Grier, 36, while Sherry Andonian of La Quinta, California (230.000), and Joanna Coe of Lutherville-Timonium, Maryland (185), finished third and fourth, respectively. In 2019, Coe won the inaugural Women’s PGA Professional Player of the Year award.
“Anyone that knows me knows how much I love the game of golf and love competing,” said Grier, a member of the victorious 2019 Women’s PGA Cup Team and a seven-year veternan of the Duramed Futures Tour. “To see all of the hard work payoff is a great achievement that I am very proud of. I couldn’t have achieved this if it wasn’t for the support I received from (Overbrook PGA Head Professional) Eric Kennedy, all of my co-workers, and the membership at Overbrook. I know they are always there to cover for me or cheer me on when I am away at an event. It’s nice to win this award and to have something to show or share in a year that wasn’t (what we all expected it to be).”
A PGA Life Member, Uresti won eight times in 2020 一 four in his home Southern Texas PGA Section, four at his home away from home at PGA Golf Club 一 to garner his first player of the year citation from the PGA of America. Uresti’s top Section triumph came by two strokes in the Senior PGA Professional Championship at the Golf Club of Houston in May. At PGA Golf Club, the 52-year-old Uresti won the Quarter Century Championship in early January, the 32nd Senior PGA Professional Championship in October, then tacked on twice in a four-day span in early December, winning Events #1 and #2 of the PGA Tournament Series.
Uresti’s 733.800 points outpaced the 622.950 accumulated by runner-up Bob Sowards of Dublin, Ohio. Mike Small of Champaign, Illinois (645.000), took third and Scott Hebert of Traverse City, Michigan (587.000), fourth.
“It’s a real honor to earn this award because of all of the talented players that have won it in the past,” said Uresti, the 2017 PGA Professional Champion. “I know Bob (Sowards) was leading the points list late in the year and was dealing with a hip injury that was obviously hindering his play. We’re close friends and it was difficult to see him held back. He’s so talented. He won last year. To put my name on that same list, well, it feels great.”