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EASTON, Pa. – In what is becoming an unfortunate trend for the GALV Lehigh Valley Open, inclement weather once again played a prominent role in the overall narrative of the tournament. Play was suspended multiple times during the first round before ultimately being suspended for the day at 7:00 p.m. With additional overnight rains, players were not able to get back on the course until 12:00 p.m. the following day. Because of this long delay, the decision was made to shorten the 36-hole event to an 18-hole tournament.

Playing in the tournament’s first group on Monday, Eric Kennedy (Overbrook Golf Club) posted a score that in the end would prove to be the number to beat. Kennedy made his way around the par 72 golf course posting five birdies, including one the closing hole, against only one bogey, to finish with a score of 4-under (68). Initially, Kennedy thought he would have to wait until the end of the day to see where he stood in the tournament, but because of the inclement weather, Kennedy didn’t know if his number was good enough until more than 24 hours after he finished his round.

Late in the day on Monday, Kennedy was joined at the top of the leaderboard by Trevor Bensel (Overbrook Golf Club). As a note, Bensel was one the last groups to finish before play was ultimate suspended for the day because of the weather. Bensel joined Kennedy at 4-under after carding one eagle, four birdies against two bogeys to share the clubhouse lead.

Although several players would make a run at Kennedy, Bensel, and the top spot, no other player was able to join them at 4-under. There was a large contingent of players who finished one shot shy at 3-under (69) including defending champion Mark Sheftic (Merion Golf Club), Brett Melton (Radley Run Country Club), Michael Little (Lookaway Golf Club), Alex Knoll (Blue Shamrock Golf Course), and amateur Steve Kluemper.

With no other players joining them at 4-under, Kennedy and Bensel headed to the 18^th tee to begin the sudden death playoff. On the first playoff hole, both players found the green in regulation, however, neither was able to sink their birdie putts and both settled for a par meaning they needed to head back to the tee box to start the process over again.

On the second playoff hole, both players came up just short of the green, leaving each with nearly identical chip shots. Kennedy and Bensel executed their chip shots without much difficulty and once again both players parred the hole. With no player giving way, the duo would head back to the tee box for the third time.

On the third playing of the hole, things heated up beginning with Bensel’s approach shot. After finding the same spot in the fairway for the third time, Bensel knew what yardage he needed. His approach shot hit into the bank of the two-tiered green and as it spun back to the hole it rolled over the edge of the cup for a near eagle but in the end, it settled eight feet below the hole. Kennedy’s approach, although not as dramatic, finished inside Bensel’s ball leaving each player with a good look at birdie. Putting first, Bensel was finally able to convert a birdie and the pressure moved to Kennedy to convert his birdie putt. Despite a solid effort, Kennedy’s putt fell short meaning Bensel was crowned champion of the GALV Lehigh Valley Open, his first points win since the 2017 Match Play Championship.

“I have been playing well this season, I just haven’t been able to score,” commented Bensel of his play. “The delay wasn’t ideal, but I just tried to keep things in perspective and wait it all out. Eric and I both played good golf and it was fun to play in a ‘match play like setting’. I want to thank our host GALV and Karl Gilbert, as well as everyone at Northampton for proving such a terrific venue.”

Four players shared the top spot in the tournament’s senior division after each posted a score of 1-under (71). This group included Dave McNabb (Applebrook Golf Club), Dave Quinn (Laurel Creek Country Club), John Appleget (The Shore Club), and Mark Anderson (Philadelphia Cricket Club).

Leading the way in the amateur contest was Steve Kluemper was posted a tournament score of 3-under (69). Kluemper got off to a fast start with birdies on his first three holes. After a bogey on the difficult par-3 4^th hole, Kluemper added two additional birdies to make the turn at 4-under. As he made his way back to the clubhouse Kluemper added two quick birdies to reach 6-under before three bogeys derailed his attempt to win the GALV Lehigh Valley Open.

The Section would like to thank our title sponsor, the Golf Association of Lehigh Valley and Mr. Karl Gilbert as well as the entire staff and membership of Northampton Country Club for their hospitality.

The Philadelphia PGA tournament calendar continues this Friday, August 2 at Doylestown Country Club for the annual Doylestown Open. For complete coverage of the Philadelphia PGA be sure to follow us online Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

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Springfield, Pa, – The first of two Philadelphia PGA Team Stableford events was played at Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield, Pa. The day brought sunny conditions with temperatures in the upper 90’s, but that did not stop the 36 teams from playing the scenic course. The championships pairs one PGA Professional with three amateur partners playing a stableford points system competing in both a Net and Gross division.

In the Net division, the team of Brian Fruehan, PGA (Elmhurst Country Club) and partners Mike Bonavoglia, Chris Hoban, and JT Coyne set the pace in the morning wave. The team combined for a total of 89 stableford points, with 45 of them coming on Rolling Green’s front nine. Fruehan and Bonavoglia each carded an eagle on the day, leading the way for their team. In second place, was the team of Chris Gardner, PGA (Bluestone Country Club) and partners Roger Ayala, Ben Pergament, and Brett Ruina. They tallied 88 stableford points with each player contributing throughout their round, but in the end fell just one-point shy of the first-place spot. In third place, was Andy Waters, PGA (Talamore Country Club) and partners Joe Swiacki, Mark Boyce, and Joe Nonnamaker. The team posted 87 stableford points to round out the division with all players making at least two birdies.

In the Gross division, it was the tournament’s first group out that took home the top spot. The team Jim Smith, PGA (Philadelphia Cricket Club) and his partners Kevin Kelly, Bob Wurtz, and Scott Storck earned 83 gross stableford points to secure first place in their respective division. Finishing two shots back in second place was Tom Michaels, PGA (Berkshire Country Club) and his partners Peter Pendergast, Steve Perron, and Joe Butto. Round out the podium was John DiMarco, PGA (Laurel Creek Country Club) and his partners Sean Fox, Jason Chen, and Chris Greer.

Special congratulations to John DiMarco who had a hole-in-one on the 157-yard par-3 3^rd hole after his 7-iron found the bottom of the cup. This was DiMarco’s impressive fifth hole in one in his lifetime with three of them coming in competition.

The Philadelphia PGA would like to thank the membership and staff of Rolling Green Golf Club for their hospitality of the Team Stableford. We would also like to thank sponsors PXG and Skechers for their support.

The Philadelphia PGA tournament calendar will resume starting on Monday, July 22 for the 2-day GALV Lehigh Valley Open at Northampton Country Club.

For more information, visit www.philadelphia.pga.com or follow us on social media by searching PhiladelphiaPGA on: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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HUNTINGDON VALLEY, Pa. – On Monday, July 8, the Philadelphia PGA returned to historic Huntingdon Valley Country Club for the annual William Hyndman III Memorial Classic. The event, which serves as the fifth Omega Player of the Year points event presented by Haverford Trust Co, featured more than 140 Section Professionals. The event also featured a separate tournament for the Section’s Philadelphia Assistants’ Organization (PAO). The PAO event featured 40 players most of which were also competing in the main event.

With intermittent rain showers plaguing the field in the morning wave. Players found it tough to get anything going. For much of the morning wave it looked as the low score would be a number over par as two players found themselves at 1-over (71) at the end of their round.

The first player to reach that number was Bill Walker (Riverton Country Club). After trading birdies and bogeys for much his round, Walker found himself at 1-under through twelve holes. Unfortunately for Walker a couple of late bogeys moved him out of red figures as he finished at 1-over (71). Despite the two late bogeys, Walker still found himself with the solo clubhouse lead. However, that did not last long as Walker was joined at 1-over by Grant Gardiner (Merion Golf Club).

Gardiner got off to a quick start after he birdied his opening hole, the par-4 10^th hole. As he continued his outward nine, Gardiner was unable to get anything else going and he made the turn at 3-over. As he played his back nine, Huntingdon Valley’s front nine, Gardiner was able to right the ship as he posted two birdies against no bogeys to finish with an 18-hole total of 1-over (71), joining Walker for the clubhouse lead.

Unfortunately for both Walker and Gardiner, one player in the morning wave was able to battle through the tough conditions to post a number in red figures. Through fourteen holes, Jamie Gylan (Royal Manchester Golf Links) was sitting at 3-under and was playing a relatively stress-free round. However, Gylan was unable to keep the good luck going and, in the end, carded three bogeys over his final four holes. When all was said and done Gylan posted a 1-under (69) to take the clubhouse lead by two shots.

Players in the afternoon wave were treated to much nicer weather, as the morning rain cleared out and made way to bright sunshine and more than a few players did their best to take advantage of the conditions.

Four players came within one shot of Gylan after they posted scores of even par (70). The first of the group at even par was Ryan Shaughnessy (Bethlehem Golf Club). Shaughnessy carded four birdies, two bogeys and a double to finish at the even par number. He was eventually joined by Peter Clarke (Manufacturers Golf & Country Club). Clarke reach even par after posting five birdies, three bogeys, and one double. The third player to finish even par was Mike Tobiason (Deerfield) who traded three birdies against three bogeys to join the group. The final player to finish at even par was defending champion Greg Matthias (Tavistock Country Club) who finished with four birdies and four bogeys on his round.

After waiting more than four hours, Gylan was eventually joined by past champion Stu Ingraham (M Golf Range) at 1-under (69). Ingraham posted consecutive birdies early in his round but a lone bogey late in the day dropped him back to 1-under and in a tie for the clubhouse lead.

However, when all was said and done, it was a Philadelphia PGA rookie who finished on top of the leaderboard after posting a 3-under (67). Braden Shattuck (Concord Country Club) a former Philadelphia PGA Junior Tour member, started and ended his round with bogeys but it was his play between those holes that helped him earn a two-shot victory, his first Philadelphia PGA points win.

Shattuck started his day with a bogey on the par-4 1^st hole but as he played his outward nine, he managed to put that behind him carding two birdies to make the turn at 1-under. As he played his way back to the clubhouse Shattuck added four additional birdies and was sitting at 5-under as he made his way to the difficult par-3 17^th hole. Unfortunately for Shattuck he was unable to keep his momentum going and he carded his second bogey of the day. The difficulties continued on the 18^th hole as Shattuck once again posted a bogey, his third of the day and in the end finished with a final score of 3-under (67) and a two-shot victory.

“After that hiccup on the first hole I got more aggressive,” says Shattuck. “I was hitting my driver really well off the tee and hitting greens. I feel like I left a lot out there still, as I missed a lot of short putts but other than that I played extremely well on a difficult track, so I am thankful. I wanted to thank all of our sponsors for their support as well as Huntingdon Valley for hosting us today.”

Despite falling just short in the main tournament, Stu Ingraham’s 1-under (70) was good enough for a three-shot victory in the tournament’s senior division. Finishing in solo second place was Brian Kelly (Bucknell Golf Club) who posted a 2-over (72). Terry Hertzog (Country Club of York) was able to grab a third place finish in the division after finishing with a 3-over (73).

Greg Farrow (Deerwood Country Club) led the way in the super-senior division after finishing with a 5-over (75) which was good enough for a one-shot victory in the division.

Shattuck also managed to take home the top prize in the separate PAO tournament after he finished three-shots ahead of the next closest competitors.

The Section would like to thank our tournament sponsors The Hyndman Family, Jack Jolly & Son, Golf Pride, Morell Studios, and the PGA Tour for their support of today’s event. There won’t be much of a layoff before the next Philadelphia PGA tournament as they return to action on Thursday, July 11 for the Pro-Junior Championship at Whitford Country Club.

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Galloway, N.J. – Seaview Resort and Golf Club in Galloway, N.J. once again played host to the Philadelphia PGA and the Pro-Assistant-Pro Championship. The event pairs the highest ranking PGA Professional at a given facility with each of his or her PGA Assistant Professionals in a better ball of partners event. It was the first year where the event was played as a double shotgun format with both rounds being played on the Bay course. Each shotgun was played as a separate event with prizes awarded for each wave.

In the morning wave it was a duo from Pine Valley Golf Club that managed to edge out the rest of the field. The team of David Clark and Tom Cooper combined to shoot an 8-under (63), one shot better than their closest competitors. Starting on the par-4 4^th hole, the pair found themselves 4-under through their first nine holes. After a hiccup on the par-4 14^th hole drop Clark and Cooper back to 3-under, the duo rallied for three additional birdies and an eagle on their closing hole, the par-5 3^rd hole to finish at 8-under.

In the afternoon wave, Jesse Williams and William Scarborough (The Peninsula Golf and Country Club) took home first place prize after posting an impressive, 9-under (62). As a team, Scarborough and Williams carded eleven birdies helping them to overcome some bigger numbers. It was a stretch of seven birdies over eight holes that helped to separate The Peninsula Club pair from the field.  There were three teams tied for second after finishing at 7-under (64). David Cartwright and Jakob Gerney (Trump National Golf Club – Philadelphia) were one of the teams to finish one shot back aided in large part by the 6-under (65) carded by Jacob Gerney on his own golf ball. Also finishing at 7-under was the team of George Forster and Anthony Pigott (Radnor Valley Country Club). The pair had a great round but a lone bogey on the par-4 14^th hole prevented them from joining the leaders at 8-under. Despite a relatively clean card the team of Brett Melton and Ryan Smith (Radley Run Country Club) were not able to match Clark and Cooper and ultimately were the third team to finish tied for second place. Melton posted seven birdies on his own ball helping the team to reach the number.

In second place, was the team of Alex Knoll and Michael Furey (Blue Shamrock Golf Club). Knoll had a total of five birdies on the day, while his partner Furey had four birdies. A couple of bogeys ultimately dropped the team from contention and they finished in solo second place with a team score of 7-under par (64). The teams of Alexander McGann and Tyler Teynor (Seaview Golf Club) as well as Christian Sheehan and Robert Farnham (Lebanon Country Club) tied for third place with a score of 5-under (66).

The Section would like to thank the staff at Seaview Golf Club for their hospitality, as well as our tournament sponsors Cutter & Buck, Golf Max, Golf Genius, and Teesnap for supporting this great event. The next event on the Philadelphia PGA calendar is the William Hyndman III Memorial Classic at Huntingdon Valley Country Club on July 8, 2019.

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Fleetwood, PA. – Moselem Springs Golf Club provided the perfect setting for the 2019 Pro-Scratch Championship. Looking past the humidity on this summer day, conditions were excellent on the 6,740-yard par 70 golf course. The Pro-Scratch Championship features two-man teams consisting of one PGA Professional and one amateur.

Michael Ferguson (Philadelphia Cricket Club) and his playing partner John Brennan got things going in the morning after carding the first of two, 4-under (66) rounds. The pair had a nice opening birdie on the par-4 1^st hole to go 1-under but gave it right back on the 2^ndhole. The duo added five additional birdies against only one additional bogey, on their closing hole, to reach the number leaving themselves at the top of the leaderboard early in the day. Eventually, the team of Pat Butkus (Tavistock Country Club) and Adam Bracy joined Ferguson and Brennan with the second 4-under (66). The two-man team carded three birdies on their outward-nine and two birdies in a row on the back-nine. But like Ferguson and Brennan, the team from Tavistock CC bogeyed the par-4 18^th hole to drop back to 4-under and a tie for first place.

However, playing late in the day, it was the team of Brian Bergstol (Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort) and Jason Wilson who would eventually be crowned the champions. When all was said and done the pair posted an impressive 11-under (59). Bergstol eagled the par-5 7^th hole and capped the round off with four birdies in a row. Wilson contributed just as much providing five birdies of his own on the card. The dup was also the only team in the field to play bogey-free. “You should have seen this round, he was on fire” Bergstol says about Wilson.

The Section would like to thank the membership and staff of Moselem Springs Golf Club for hosting this year’s event. The Philadelphia PGA will be back in action on Monday, July 1 for the Pro-Assistant Pro Championship at Seaview Resort – Bay Course.

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Medford, N.J. – For the first time in more than a decade, the Philadelphia PGA traveled into South Jersey, and Medford Village Country Club, for the 2019 Jack Jolly / Golf Pride Championship. Despite the recent weather that plagued the region, course conditions were impeccable thanks in large part to the maintenance staff at Medford Village Country Club.

The Jack Jolly / Golf Pride Championship is the fourth points event on the Philadelphia PGA calendar and is played as an individual stroke play event. The field featured more than 100 Professionals from across the Section and also included members of the Philadelphia Assistants’ Organization (PAO) who were competing in the PAO event which was held in conjunction with today’s Championship. As a note some PAO members were competing in both of the day’s tournaments.

Philadelphia PGA veteran Mark Sheftic (Merion GC) was the first player to separate himself from the field. Sheftic got off to a fast start birdieing four of his opening nine holes. However, as Sheftic played the inward nine he found some trouble on the par-3 eleventh hole, posting a bogey, and ultimately finishing with a score of 4-under (68).

Not far behind Sheftic was Michael Little (Lookaway GC) who quickly joined Sheftic for the clubhouse lead after posting an identical 4-under (68). Little made the turn at even par after trading one birdie, par-5 fifth hole, and one bogey, par-4 ninth hole. As he played his way back to the clubhouse Little got red hot carding four birdies on the back side, including back-to-back birdies to end his round.

In the afternoon wave Doug Delaney (Union League National GC) made things interesting after posting the third 4-under (68) of the day. Delaney was on cruise control on the front side with nine pars, then took advantage of the back nine posting four birdies over a five-hole stretch.

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However, for all three players at 4-under their dreams of victory would come to an end as Philadelphia PGA rookie, Tom Cooper (Pine Valley GC) carded a sizzling nine birdies, three more than any other player in the field, en route to a tournament best 7-under (65). Cooper posted four birdies against one bogey on the outward nine while adding five additional birdies against only one bogey on the inward nine.

Waiting in the clubhouse, Cooper was watching the leaderboard hoping his score was good enough for his first Section win. “I’ve been hitting the ball really well the past couple weeks. I made an important putt on the par-4 second hole and carried that momentum for the rest of the round,” said Cooper. “I was hitting greens, something you have to do here, and everything was just clicking.” In the end Cooper’s 7-under (65) was good enough for a three-shot victory. Cooper also credits his victory to playing with some great professionals who had pushed him the entire day.

In the senior division, Dave Quinn (Laurel Creek CC) took home the top spot with a score of 3-under (69). Quinn started off his round with a nice birdie on the par-4 first hole while adding two additional birdies on the front nine. Finish in a second-place tie in the senior division were a group of players tied at 2-under (70). The first to reach the number was John Appleget (The Shore Club) who was eventually joined by Bob Lennon (Wilmington CC) and Hugo Mazzalupi (Patriots Glen National GC) out of the afternoon wave.

George Forster (Radnor Valley CC) became victorious again in the super-senior division. Forster had a clean scorecard until the par-4 fifteenth hole where he made his lone bogey to finish with an even par (72). Bill Sautter (Philadelphia Cricket Club) and Don DeAngelis (Spring Ford CC) both finished tied for second place after shooting a 1-over (73).

The Section would like to thank the members and staff of Medford Village Country Club as well as our tournament sponsors, Jack Jolly & Son and Golf Pride Grips. The next event on the Philadelphia PGA calendar is Pro-Scratch Championship on June 27, 2019 at Moselem Springs Golf Club.

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Lancaster, Pa. – The Philadelphia PGA traveled to Conestoga Country Club in the heart of the Amish Country on a day packed with humidity that led to a brief period of rain. The Conestoga CC tested the entire field’s playing ability due to the wet, lush rough which was the result of overnight rain.

To start the day off, Mike Tobiason (Deerfield Golf Club) came into the clubhouse with the first under par score of 1-under (69). Tobiason didn’t have one blemish on his card and capped the day off with a birdie on the par-4 18^th hole.

The driver’s seat was quickly taken over by Eric Kennedy (Overbrook Golf Club). Kennedy started off hot with an eagle on the par-5 1^st hole. He ended up with three more birdies and one bogey to enter the clubhouse as the leader. “I decided to hit driver everywhere after watching the final round of the U.S. Open last night,” said Kennedy. The announcers planted a seed in Kennedy’s head prompting him to play aggressive and not to lay back.

Just a few groups back was the low man of the day. John Pillar (Country Club of Woodloch Springs) carded a 6-under (64). Pillar had a near perfect round with seven birdies and a lone bogey that came on the par-3 5^th hole. He navigated around the 6,400-yard-long golf course with no goal in mind. “I came into this event with no expectations. Having a busy week left me with little time to focus on the state of my game,” Pillar said. “My game plan was to just keep the ball in front of me and hit fairways.” Pillar also gives credit to playing with Brian Kelly and Eddie Perrino, two guys he is comfortable with and able to keep things light on the course.

The rest of the field chased Pillar and when a brief rain shower dampened the greens and allowed players to attack more holes, Pat Butkus (Tavistock Country Club) gave Pillar a scare with another 4-under (66). Butkus made four birdies to end his round without a blemish on his card. Playing with Pillar, Brian Kelly (Bucknell Golf Club) shot a 3-under (67). Kelly started the day with six straight pars and mixed in four birdies and one bogey.

Pillar also led the way in the tournament’s senior division with his 6-under (64). Brian Kelly (Bucknell Golf Club) finished in second in this division with a 3-under (67). Stu Ingraham took home third place with a 2-under (68).

The Conestoga Classic also featured a super senior division. Finishing in the top spot in the super senior division was Bill Sautter (Philadelphia Cricket Club). Sautter carded a 1-over (71) to finish two shots clear of division runner-up Don DeAngelis (Spring Ford Country Club). George Foster (Radnor Valley Country Club) and Gary Hardin (Northampton Country Club) both shot 4-over (74) to tie for third place.

The Philadelphia Assistants’ Organization (PAO) event came down to a playoff. Brian Bergstol (Shawnee Inn & GC) and Parks Price (CC of York) were the only two of the seven tied at 1-under par 69 who were still there at the end of regulation play. Both went back on the course in a sudden-death playoff. It took three extra holes to settle things as Bergstol finally prevailed.

The Section would like to thank the members and staff of Conestoga Country Club for hosting our event as well as our tournament sponsors, Golf Max, Morell Studios and the PGA Tour.

The Philadelphia PGA will return to action on Monday, June 24 at Medford Village Country Club for the Jack Jolly/Golf Pride Championship.

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