Oakley Goes Low to Win Delaware Valley Open at Radley Run CC
West Chester, PA – Nearly four months after it’s originally scheduled date, the Delaware Valley Open (DVO) was finally contested at Radley Run Country Club on Monday, September 23rd. With a field consisting of nearly 80 players from across the Philadelphia Section PGA everyone was excited to play in the beautiful, albeit warm, weather for the first day of fall.
Host professional Brett Melton (Radley Run CC) was in the first pairing of the day and posted the score to beat with a 3-under (69). Melton’s card had 3 birdies and an eagle 2 on the par 4-15th hole, but two bogies would come back to haunt him later in the day. He managed to stay on top of the leaderboard for most of the day, with those coming close falling short by one or two shots. Zac Oakley (Bidermann Golf Course), finally knocked him from the top with a 4-under (68). Oakley started off slow carding a bogey on his second hole, but quickly followed with two birdies, making the turn at 1-under. His back nine was bogey free and he added three more birdies to his total reach his 4-under par. With only a few more groups to finish, no one else got close to Oakley’s 4-under.
According to Oakley; “I started out the day slow, but by mid-round I was able to get used to the green speeds. I felt like I struck the ball decent the whole round, but I was able to make a lot of my putts on the back nine, which helped. I finished my round with a birdie on 18 which, it turned out, I needed. The course was in great shape, and it is always fun playing with my college teammate Will Scarborough (Peninsula G&CC).”
A pair of players shared the top spot in the tournament’s Senior Division, Dave Quinn (Laurel Creek CC) and Stu Ingraham (M Golf Range) both carded 2-under (70). Quinn card had five birdies, two on the front and three more on the back, but had three bogies, the last one coming on the 18th hole for his 70. Ingraham’s scorecard had four birdies, one on the front, and three on the back, but he had two bogies with his final one also coming on the 18th. Mike Moses (Concord CC) finished in third two shots back at even par 72.
The PAO (Player’s Assistant Organization) also joined in, with twenty-four of their group playing in both events. Since Zac is also a PAO member, he took home first in both events. Jeff Herb (Waynesborough CC) came in second with a 2-under par 70, followed by Alex Knoll (Glen Brook GC) and Mike Little (Lookaway GC), both at 1-under par 71.
The Section would like to thank our tournament sponsors Jack Jolly & Son, Golf Pride Grips, Morell Studios, Mizuno, and PGA Tour as well as the membership and staff of Radley Run Country Club. The Philadelphia PGA returns to action on Thursday, September 26 for the A.B. Thorn Memorial Pro-Am at Lancaster Country Club. For complete coverage of the Philadelphia PGA be sure to follow us on our Social Media Channels Facebook / Twitter / Instagram.
