Blue Bell, Pa. (August 17, 2021) — Dodging rain showers, the team from Penn State won the National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Philadelphia Section Championship at Blue Bell Country Club, securing their spot in the Regional Championship next month.

Penn State won the championship match play round for 13u (boys and girls ages 10-13) against Radnor No. 1 with a score of 7.5 points to 4.5 points. Penn State beat the West Chester No. 2 team in the semi-finals, 8.5 to 4.5. The winning team is led by PGA Professional Steve Wager of Penn State University G.C. and includes eight All-Star players: Luke McGraw, Roman Italia, Brady Wager, Reese Walizer, Crosby Dennis, Charlie Ladrido, Kasha Stolberg, and Luke Ladrido.

The runner-up team, led by PGA Professional David Zimmaro, Overbrook G.C., included All-Stars Lannon Boyd, Elayna Fanelli, Kiersten Bodge, Luke Herrell, Liam McFadden, Jackson Corbett, Noah Brand, and Jimmy Warmkessel. The Radnor 1 team defeated Delaware No. 2 in the semi-finals via a scorecard playoff.

The team from Delaware won the 17u Division (stroke play) against Pine Hill No. 1 with an aggregate team score of 65 to 76. Their team was led by PGA Life Member Bob Rementer and includes All-Stars Matt Reeed, Evan Gebhart, Joey Crissman, Reagan Garnsey, Grayson Lewis, and Kayla Brosius.

Section Championships (and their Qualifiers) are the first of three phases in the National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Championship Season, which highlights the aspirational nature of competition celebrated in a way unique to PGA Jr. League.

“We’re thrilled to bring the National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Philadelphia Section Championship Championship to Blue Bell this year,” said Leila Mackie, PGA REACH Philadelphia Director. “Ushering in the National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Championship Season by welcoming our local All-Star teams, coaches and families to Blue Bell for an exciting day is always fun for our PGA Section.”

Following recreational play in the spring and summer, hundreds of 13u All-Star teams and new in 2021, 17u All-Star teams, are formed from a combination of players from each league. Section Champions from both age divisions advance to the Regional stage of competition at one of 12 sites in September. Ultimately, 12, 13u Regional champions will vie for the title at the National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, Oct. 7-10, to be broadcast live on select ESPN networks.

The teams from Penn State will play in the National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Regional Championship on September 3-5 at Teugega Country Club in Rome, N.Y.

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. Boys and girls ages 17 and under learn and play golf on teams, wear numbered jerseys and receive expert coaching from PGA Professionals.

In 2020, PGA Jr. League led the development of responsible Back2Golf guidelines amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing nearly 1,700 PGA Professional Captains to coach nearly 37,000 kids through healthy team golf experiences. Additionally, PGA REACH helped award nearly 2,500 scholarships last year to players from active military families or with extenuating financial circumstances. The Championship Season was cancelled in 2020 to prioritize well-being and minimize travel for participants.

National Car Rental was named the inaugural title partner of the Championship Season in February. PGA Jr. League’s biggest corporate partner since 2018, as well as an Official Partner and the Official Rental Car of the PGA of America since 2012, National’s new title partnership aims to continue fueling meaningful growth of PGA Jr. League and supporting the program’s endeavors to welcome more kids to the game.

About PGA REACH Philadelphia 
PGA REACH Philadelphia is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2018 as the charitable arm of the Philadelphia PGA Section, one of the 41 Sections within the PGA of America. PGA REACH Philadelphia is committed to serving our communities and growing the game of golf through our three pillars: Youth, Military, and Diversity.

For more information on PGA REACH Philadelphia and its mission to positively impact lives through golf, visit PGAREACHPhiladelphia.com. To donate to PGA REACH Philadelphia, please click here.

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, mfrey@pgahq.com