Lower Gwynedd, Pa. (August 23, 2019) – On a warm and humid summer day, eight PGA Junior League All-Star teams from across the Philadelphia Section gathered at Cedarbrook Country Club in Blue Bell, Pa., to compete in the PGA Jr. League Philadelphia Section Championship presented by National Car Rental. Teams earned their spots in the Championship by winning one of four qualifying spots in the two Divisional Qualifiers (West Qualifier – Out Door CC & East Qualifier – Penn Oaks GC) that were played in the weeks leading up to the Section Championship on August 19.

In the Championship’s first matches, teams from the East Qualifier (HVCC 1 vs Jersey Shore and Radnor vs North Philly 2) played the front nine (holes 1-9) at Cedarbrook Country Club while teams from the West Qualifier (Penn State vs Scranton and Lancaster vs Phoenixville) played the back nine (holes 10-18). At the end of the morning matches, HVCC 1 advanced after winning 8.5 to 3.5 over the team from the Jersey Shore league and Radnor advanced after posting 10 points to North Philly 2’s 2 points. In the West side of the bracket, Penn State moved on to the semifinals by winning 10 points to 2 points over Scranton and Lancaster advanced by beating Phoenixville 8 to 4.

As play moved to the afternoon and the semifinal matches, the four remaining teams switched sides of the golf courses giving each team a new look at Cedarbrook. Throughout the semifinal matches the four remaining teams should a lot of grit but in the end advancing through the East bracket was the HVCC 1 league after they beat the Radnor all-stars 8.5 to 3.5. In the West bracket the all-stars from Penn State found themselves in the Championship match for a third consecutive year after they outlasted the team from Lancaster earning 7.5 of the 12 available points.

After storms delayed the start of the Championship match, the teams from Penn State and HVCC finally got on the course at 4:00 pm. As the teams played their third match of the day, they were battling more than just their opponents, they were also battling exhaustion after playing golf in the 90-degree temperature all day. However, both team put forth a valiant effort but, in the end, it was the all-star team from Penn State that came out on top besting the team from HVCC 9 to 3.

The Penn State team will now travel to the Region 2 Championship where they will play for one of 12 spots in the 2019 PGA Jr. League Championship presented by National Car Rental at Grayhawk Golf Club (Scottsdale, Arizona) Oct. 11-14. This year’s Region 2 Championship is scheduled to be played on September 14-15, 2019 at Seaview Golf Club in Galloway, NJ and in addition to the Philadelphia Section PGA will feature teams from the Central New York Section PGA, Metropolitan Section PGA and the New Jersey Section PGA.

Led by coach Steve Wager, PGA the PGA Junior League All-Star team from the Penn State League was comprised of Isaak Bloom (Bellefonte. Pa.), AJ Corson (State College, Pa.), Crosby Denis Duncansville, Pa.), JP Hay (State College, Pa.), Luke McGraw (Boalsburg, Pa.), Nate Price (State College, Pa.), Kevin Stolberg (State College, Pa.), Brady Wager (State College, Pa.), Maxwell Wager (State College, Pa.), Reese Walizer (Mill Hall, Pa.).

The PGA Jr. League Postseason presented by National Car Rental is designed to celebrate the recreational spring/summer season held in March through July, as well as provide a fun and welcoming environment for the 19 percent of PGA Jr. League players who identify as competitive golfers. Following the regular season, 10-player All-Star teams were formed from a combination of players in each local league.

PGA Jr. League brings friends and families together around fun, co-ed team golf experiences, all with expert coaching and instruction from PGA and LPGA Professionals. Kids wear numbered jerseys and play on teams with friends, using a scramble format for competition that encourages mentorship and promotes sportsmanship. A record 50,000 boys and girls participated in PGA Jr. League last year, growing from 42,000 players in 2017. For more information on PGA Jr. League, visit PGAJrLeague.com.

As the Official Partner of PGA Jr. League, National Car Rental is committed to growing future business leaders by growing junior golf. National Car Rental helps provide fun, engaging and welcoming experiences for PGA Jr. League golfers and their families all season and postseason long.