Doylestown, Pa. (July 28, 2022) —PGA Member Kyle Early of Waynesborough Country Club, turned in a 5-under-par 67 at Doylestown Country Club to secure his first Philadelphia PGA Section victory at the 2023 Doylestown Open.

Early finished tied with PGA Member Terry Hatch, who was unavailable to compete in a playoff. It was Early’s seven birdies, including on his final hole of the day, No. 9, which led him to capture his first Philadelphia PGA Section victory. Terry Hatch, Royal Oaks G.C., finished in second at 5-under-par, followed by four PGA Professionals who tied third at 4-under par.

Early is on a heater with PAO, following up his win last week at the Hyndman Classic, with a victory today.

“It’s pretty exciting and a really great feeling,” Early said in discussing the emotions surrounding winning his first-ever Section event. “I had an eagle putt on the final hole, which I knew would put me close to the lead. I missed it on a lip out but had a tap in for birdie to finish out which was awesome.”

He went on to thank Doylestown Country Club members and staff, including host professional and Philadelphia PGA Section President Patrick Shine. He also thanked Waynesborough C.C. for letting him compete in the event, the Philadelphia PGA Section staff for organizing the event, and Silvercrest.

The event is a Philadelphia PGA Rolex / The Haverford Trust Company Player of the Year tournament and the fourth and final Silvercrest Cup qualifier of the year. Returning for the second year, the Silvercrest Cup series will include four qualifying events for Philadelphia PGA Professionals, and will culminate in a $30,000 Silvercrest Cup final, hosted at Applebrook Golf Club in Malvern, Pa. For more information on the season-long race to the Silvercrest Cup, click here. In addition to receiving the winner’s share of the purse, Early also took home an additional $2,500 from the Silvercrest Cup qualifier bonus pool.

A highlight from the event came in the form of a double eagle from PGA Professional Dave Pagett of Whitemarsh Valley C.C. Pagett holed out a 3-wood from 245 yards on the par 5, 14th hole. Well done, Dave!

PGA Member Terry Hatch finished atop the Senior Division, bettering Eric Kennedy, Overbrook G.C., by one stroke. In third place, Don Allan, Burlington C.C., finished 3-under-par, followed by Rich Steinmetz, Springford C.C., who finished 1-under-par.

PGA Member Don Allan took top honors in the Super Senior Division with an impressive 3-under-par, 69. PGA Life Member Brian Kelly and Greg Farrow, Deerwood C.C., finished tied for second at even-par, followed by John Allen, Squires G.C., in fourth, and John DiMarco, The Legacy Club at Woodcrest, rounding out the top five in the division.

Amateur Neil Gordon of Doylestown C.C. bettered Ryan Rigby of Doylestown C.C. by seven strokes in the Amateur Division.

In the race for Women’s Player of the Year,  Julianna Lee of Country Club of York, finished at 4-over-par, 76, followed by Tessa Teachman of Aronimink G.C.
The Philadelphia Assistants’ Organization (PAO) held an event concurrently with the Doylestown Open, with Kyle Early, Waynesborough C.C., taking the title, finishing with a stellar 5-under par, 67. PGA professionals Trevor Bensel, Sandy Run C.C., Brian Bergstol, Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort, Alex Knoll, Glen Brook G.C., finished tied second at 4-under par.
To view the full 2023 Doylestown Open leaderboard, click here.
The 2023 Doylestown Open is supported by Jani King, KM Golf Sales, L2 Brands, Ohana Farm LLC, PGA Tour, Stracka Line, and Silvercrest. The Philadelphia PGA Section and its PGA Professionals thank our host, Doylestown Country Club, their members, management, host PGA Professionals, and staff, as well as our partners, as the event would not have been possible without their support.— Kayla Gutierrez

The next Philadelphia PGA Rolex / The Haverford Trust Company Player of the Year tournament on the schedule is the 47th Pro-Am for Wishes at Penn Oaks Golf Club in West Chester, Pa., Sunday, August 6 – Monday, August 7, 2023.

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.
Contacts: 
Matt Frey, PGA, Communications Director, mfrey@pgahq.com
Kayla Gutierrez, Communications Intern, kgutierrez@pgahq.com