Wilmington, Del. (March 27, 2023) — The Philadelphia PGA Section officially kicked off its PGA Professional tournament season following the conclusion of its 2023 Spring Membership Meeting at DuPont Country Club.

Approximately 200 PGA Professionals gathered at DuPont to conduct the Section’s official business. PGA of America President John Lindert, C.C. of Lansing; travelled to the Section to participate in a town hall with Section President Patrick Shine, Doylestown C.C.; PGA District 2 Director John Pillar, C.C. at Woodloch Springs; and Incoming District 2 Director David Reasoner, Ridgewood C.C. The group discussed PGA Professional recruiting and compensation, work-life balance, and much more.

The Section also formally announced its new Bud Jennings PGA Golf Management Scholarship. The scholarship was developed by the Jennings family to honor Bud Jennings, a lifelong golfer and longtime Chester Valley Golf Club member. Given Bud’s love for the game of golf, and his willingness to give back and help others, the Jennings family says that this award is the perfect way to remember his legacy. The scholarship will be awarded annually to both one male and one female Philadelphia PGA Associate aspiring to be elected to PGA Membership. Scholarship recipients will possess the skills, drive, and character it takes to become a first-class PGA Member. Chris and Kathryn Jennings joined the meeting for the announcement to honor Bud. To learn more about the scholarship, click here.

Section Past President Mike Cole, Rock Manor G.C., spoke to honor late Section Past President, Section Hall of Fame Member, and 1989 Section Golf Professional of the Year George McNamara. McNamara, who passed away in June 2022, was a friend to many, but his most lasting legacy may be the securement of our Section’s homesite. He helped to establish a finance committee, which created our restricted reserve fund, which ultimately allowed our Section to purchase its current headquarters. In remembrance of George, we will be installing a sign at our homesite paying homage to George’s dream, foresight, and leadership. Mr. McNamara’s wife, Nancy, was in attendance for the presentation.

Director of Section Affairs Dustin McCormick honored the Section’s 2022 awards class, headlined by Golf Professional of the Year Mike Wood, Saucon Valley C.C. To learn more about the Section’s award recipients, click here.

Following the conclusion of the meeting, a field of 132 PGA Professionals teed it up in a two-person scramble on DuPont’s Championship Course and neighboring Hartefeld National, with PGA Members Parks Price, C.C. of York; and Brian Bergstol, Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort; teaming to win at DuPont; Mark Parson, Harbor Pines G.C.; and Ben Debski, Springhaven Club; tied for the top spot at Hartefeld with Sunnybrook G.C.’s Mark Sheftic and Robert Fenton. The Price-Bergstol team finished at 15-under-par to win by five strokes over a trio of teams. The winners at Hartefeld finished with a team score of 11-under-par, good enough for a two-stoke victory.

To view the full 2023 Spring Meeting Golf Event leaderboard, click here.

The 2022 Philadelphia PGA Fall Membership Meeting is supported by Evolve Golf, Levelwear, Precision Pro Golf, Signature Golf, StickX, and Skoni. The Philadelphia PGA Section and its PGA Professionals thank our hosts, DuPont Country Club, and Hartefeld National, their members, management, host PGA Professionals, and staff, as well as our partners, as the event would not have been possible without their support.

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.