West Chester, Pa. (May 3, 2021) — Philadelphia PGA Member Mark Anderson, St. Davids G.C., won the 2021 Philadelphia PGA Delaware Valley Open in dramatic fashion, scoring an eagle on the first playoff hole at Concord Country Club.

Anderson was first in the clubhouse with a 3-under-par 67, and was matched by defending champion Trevor Bensel, Overbrook G.C; and Chris Krueger, Kings Creek C.C. As daylight waned and a period of heavy rain moved through the golf course, the threesome teed off on the 520-yard par-5 18th hole for a sudden death playoff.

In what he described as the best shot of his life, Anderson hit his approach from 230 yards with a 5-wood, and not only hit the green, but nearly holed it for an albatross, lipping out. His golf ball finished less than three feet away, leaving a relatively stress-free eagle putt, which he holed, securing him the victory. Making Anderson’s win even more special, his son Ryan was on his bag as a caddie. This was Anderson’s second Philadelphia PGA Section stroke play win, and his first-ever Philadelphia PGA Rolex Player of the Year tournament victory.

Anderson’s 3-under-par 67 allowed him to take the Senior Division by two strokes, bettering five PGA Professionals: Dave McNabb, Applebrook G.C.; Hugo Mazzalupi, Patriots Glen National G.C.; Brian Kelly, Bucknell G.C.; Dave Quinn, Laurel Creek C.C.; and Brendan Post, Univ. of Delaware. Kelly won the Super Senior Division by two strokes over Bill Sautter, Philadelphia Cricket Club.

Bensel won the Philadelphia Assistants’ Organization (PAO) event by one stroke over Andrew Turner, while Noah Firestone, Galloway National G.C., finished third at even-par.

The next Philadelphia PGA Rolex Player of the Year tournament on the schedule is the TaylorMade Classic on May 17 at French Creek G.C.

To view the full 2021 Delaware Valley Open Championship leaderboard, click here. To view photos from the tournament, click here.

The 2021 Philadelphia PGA Delaware Valley Open, a Rolex Player of the Year event, is supported by Jack Jolly & Son, Ohana Farm LLC, Mizuno, Jani-King, Kevin McClellan Golf Sales, and Rolex. The Philadelphia PGA Section and its PGA Professionals thank Concord C.C., its membership, management, 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.

Contact: Matt Frey, PGA, Communications Director, mfrey@pgahq.com

Philadelphia PGA Member and Sunnybrook Golf Club PGA Assistant Professional Brett Walker finished tied for 10th place in the 2021 PGA Professional Championship at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla., to qualify for the 2021 PGA Championship. Walker will join 19 other PGA Club Professionals to play in his first major championship at The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in May. Congratulations, Brett! Keep up the great play!

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (April 28, 2021) 一 Omar Uresti of Austin, Texas, who won the 2021 PGA Professional Championship on Wednesday, will lead the Team of 20 PGA Professionals to the 2021 PGA Championship, May 20-23, at The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island (South Carolina) Golf Resort.

A 52-year-old PGA Life Member, Uresti will be playing in the PGA Championship for the fifth time, but first since a four-year run from 2015-18.

Danny Balin of Rockville, Maryland, and Rob Labritz of Pound Ridge, New York, will be the most experienced of the 20 PGA Professionals at Kiawah Island. Both will be participating in their eighth career PGA Championship. Balin will be making his fourth straight appearance, while Labritz will appear in his third consecutive PGA Championship.

Frank Bensel, Jr., a PGA Assistant Professional from Purchase, New York, will be making his third career PGA Championship appearance in as many decades (2004, 2012, 2021).

Balin and Bensel were both in the PGA Championship field in 2012, when it was last played at The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort.

Mark Geddes of Coronado, California; Greg Koch of Orlando, Florida; Patrick Rada of Jupiter, Florida; and PGA Life Member Sonny Skinner of Sylvester, Georgia, claimed the final four PGA Championship spots available this week as they emerged from a five-players-for-four-spots playoff.

Ten of the 20 PGA Club Professionals at The Ocean Course in May will be making their PGA Championship debuts, while four others return for consecutive trips after playing in last year’s PGA Championship at Harding Park (California).

The Philadelphia PGA Section, in coordination with its Women’s Committee, is proud to introduce its Women’s Series, a new initiative for 2021 designed to encourage networking and camaraderie among women PGA Professionals in the Section.

Each event will feature nine holes of golf and a post-round reception with food & beverage. The events are open to all women PGA Members, Associates, and Students and LPGA members; women amateurs are also invited to participate in select Women’s Series events.

The first four events have been scheduled and the Section is looking to add more events as the season progresses. To register, follow the below links. If you are interested in hosting a Women’s Series event at your facility, please contact Leila Mackie, PGA, at lmackie@pgahq.com.

The 2021 Philadelphia PGA Section tournament schedule has been released and will open for registration at 9 a.m. ET on Monday, February 15 by clicking here.  The calendar is highlighted by the 100th Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship at Aronimink Golf Club and Applebrook Golf Club on Monday, August 30 – Wednesday, September 1, 2021.  Most tournaments will be open for registration this Monday (2/15) and a couple more events will be added to the calendar as event dates are finalized.

The Tournament Committee has been hard at work this off season as they are always looking to find ways to improve our tournament program year after year.  To view updates on the information listed below, please click here.

• COVID-19 event protocols (more info to follow)
• New events, new formats and a new withdrawal policy
• New Philadelphia Players Championship eligibility
• New Senior and Super Senior Scoring Average
• New PAO combined event

Online Registration is also open for Philadelphia PGA Section Membership Programs listed below by clicking here:

• Tournament Players Division (TPD) membership (fees increase $25 on 4/1/21)
• Hole-in-One Club
• Philadelphia Assistants’ Organization (PAO) membership
• Central Counties Chapter (CCC) membership
• CCC Hole-in-One Club

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.