Stewart. Steinmetz share top spot at Doylestown Open

   The Philadelphia Section PGA staged the Doylestown Open Friday at Doylestown Country Club.

   What I do know is that Billy Stewart, an assistant pro at The ACE Club coming off a playoff victory in the Philadelphia Open at St. Davids Golf Club a week earlier, and Spring-Ford Country Club head pro Rich Steinmetz came on strong on the back nine of the 6,550-yard, par-72 Doylestown layout to shoot matching 4-under 68s.

   Not sure if there were plans to break the tie with a playoff. The evening thunderstorm that crossed the area Friday might have prevented a playoff from happening.

   Bottom line, though, is two of the Philadelphia Section’s top players topped the field. And both overcame slow starts to do it.

   Billy the Kid, who starred scholastically at Malvern Prep and collegiately at Saint Joseph’s, was 2-over after making a double bogey at the sixth when he found his groove.

   Stewart made birdies at eight, 10 and 11 to get back into red figures at 1-under. Then he made eagle at the par-5 14^th and finished up a 5-under back-nine 31 with a birdie at the last.

   Steinmetz, a product of the golf programs at Perkiomen Valley and Temple, was also 2-over after making bogeys at the fourth and sixth holes. He quickly got it back to even-par with back-to-back birdies at the seventh and eighth holes. Birdies on the incoming nine at 11, 14, 16 and 18 enabled Steinmetz to post a 4-under 32 and match Stewart’s 68.

   Stewart and Steinmetz both represented the Philadelphia Section in last month’s PGA Professional Championship at the Bayonet and Black Horse Courses on northern California’s Monterey Peninsula. Stewart made the 54-hole cut on the number and finished tied for 69^th while Steinmetz failed to make the 36-hole cut, although he has twice emerged from the National Club Pro with a ticket to the PGA Championship in his career.

   Stu Ingraham, the head of instruction at the M Golf Range in Newtown Square, had five birdies on his card as he shared third place with Mike Tobiason of Deerfield Golf Club at 3-under 69. Ingraham is the Section’s reigning eight-time Robert “Skee” Riegel Senior Player of the Year.

   Alex Knoll, an assistant pro at Bethlehem Golf Club, shared fifth place with Overbrook Golf Club head pro Eric Kennedy, each carding a 2-under 70. Knoll, like Stewart, played four rounds in the PGA Professional Championship, finishing tied for 49^th at Bayonet and Black Horse.

   John Spina, a teaching pro at Philadelphia Cricket Club, and John DiMarco, the head pro at Laurel Creek Country Club finished tied for seventh, each posting a 1-under 71.

   Jason Calhoun, the head coach of the men’s golf team at Penn, finished alone in ninth at even-par 72.

   Rounding out the top 10 were six players tied for 10^th at 1-over 73, including Eric McNamee of Golf Galaxy Montgomery, Lookaway Golf Club assistant pro Michael Little, Gary Hardin of host club Northampton Country Club, Vincent Kabaso of Ramblewood Country Club, Ryan McLean of Saucon Valley Country Club and low amateur Russel Hartung, who starred scholastically at Central Bucks East and played collegiately at Temple.