Mark Sheftic, the head of instruction at Merion Golf Club
and a pretty good player in his own right, was having trouble with his putting.
Rounds of 79 and 75 in the PGA Professional Championship at
Belfair in Bluffton, S.C. in late April left him well south of the cut line. It
didn’t get any better when he got back home.
So, he reached for an old friend, his long putter. The long
putter itself wasn’t banned when the rules on anchoring were changed a few
years ago. You just couldn’t anchor it on your body anymore. Quite a few
players have found success with their old long putters with an altered stance
or grip. You can count Sheftic in that group.
Just about everything Sheftic looked at went in as he fired
a scintillating 9-under-par 61 in the opening round of the 34th
Burlington County Classic & Pro-Am, presented by WSFS Bank, Sunday at
Burlington Country Club in Westampton, N.J.
Sheftic wasn’t quite as hot in Monday’s second round and
much chillier temperatures and a gusty wind made the Burlington layout play
considerably tougher. But he overcame a double bogey on the first hole to post
a 2-under 68 and cruised to a six-shot victory in the Philadelphia Section PGA event
with an 11-under 129 total.
“To be honest, I hadn’t been playing my best coming into
this tournament,” Sheftic told the Philadelphia Section PGA website. “I had
been struggling with my putting while I was at the PGA Professional
Championship and decided to go with a new putter this week.
“At the last minute, I grabbed my old long putter and it
worked great and I felt very comfortable with it the last two days. I think
that was the difference for me, the confidence it gave me on the greens.”
Sheftic was unconscious on Burlington’s front nine in
Sunday’s opening round as he ripped off four straight birdies at the second,
third, fourth and fifth holes, then added two more at the seventh and ninth
holes for a 6-under 29 on the outgoing nine. A birdie on the 10th
hole and an eagle at the par-5 14th hole enabled him to finish with
a 61.
Lookaway Golf Club assistant pro Michael Little and Jakob
Gerney out of the Trump National Golf Club pro shop were only two shots behind
as they each fired a sparkling 7-under 63.
Some severe weather came in late in the day Sunday, forcing
some groups to complete their rounds Monday morning.
But nobody was able to make up any ground on Sheftic, who
got the two shots back he lost with the double bogey on the first hole with
birdies at the eighth and ninth holes before adding birdies at the 11th
and 14th holes on the incoming nine.
It was Sheftic’s third victory in the Burlington County
Classic, having captured the title in 2013 and 2016. He joined Gene Fieger, who
took the crown in 1991, ’92 and ’99, and six-time champion Rob Shuey, the
winner in 1994, ’96, ’97, ’02, ’07 and ’08, as the only three-time winners of
the event.
Little posted a 2-over 72 and shared second place with Brian
Bergstol, the talented assistant pro at the Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort, at
5-under 135. Bergstol added a 1-under 69 to his opening round of 4-under 66.
Zac Oakley out of the Bidermann Golf Club pro shop and
Overbrook Golf Club assistant pro Trevor Bensel finished in a tie for fourth at
3-under 137. Oakley matched par in the second round with a 70 after opening
with a 3-under 67 while Bensel, who surged into contention with an opening
round of 6-under 64, closed with a 3-over 73.
John Pillar, the director of golf at the Country Club at
Woodloch Springs, headed a group of five players tied for sixth at 2-under 138.
Pillar was one of the few players to improve in the second round as he shaved
two shots off his opening-round 70 with a 2-under 68.
Also in that group was Braden Shattuck, an assistant in Mike
Moses’ pro shop at Concord Country Club whose high school career at Sun Valley I
chronicled in the Delaware County Daily Times. Shattuck matched par in
the second round with a 70 after opening with a 2-under 68.
Rounding out the fivesome at 138 were Chris Krueger of Kings
Creek Country Club, Stephen Sieracki of Woodcrest Country Club and Chris Miller
of the Scranton Golf Center. Krueger opened with a 65, but fell back with a
3-over 73. Sieracki opened with a 67 before adding a 1-over 71 and Miller
matched par in the second round with a 70 after opening with a 68.
Trump National’s Gerney couldn’t match the opening-round
magic he had in firing a 63, adding a 76 in the second round that left him
among four players tied for 11th at 1-under 139.
Also in that group was the Philadelphia Section PGA’s
reigning Robert “Skee” Riegel Senior Player of the Year, Applebrook Golf Club
head pro Dave McNabb, who opened with a 5-under 65 before backing off with a 74
in the second round.
McNabb and Bucknell Golf Club pro Brian Kelly represented
the Philadelphia Section PGA in the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship over the
Memorial Day weekend at Oak Hill Country Club’s East Course in Pittsford, N.Y.
McNabb finished two shots outside the cut line as he opened
with a solid 4-over 74 before adding a 77 for an 11-over 151 total. Kelly
opened with a 78 before adding a 76 as he also failed to make the cut.
Stu Ingraham, the head of instruction at the M Golf Range in
Newtown Square, was also in the group at 139. Ingraham, who had his streak of
eight straight Robert “Skee” Riegel Senior Player of the Year seasons snapped
by McNabb, opened with a 4-under 66 before adding a 3-over 73.
Rounding out the foursome tied for 11th at 139
was Mike Paukovits of St. Davids Golf Club. Like Ingraham, Paukovits opened
with a 66 before falling back with a 73 in the second round.
Pillar edged McNabb and Ingraham for top honors in the
senior division.
Don DeAngelis of Spring-Ford Country Club bested the field
of super-senior competitors as he added a 1-over 71 to his opening-round 68 for
a 1-under 139 total.
Rick Fleisher, playing out of the Applebrook pro shop, was
nine shots behind DeAngelis in second place at 8-over 148. Fleisher added a 76
to his opening round of 2-over 72. Radnor Valley Country Club head pro George
Forster was a shot behind Fleisher in third place at 9-over 149 after adding a
78 to his opening round of 1-over 71.
Scott Magee claimed the Marotto Medal that goes to the low
amateur as he added a 78 to a solid opening round of 1-under 69 for a 7-over
147 total.
The award honors the memory of Ron Marotto, a Burlington
Country Club member who was a key player on the Burlington County Classic &
Pro-Am committee for many years.
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