Isaiah Logue won the PIAA Class AA Championship back to back
in 2012 and 2013 at Fairfield.
But after his college career at Liberty, Logue was
struggling enough that he spent nine months away from the game in 2018. He
rededicated himself to the game this year, playing The G Pro Tour, a Georgia
mini-tour and earning a victory.
After firing a 3-under-par 68 at Waynesborough Country Club
in Easttown Township Tuesday, Logue is on the verge of another statewide
victory, a win in the 103rd Pennsylvania Open, presented by LECOM.
Logue’s solid round got him to 4-under 138 through two
rounds and gave him a share of first place with one of the Philadelphia Section
PGA’s top assistant pros, Brian Bergstol of the Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort.
Bergstol carded a second straight 2-under 69 to join Logue at 138.
Logue started on the back nine Tuesday and got off to a good
start with birdies at the 13th and 15th holes. He fell
back to even-par for the day with bogeys at the first and fifth holes, but
righted the ship by making birdies at three of his last four holes, the sixth,
seventh and ninth.
A win in the Pennsylvania Open would validate Logue’s
decision to keep plugging away at a pro career.
“It’d be nice to get a big check this week and a trophy as
well,” Logue told the Pennsylvania Golf Association (PAGA) website.
Logue will face a battle for that top prize of $8,000 from
Bergstol, among others.
Bergstol got off to a fast start with birdies at the first
and second holes, but he gave those shots back with bogeys at the eighth and
ninth holes. He got it back to 2-under for the round with birdies at the 12th
and 14th holes. After making a bogey at the 16th hole,
Bergstol made his fifth birdie of the day at the 17th hole to get it
in under 70 for the second day in a row.
“Yeah, it was frustrating because I definitely felt like I
left a few out there today,” Bergstol told the PAGA website. “But I’m happy
with where I’m at, all things considered.”
Craig Hornberger, the 2012 PIAA Class AAA champion as a
senior at Manheim Township, and Cole Willcox, who is in the process of having
his amateur status reinstated, are tied for third at 3-under 139, a shot behind
Logue and Bergstol.
Hornberger, who played college golf at Campbell, was in
contention through two rounds in the Pennsylvania Open at his home course
growing up, Lancaster Country Club, a year ago before falling back in the final
round. He added a 1-under 70 to his opening-round 69.
Willcox, who was a scholastic standout at Malvern Prep and
played college golf at Virginia, held the lead after an opening round of
4-under 67. But he fell back a little with a 1-over 72 to get a share of third
place with Hornberger.
Harvard sophomore Brian Isztwan, one of the Inter-Ac
League’s top players during his scholastic career at Penn Charter, is the only
amateur in the top 10 as he added an even-par 71 to his opening round of
2-under 69 and was alone in fifth place at even-par 140.
Isztwan, who plays out of Huntingdon Valley Country Club,
offset four bogeys with four birdies to stay in the hunt for a Pennsylvania
Open victory.
“The course definitely played much softer today,” Isztwan
told the PAGA website. “On No. 9 (Monday), I had 105 yards in for my approach
and (Tuesday) I had 166 after hitting the same club off the tee.”
Kevin Shields, an instructor at The Club at Nevillewood, and
Jason Martin, the head pro at Sunnehanna Country Club near Johnstown, were
another shot behind Isztwan in a tie for sixth at 1-under 141. Shields added a
1-over 72 to his opening-round 69 while Martin matched par with a 71 after
opening with a 70.
Chris Crawford, the former Holy Ghost Prep and Drexel
standout, headed a group of seven players tied for eighth at even-par 142.
Crawford, who made it through local and sectional qualifying to play in the
2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club and the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills
while still an amateur, added a 1-over 72 to his opening-round 70.
Brett Melton, an assistant pro at Radley Run Country Club
and the Philadelphia Section PGA’s Omega Player of the Year in 2017, was also
in the group at even-par as he carded a 1-under 70 Tuesday after opening with a
72.
Carey Bina, whose scholastic career at Radnor I chronicled
during my days at the Delaware County Daily Times, was fairly certain he
was going to turn pro at some point this year. After failing to qualify for
this week’s U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst, it looks like Bina might have taken the
plunge.
Bina fired a 2-under 69 Tuesday after opening with a 73 to
join the group at even-par in what very well might be his professional debut.
The low round of day belonged to Alex Knoll, the head pro at
the Blue Shamrock Golf Club in Palmerton who fired a 4-under 67 to get it to
even-par after opening with a 4-over 75.
Knoll had the highest finish among the Philadelphia Section
PGA contingent that teed it up in the PGA Professional Championship at Belfair’s
West Course in Bluffton, S.C. in the spring, ending up in a tie for 33rd.
J.D. Dornes, a former Penn State standout and a teammate of
Hornberger’s on Manheim Township’s 2011 PIAA championship team, carded his
second straight even-par 71 to also land at 142.
Rounding out the group tied for eighth were Alex Blickle,
who was a top Berks County amateur before turning pro, and Williamsport pro
Jordan Eck. Blickle fired a solid 3-under 68 after opening with a 74 while Eck
fell back a little with a 2-over 73 after opening with a 69.
The cut fell at 5-over 147 and 43 players will tee it up in
Wednesday’s final round.
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