Kelly goes on a birdie binge to capture TaylorMade Classic at Laurel Creek

   Brian Kelly of the Bucknell Golf Club had seven birdies against two bogeys as he fired a 5-under-par 66 Monday to capture the Philadelphia Section PGA’s TaylorMade Classic at Laurel Creek Country Club in Mount Laurel, N.J.

   Kelly is one of a large group of talented senior club pros in the Philadelphia Section. He represented the Section in the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club’s East Course in Pittsford, N.J. over the Memorial Day weekend. The Senior PGA Championship is a major on the PGA Tour Champions.

   Kelly finished in a tie for third in last month’s Philadelphia Senior PGA Professional Championship at Applebrook Golf Club. That will give him a shot to return to the Senior PGA Championship when he tees it up in the Senior PGA Professional Championship next month at the Omni Barton Creek Resort in Austin, Texas.

   Kelly finished a shot ahead of four players tied for second at 4-under 67. Billy Stewart, an instructor at The ACE Club and the reigning Philadelphia Section PGA Omega Player of the Year, headed that foursome.

   Stewart was joined at that figure by Spring Ford Country Club head pro Rich Steinmetz and a couple of the Section’s top assistant pros, Mike Tobiason of Deerfield Country Club and Brian Bergstol of the Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort. Bergstol had a runnerup finish in the Pennsylvania Open last month at Waynesborough Country Club.

   Ashley Grier, an assistant pro at Overbrook Golf Club and the Section’s top female player, headed a group of four players tied for sixth place at 3-under 68. Grier was one of two club pros who became the first two women to make two cuts and play all four rounds in the PGA Professional Championship at Belfair in Bluffton, S.C. last spring.

   Joining Grier at 3-under were Deerwood Country Club head pro Greg Farrow, Peter Clarke of Manufacturers Golf & Country Club and Sunnybrook Golf Club assistant pro Andrew Turner.

   Bidermann Golf Club assistant pro Zac Oakley and Rob Shuey, a Philadelphia PGA entry, were another shot back in a tie for 10^th place, each carding a 2-under 69. Oakley earned low-pro honors earlier this summer in the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Open Championship at Huntingdon Valley Country Club.

   The Overbrook pro shop was also represented in the large group of 10 players tied for 12^th place at 1-under 70 as head pro Eric Kennedy and assistant pro Trevor Bensel both landed there. Bensel captured the National Car Rental Assistant Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship at Chester Valley Golf Club last month.

   Radnor Valley Country Club head pro George Forster, who hit the jackpot by winning the top prize of $100,000 in last week’s Haverford Philadelphia PGA Classic at Sunnybrook, was also in the group at 1-under.

   Rounding out the group that finished at 1-under were Mark Sheftic, the head of instruction at Merion Golf Club, Eddie Perrino of the Eagle Rock Resort, Rich Fleisher, a Philadelphia PGA entry, Rob Singer of  Huntingdon Valley, John Appleget, an instructor at The Shore Club, Curtis Kirkpatrick of Indian Spring Country Club and Parks Price of the Country Club of York.

   Kelly topped the Senior division with Farrow claiming runnerup honors. Farrow was also the runnerup in the Super-Senior division behind Spring Ford’s Don DeAngelis, who carded a 4-under 67.

   The Philadelphia Assistants Organization (PAO) also played simultaneously in the TaylorMade and Tobiason birdied the second hole of a playoff to beat Stewart and Bergstol for top honors.

   Stewart will defend his title in the Philadelphia Section’s signature event, the 98^th Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship, which tees off Tuesday at the Union League Golf Club at Torresdale and Riverton Country Club.

   The top finishers in the Philly PGA Professional Championship will earn a ticket to the PGA Professional Championship, which will be played next spring at the Omni Barton Creek Resort.