Knoll's 62 at the Union League at Torresdale gives him the lead in Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship

   Breaking a course record anywhere is always a nice accomplishment. But there’s breaking the course record and then there’s breaking the 78-year-old course record held by Sam Snead by two shots.

   That’s what Alex Knoll of Glen Brook Golf Club did Tuesday in the opening round of the 98^th Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship.

   Knoll, with a remarkable 6-under par burst over a seven-hole stretch on the back nine, fired a sizzling 8-under-par 62 at the Union League Golf Club at Torresdale, the Donald Ross classic that was known as Torresdale-Frankford before the Union League took over the course a few years ago. Snead had established the course record with a 64 in 19 and 41. Somewhere, Slammin’ Sammy probably isn’t happy about it, either.

   The tidbit about the course record came from a Philadelphia Section PGA tweet. If you don’t follow the Philadelphia Section PGA on Twitter, you probably should.

   The 54-hole event is also being contested at Riverton Country Club across the Delaware River in New Jersey. But other than Knoll’s round, the par-70 Torresdale layout played the tougher of the two courses. Of the top 18 players on the leaderboard, 16 of them played Riverton Tuesday.

   Everybody switches courses for Wednesday’s second round. There’s a cut after 36 holes and pretty sure the slimmed-down field plays just Torresdale in Thursday’s final round.

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

   Knoll was the top finisher among the Philadelphia Section PGA contingent at last spring’s PGA Professional Championship, finishing in a tie for 33^rd at Belfair in Bluffton, S.C. Knoll, however, missed out on a ticket to the PGA Championship, which goes to the top finishers in the National Club Pro.

   Knoll will hold a five-shot lead as he heads for Riverton for Round 2 Wednesday. He probably left a lot of talented Philadelphia Section PGA pros trying to figure out how he manhandled a course that played so tough for everybody else.

   I’m not positive Knoll started on No. 1, but he had a relatively quiet front nine with birdies at the second and fourth holes.

   Starting with an eagle at the 10^th hole, Knoll really got it going. He birdied the 12^th and 13^th holes and then went back-to-back again at 15 and 16. There’s your 6-under burst in a seven-hole stretch. Knoll actually made a bogey at the 17^th hole before making a birdie at the last for a remarkable 30 on Torresdale’s incoming nine.

   A couple of the Philadelphia Section’s veterans, Stu Ingraham, an instructor at the M Golf Range in Newtown Square, and Spring Ford Country Club head pro Rich Steinmetz, were joined by Dave Fields, the head pro at Brookside Country Club in Macungie, in a tie for second as all three registered a 3-under 68 at the par-71 Riverton layout.

   Ingraham has played in 31 PGA of America national events and has reached the PGA Championship six times via the National Club Pro. Steinmetz has played in the PGA Championship at least twice and it might be three times.

   Brian Kelly of Bucknell Golf Club, coming off a victory in last week’s TaylorMade Classic at Laurel Creek Country Club, fired a 2-under 69 at Riverton and headed a group of four players tied for fifth.

   Joining Kelly at 2-under – and they all carded 69s at Riverton – were Dustin Wallis of Dustin Wallis Golf, Brendon Post, an assistant coach and director of player development for the Delaware program, and John Ambrose of Chester Valley Golf Club.

   Defending champion Billy Stewart, an instructor at The ACE Club, headed a group of five more players tied for ninth at 1-under and, again, all five players carded a 70 at Riverton.

   Also posting a 70 at Riverton was John Pillar, the director of golf at the Country Club of Woodloch Springs who captured the Philadelphia Senior PGA Professional Championship last month at Applebrook Golf Club.

   Rounding out the group at 1-under were John Bierkan, the head of instruction at Aronimink Golf Club, Whitemarsh Valley Country Club head pro Dave Padgett and Pat Butkus out of the Tavistock Country Club pro shop.

   The next best score at Torresdale behind Knoll’s 62 was an even-par 70 carded by Rusty Harbold, an assistant pro at Philadelphia Cricket Club. That left Harbold tied with four other players, all of whom posted a 71 at Riverton, at even-par.

   Radnor Valley Country Club’s ageless head pro, 63-year-old George Forster, was one of the players at even-par after carding a 71 at Riverton. Forster won the biggest prize offered in a PGA of America Section event, the $100,000 top prize in the Haverford Philadelphia PGA Classic, when he captured the title earlier this month at Sunnybrook Golf Club.

   Kelly, Pillar and Forster will represent the Philadelphia Section in next month’s Senior PGA Professional Championship at the Omni Barton Creek Resort.

   Overbrook Golf Club assistant pro Trevor Bensel, who captured last month’s National Car Rental Philadelphia Assistant PGA Professional Championship at Chester Valley Club, also matched par at Riverton to join the fivesome tied for 14^th place.

   Rounding out the group tied for 14^th at even-par were Chris Krueger of Kings Creek Country Club and Ron Pine of Aronimink.