Little, Harbold, Filling make the cut in Assistant PGA Professional Championship

   Lookaway Golf Club assistant pro Mike Little has been one of the most consistent performers on the Philadelphia Section PGA circuit for a while.

   Little was the Section’s Omega Player of the Year in 2016 and contended for that title again this year before coming up a little short.

   The 35-year-old Little headed a trio of Philly Section players who made the cut Friday after two rounds of the 43^rd National Car Rental Assistant PGA Professional Championship being staged at the PGA Golf Club’s Wanamker Course in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

   After struggling to an opening round of 5-over-par 77 Thursday, Little bounced back with a solid 2-under 70 Friday to move into a tie for 41^st place at 3-over 147 and earn himself a starting time in Saturday’s third round.

   Knowing he needed a good round to play the weekend at the Wanamaker Course, Little got it going early with birdies at the third, seventh and eighth holes. A double bogey at the 15^th hole slowed Little’s momentum a little, but he got it back to 2-under for the round with a birdie at the 16^th hole.

   Alex Beach, who looks like he’s about to leave his job at Westchester Country Club behind, is making a serious bid to add the Assistant PGA Professional Championship title to the PGA Professional Championship he won at Belfair in Bluffton, S.C. last spring.

   Beach added a 2-under 70 to his opening-round 69 to gain a share of the top spot on the leaderboard with Matt Rachey, an assistant coach at Minnesota, where he starred as a college golfer, at 5-under 139.

   Beach, Rachey and the rest of the field are competing for a top prize of $12,000 out of a total purse of $150,000. The Assistant PGA Professional Championship is supported by Srixon/Cleveland Golf/XIIO, Golf Advisor and John Deere.

   In addition to his victory in the PGA Professional Championship, Beach was a member of the winning U.S. PGA Cup Team at the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas in September and last week advanced out of the second stage of the Korn Ferry Tour Q-School, which means he’ll have some status on the PGA Tour’s top developmental circuit in 2020.

   “It’s been a very good year, starting in April,” Beach told the PGA of America website following Friday’s round. “I worked all summer and didn’t play a lot. My mind has always been focused on the winter time and doing everything I can to prepare myself for the last few weeks in the Met Section.

   “Last week (at Q-School) went fantastic. This is much the same. I’m staying in my own world out there and doing what I know I’m capable of.”

   Beach had an up-and-down round Friday. He started with a bogey on the 10^th hole, then made birdies at the 14^th and 16^th holes to get it to 1-under for the round. Bogeys at the second and sixth holes around a birdie at the third hole had him at even for the day before he finished strong with birdies at the seventh and ninth holes to surge to the top of the leaderboard.

   Rachey finished strong as well as a bogey at the 13^th hole dropped him back to 1-over for his round before birdies at the 14^th and 16^th holes enabled him to finish with a 1-under 71. Combined with his opening-round 68, it left Rachey at 5-under at the halfway point.

   Tim Ritter, a 27-year-old assistant at Army Navy Country Club in Centreville, Va., made a big move with a 4-under 68, which, combined with an opening-round 72, left him in a tie for third place with Pat Steffes of Burlingame Country Club in Hillsborough, Calif. and Colin Van Es, a former Seton Hall standout working out of the Providence Golf Club pro shop in Davenport, Fla., at 4-under 140.

   The 31-year-old Steffes and the 30-year-old Van Es each added a 1-under 71 to an opening round of 3-under 69.

   Tony Perla of Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit, N.J. headed a group of five players tied for sixth place at 3-under 141. The 32-year-old Perla, who moved to Canoe Brook from LedgeRock Golf Club, added a 1-under 71 to his opening-round 70.

   Also making the cut out of the Philadelphia Section were Philadelphia Cricket Club’s Rusty Harbold and Chris Filling out of the Seaview pro shop.

   Harbold, who finished in a tie for 30^th place in last year’s Assistant PGA Professional Championship, added a 3-over 75 to his opening-round 74 and was among the group tied for 54^th place at 5-over 149. Filling carded a second straight 3-over 75 and was in the group tied for 66^th place at 6-over 150.

   The cut fell one shot higher as the group at 7-over 151 also got to stick around for a weekend of warm weather on South Florida’s Gold Coast.

   Overbrook Golf Club’s Trevor Bensel, who captured the Philadelphia Assistant PGA Professional Championship, hosted by Dick Smith Sr. at Chester Valley Golf Club in August, bounced back from an opening-round 81 with a 2-over 74, but failed to make the cut.

   Rounding out the Philly Section contingent was Mike Furey of the Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort, who added an 80 to his opening-round 76 for a 156 total.

   Joining the Cricket Club’s Harbold in the group tied for 54^th at 5-over 149 was Josh Rackley of Tam O’Shanter Country Club in Glen Head, N.Y. on Long Island. Rackley, one of the Philadelphia Section’s top players when he was an assistant pro at Gulph Mills Golf Club, added a 3-over 75 to his opening-round 74.

   Rackley finished in third place in last year’s Assistant PGA Professional Championship.