Shattuck surges to share of the lead going into final round of PGA Professional Championship

   Braden Shattuck, an instructor at Rolling Green Golf Club, probably went to the PGA Professional Championship with one goal in mind: Finish in the top 20 and earn yourself a spot in the PGA Championship, professional golf’s second major championship in 2023, later this month at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y.

   Well, don’t look now, but Shattuck, the reigning Rolex/Haverford Trust Player of the Year in the Philadelphia Section PGA, is threatening to win the thing.

   Shattuck went 4-under par over the last 11 holes at Twin Warriors Golf Club in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M. on his way to a 4-under 68 in the third round Tuesday to get a share of the lead with John Somers of the Southern Hills Plantation Club in Brooksville, Fla., each sitting at 7-under 209 going into Wednesday’s final round.

   Shattuck seems to nearly be a shoe-in to make his PGA Tour and major championship debut at Oak Hill in a few weeks, but you can never think that way in golf.

   There’s also a ton of perks that go to the winner of what was once known as the National Club Pro, but again you can’t let that kind of stuff start creeping into your head. Shattuck cut short his bid to try to qualify for the Korn Ferry Tour last summer for what turned out to be an injury that wasn’t as serious as  was originally feared. A victory in the PGA Professional Championship would really open a path to at least the Korn Ferry Tour.

   Pretty sure the only Philadelphia Section player to ever win the National Club Pro was Delco’s own Ed Dougherty, who played baseball at St. James and didn’t really get serious about golf until returning from a stint in Vietnam.

   As I mentioned in my post following the second round of the PGA Professional Championship, I covered Shattuck’s scholastic career at Sun Valley for the Delaware County Daily Times. Point is, Shattuck, like Eddie Doc, is a Delco guy, through and through.

   Shattuck entered Tuesday’s third round at 3-under and was back and forth on the front nine at Twin Warriors, making a birdie at the first hole, a bogey at three, a birdie at four and a bogey at seven.

   Caught Shattuck making a short birdie putt on the eighth hole on The Golf Channel’s coverage of the PGA Professional Championship that turned out be the beginning of his best work. Shattuck added birdies at the 12^th, 16^th and 17^th holes on his way to the house to get it to 7-under.

   Somers was also 3-under to begin the day and was hot early with birdies at the first, fifth and 10^th holes. Somers then made an eagle on the par-5 12^th hole and suddenly he was 8-under for the championship.

   Somers got it to 9-under with a birdie at the 13^th hole, gave that shot back with a bogey at 14 and again got it to 9-under with a birdie at 16. But Somers finished his round with bogeys at the 17^th and 18^th holes to fall back to 7-under and into a tie with Shattuck.

   Chris Sanger of Woodstock Golf Club in Woodstock, N.Y. posted a 3-under 69 at Twin Warriors Tuesday and is a shot behind the co-leaders at 6-under 210.

   Joanna Coe, the head of instruction at Merion Golf Club, carded a solid 1-under 71 at Twin Warriors Tuesday that left her in the group tied for 30^th place with a 1-over 217 total.

   Not sure if Coe would be eligible to tee it up in the PGA Championship if she was able to charge into the top 20. I do know Coe and former Overbrook Golf Club assistant pro Ashley Grier were the first two women to survive two cuts and play four rounds in the PGA Professional Championship in 2019 at Belfair in Bluffton, S.C. Coe finished in a tie for 51^st place.

   I also know that Coe will be in the field in an LPGA major championship, next month’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J. Coe punched her ticket to Baltusrol with a runnerup finish in last summer’s LPGA Professional National Championship at the Kingsmill Resort’s River Course in Williamsburg, Va.

   Billy Stewart, an instructor at the Union League Liberty Hill Course, survived the 54-hole cut as he registered a 3-over 75 at Twin Warriors and is among the group tied for 43^rd place at 2-over 218.

   Zac Oakley, an instructor at Bidermann Golf Club, missed the 54-hole cut by a shot as he carded a 1-over 73 at Twin Warriors Tuesday that gave him a 4-over 220 total.

   Oakley finished in a tie for sixth place in the PGA Professional Championship a year ago at the Barton Omni Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas to punch his ticket to last spring’s PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.

   The Philadelphia Section’s last two players who survived the 36-hole cut, veteran Spring Ford Country Club head pro Rich Steinmetz and Michael Little of Clubhouse 54, failed to make it to the final day in Santa Ana Pueblo as both landed on 7-over 223.

   Steinmetz, the Philadelphia Section’s reigning Robert “Skee” Riegel Senior Player of the Year, and Little both recorded a 4-over 76 at Twin Warriors in Tuesday’s third round.

   Steinmetz will represent the Philadelphia Section in the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, a major on the PGA Tour Champions circuit, later this month at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco at the PGA of America’s new headquarters in Frisco, Texas.

   Cadillac, Club Car, Corebridge Financial and Rolex are presenting sponsors for the PGA Professional Championship. Corebridge Financial seems to have a tie-in with the 20 players who will advance to the PGA Championship.

   Gallagher, The Golf Channel and the PGA Tour are supporting partners for the PGA Professional Championship and Titleist/Footjoy, Callaway, Nike and  TaylorMade are supporting sponsors.