Oakley in a tie for eighth at halfway point of NCR Assistant PGA Professional Championship

 

   Zac Oakley, an instructor in the Bidermann Golf Club pro shop, remained in the hunt heading into the weekend as he was in a tie for eighth place after two rounds of the National Car Rental Assistant PGA Professional Championship at the PGA Golf Club’s Wanamker Course in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

   Oakley carded an up-and-down round of 1-under-par 71 in Friday’s second round of the NCR Assistant PGA Professional Championship. Combined with the opening-round 70 he posted Thursday, it gave Oakley a 3-under 141 total.

   Oakley is in familiar surroundings on the Wanamaker Course. He finished in a tie for third place in the NCR Assistant PGA Professional Championship a year ago and in a tie for fourth two years ago.

   If Domenico Geminiani, an assistant pro at Old Corkscrews Golf Course in Estero, Fla., keeps playing the way he played the first two days at the Wanamaker Course, Oakley and the rest of the talented field of assistant pros from around the country are playing for second place.

   Geminiani, a 28-year-old Italian, added a sparkling 5-under 67 in windy conditions that matched the low round of the day, to the sizzling 7-under 65 he recorded in Thursday’s opening round for a 12-under 132 total that left him six shots clear of the field. Geminiani won the NCR Assistant PGA Professional Championship title in 2022.

   Pretty sure Oakley started off the 10^th tee in Friday’s second round. He made a bogey at the 11^th hole and followed it up with a birdie at 12. He then followed up a bogey at the 14^th hole with a birdie at 16 and headed to the outgoing nine at the Wanamaker Course at even-par.

   After making the third bogey of his round at the third hole, Oakley steadied the ship over the rest of the front nine, making birdies at four and seven to finish in red figures at 1-under for the round.

   Although Oakley trails Geminiani by nine shots, he is only three shots behind the pair tied for second place at 6-under 138. That would be Andre Chi, an assistant pro at Deepdale Golf Club in Manhasset, N.Y. on Long Island, and Dakun Chang, who works out of the pro shop at iconic Seminole Golf Club, about 50 miles up Florida’s East Coast from Port St. Lucie in Juno Beach.

   Chi added a 2-under 70 in Friday’s second round to his opening-round 68. Chang had opened with a 2-under 70 before putting together a solid 4-under 68 in Friday’s second round.

   Geminiani made six birdies against a lone bogey in his tour of the Wanamaker Course Friday.

   Pretty sure Geminiani started his round off the 10^th tee and made a couple of quick birdies back-to-back at 12 and 13. A bogey at the 15^th hole was the only blemish on his scorecard and he quickly recovered, going back-to-back with birdies at the 18^th and first holes before making his sixth birdie of the day at seven.

   The Philadelphia Section PGA contingent had three other players who joined Oakley inside the top 20 following Friday’s second round.

   Trevor Bensel, an assistant pro at Sandy Run Country Club, and Rusty Harbold, who works out of the Philadelphia Cricket Club pro shop, were among the group tied for 14^th place at 1-under 143.

   Bensel matched par in Friday’s second round with a 72 after opening with a 1-under 71. Harbold had opened with a 3-over 75, but climbed up the leaderboard with a solid 4-under 68 in the difficult conditions.

   Brian Bergstol, the head of instruction at the Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort, added a 1-over 73 to his opening round of 1-under 71 to join the group tied for 19^th place at even-par 144. Bergstol was the runnerup to Geminiani in this championship two years ago after finishing in second place in 2021.

   Jeff Fick of Moselem Springs Golf Club gave the Philadelphia Section a fifth representative playing the weekend in the NCR Assistant PGA Professional Championship as he registered a solid 2-under 70 in Friday’s second round after opening with a 4-over 76 and was comfortably inside the cut line in the group tied for 33^rd place at 2-over 146.

   The cut fell at 6-over 150.

   Sunnybrook Golf Club’s Robert Fenton added a 1-over 73 in Friday’s second round to his opening-round 79 as he came up just short of making the cut with a 152 total.

   Whitford Country Club’s Andrew Turner also failed to make the cut as he added an 81 to his opening-round 79 for a 160 total.