Robertson, Pisarski help Temple rally to team title in its John MacDonald Temple Invitational at The 1912 Club

 

   Host Temple opened the wraparound 2026-2027 season by rallying in Tuesday’s final round to capture the team title by a shot over Delaware in the John MacDonald Temple Invitational at the Owls’ home course, The 1912 Club in Plymouth Meeting.

   Temple, an American Athletic Conference representative, had struggled in the opening round of Monday’s double round with a 20-over-par 300 over the classic 6,951-yard, par-70 1912 Club layout, but bounced right back in the afternoon by matching par with a 280.

   Temple overcame soggy, windy conditions in Tuesday’s final round with a solid 2-over 282 that enabled the Owls to overtake Delaware and finish with a 22-over 862 total.

   Individually, Temple was paced by Travis Robertson, a junior from Palm Beach, Fla. who transferred to North Broad Street from Lafayette, and Nicholas Pisarski, a sophomore from Orlando, Fla., both of whom finished in a tie atop the individual standings with Drexel’s Harry Cohen, a sophomore from Franklin Lakes, N.J. and a transfer from Rutgers, at 1-over 211.

   Cohen, however, claimed the individual title in a playoff with the two Owls.

   The Temple Invitational was renamed in honor of John MacDonald, who was the head coach for the Owls from 1971 to 2001 and produced four players who went on to tee it up on the PGA Tour.

   Robertson bounced back from an opening round of 3-over 73 with a sparkling 3-under 67 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round to get a share of the individual lead with Cohen. Robertson closed with a solid 1-over 71 in difficult conditions in Tuesday’s final round.

   After struggling to a 5-over 75 in the opening round, Pisarski rattled off a pair of 2-under 68s in the final two rounds. Pisarski’s final-round 68 was the best round of the day with the wind turning The 1912 Club layout, always a challenge, into a tough puzzle to solve.

   Cohen had the best individual round of the tournament, a sizzling 4-under 66, in the afternoon of Monday’s double round after he had opened with a 4-over 74. He closed with a 1-over 71 to join Temple’s Robertson and Pisarski at the top of the leaderboard.

   Cohen then prevailed in a playoff to capture his first collegiate individual title.

   Delaware, behind a fourth-place finish in the individual standings by junior Shaun Mazzalupi, a three-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Radnor who spent his first two seasons of college golf at Division II Ashland in Ohio, finished a shot behind Temple in second place with a 23-over 863 total.

   The Blue Hens, a Conference USA representative, had added a 10-over 290 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round to their opening round of 5-over 285 to take a one-shot lead over Lehigh going into Tuesday’s final round.

   Delaware closed with an 8-over 288 to come up just short of Temple.

   The Blue Hens had opened their season by finishing in a tie for ninth place in the Bryan National Collegiate, hosted by North Carolina Greensboro at Bryan National Golf & Conference Center in Browns Summit, N.C. and which wrapped up Sept. 13^th. Delaware finished with an 11-over 875 total.

   Mazzalupi, making his debut in the Delaware lineup, was really steady, matching par in the opening round with a 70 before adding a pair of 1-over 71s in the final two rounds for a 2-over 212 total that left him a shot out of the three-way playoff for the title.

   Delaware ended up with two other top-10 finishes as Caleb Itzoe, a junior from Phoenix, Md., and senior Matthew Homer, who starred scholastically at The Tatnall School and was a standout on the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s junior circuit, were among a group of four players tied for ninth place at 7-over 217.

   Itzoe added a 2-over 72 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round to his opening-round 74 before closing with a solid 1-over 71. Matthew Homer opened with a 1-over 71 before adding a pair of 3-over 73s in the final two rounds.

   Lehigh, playing out of the Patriot League, finished five shots behind Delaware in third place with a 28-over 868 total.

   The Mountain Hawks had opened with a 16-over 296, but matched Temple’s even-par 280 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round that left them trailing Delaware by just a shot in the team chase entering Tuesday’s final round. Lehigh closed with a 12-over 292.

   Lehigh had opened its season by finishing in fifth place in The Doc Gimmler, which was shortened to 36 holes by rain earlier this month at Bethpage State Park’s Red Course on Long Island.

   The Mountain Hawks had a pair of top-10 finishers in Nathan Le-Nguyen, a freshman from Canada who ended up in a tie for fifth place with a 3-over 213 total, and Matthew Quinn, a senior from Holden, Mass. whom earned a share of seventh with a 6-over 216 total.

   Le-Nguyen added a solid 1-under 69 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round to his opening round of 3-over 73 before closing with a 71. Quinn sandwiched a solid 2-under 68 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round with a pair of 4-over 74s.

   La Salle, an Atlantic 10 representative, and Canisius, playing out of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), finished in a tie for fourth place, each landing on 35-over 875.

   The Explorers opened with a 13-over 293 and bounced back with a 6-over 286 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round before closing with a 296.

   La Salle had opened its season by joining Delaware in the tie for ninth place in the Bryan National Collegiate earlier this month in North Carolina.

   The Explorers were led by Gavin Dosch, a senior from Draper, Utah who finished among the group tied for ninth place at 7-over 217.

   Dosch opened with a solid 1-over 71 and added a 4-over 74 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round before finishing up with a 72.

   Canisius struggled to a 20-over 300 in the opening round, but bounced back with a 7-over 287 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round before closing with a 288.

   The Golden Griffins had opened their season by finishing in a tie for ninth place in the Alex Lagowitz Memorial, hosted by Colgate over the Labor Day weekend at the Seven Oaks Golf Club in Hamilton, N.Y.

   Canisius followed that up by finishing in second place against regional rivals St. Bonaventure and Niagara in the Little Three Golf Championship at Bartlett Country Club in Olean, N.Y.

   Canisius had two players among the top-10 finishers at The 1912 Club as Cole Thompson, a sophomore from Canada, joined Lehigh’s Quinn in the tie for seventh place at 6-over and Mikey Takacs, a senior from Iowa City, Iowa, rounded out the foursome tied for ninth place at 7-over.

   After opening with a 3-over 73, Thompson posted a 72 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round before closing with a solid 1-over 71. Tackacs bounced back from an opening round of 6-over 76 with a 72 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round before finishing strong with a 1-under 69 in the final round.

   Drexel, behind Cohen, the individual champion, finished four shots behind La Salle and Canisius in sixth place in the team standings with a 39-over 879 total.

   After opening with a 299, the Dragons, playing out of the Coastal Athletic Association, bounced back with a 12-over 292 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round before closing with an 8-over 288.

   Drexel, the defending champion at The 1912 Club, had opened its season by finishing in 14^th place in a tough field in the J.T. Poston Invitational, which wrapped up Sept. 15^th at the Waynesville Inn & Golf Club in Waynesville, N.C.

   The Dragons also got a strong showing from senor John Keba, who starred scholastically at Allentown Central Catholic, as he finished in a tie for fifth place with Lehigh’s Le-Nguyen at 3-over.

   After opening with a 4-over 74, Keba matched par in the afternoon of Monday’s double round with a 70 before finishing up with a solid 1-under 69.

   Temple head coach Brian Quinn used the opportunity of the Owls’ home tournament to field an entire B team and send a couple of individuals out, as well.

   Temple’s B team finished last of the 12 teams in the field with a 921 total as the Owls’ second-stringers added a 306 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round to their opening-round 316 before closing with a 299.

   Temple’s B team was led by senior Michael Vital, a scholastic standout at Bethlehem’s Liberty High who finished among the group tied for 15^th place with a 9-over 219 total. Michael Vital added a 3-over 73 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round to his opening-round 74 before closing with a 2-over 72.

   Backing up Robertson and Pisarski for Temple’s first team was Max Jackson, a freshman from Cumberland, R.I. who finished among the group tied for 19^th place with a 12-over 222 total. Jackson matched par in the afternoon of Monday’s double round with a 70 after opening with a 6-over 76 before closing with a 74.

   Mason Tome, a junior from West Palm Beach, Fla., finished in the group tied for 34^th place for the Owls as he closed with a solid 1-under 69 after struggling in Monday’s double round, opening with an 81 and adding a 5-over 75 in the afternoon.

   Rounding out the first five for Temple was William Jun, a junior from Jupiter, Fla. as he finished among the group tied for 51^st place with a 232 total. Jun sandwiched an 80 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round with a pair of 6-over 76s.

   Matthew Homer’s twin brother Jeff Homer wasn’t far behind his twin in the battle for low-Homer honors for Delaware as he finished among the group tied for 15^th place with a 9-over 219 total. Like his twin brother, Jeff Homer starred scholastically at The Tatnall School and was GAP’s Junior Player of the Year in 2023.

   Jeff Homer matched par in the opening round with a 70 and added a 4-over 74 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round before closing with a 75.

   Rounding out the Delaware lineup was Ikk Iampongsai, a junior from Thailand who finished in the group tied for 28^th place with a 223 total. Iampongsai recorded a pair of 5-over 75s in Monday’s double round before closing with a 73.

   Chikun Xin, a junior from China, competed as an individual for the Blue Hens and finished alone in 55^th place with a 233 total. Xin bounced back from an opening-round 83 with a pair of 5-over 75s in the final two rounds.

   Backing up Dosch for La Salle was graduate student Logan Paciewski, a four-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Dallas whose college journey has included stops at George Mason and Rutgers.

   Paczewski, winner of the Patterson Cup, one of GAP’s major championships, in 2023, finished among the group tied for 24^th place with a 10-over 220 total. After opening with a 5-over 75, Paczewski rebounded with a sparkling 1-under 69 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round before closing with a 76.

   Kyle Virsik, a sophomore from Melbourne, Fla., finished among the trio tied for 24^th place with a 221 total for the Explorers as he opened with a 3-over 73 before adding back-to-back 74s in the final two rounds.

   The La Salle lineup had another transfer in graduate student Billy Pabst, who lost in a playoff to Downingtown West’s Nick Gross for the PIAA Class AAA crown as a senior at North Pocono in 2021.

   Pabst, who transferred to La Salle after beginning his college career at Penn State, finished in the group tied for 28^th place at The 1912 Club. Pabst was solid in Monday’s double round, matching par in the afternoon with a 70 after opening with a 4-over 74, but struggled a little in the final round with a 79.

   Rounding out the La Salle lineup was Payton Hawke, a junior from Canada who finished in a tie for 38^th place with a 226 total. After struggling in the opening round with a 79, Hawke added a 3-over 73 in the afternoon of Monday’s double before closing with a 74.

   Backing up Cohen and Keba for Drexel was Nathan Crawford, a freshman from Port St. Lucie, Fla. who finished among the group tied for 34^th place with a 225 total. After opening with a 5-over 75, Crawford added a 77 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round before finishing up with a 73.

   Rounding out the Drexel lineup was junior Matthew Normand, a scholastic standout at Rancocas Valley who finished in a tie for 45^th place with a 230 total. Normand opened with a 6-over 76 and added a 79 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round before closing with a 75.

   The team effort for the Dragons was hampered when their fifth player, junior John Stevenson, a scholastic standout at La Salle and GAP’s Junior Player of the Year in 2024, was forced to drop out due to illness halfway through the opening round.

   Backing up Michael Vital for Temple’s B team was his twin brother Matt Vital, a three-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Liberty who finished among the group tied for 47^th place with a 231 total. Matt Vital struggled in Monday’s double round, opening with an 80 and adding a 78 in the afternoon before finding his groove a little in a final round of 3-over 73.

   Tommy Murdough, a junior from Concord, Mass., finished in the group tied for 51^st place with a 232 total for the Owls B-teamers as he added a 78 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round to his opening-round 79 before closing with a 5-over 75.

   Freshman Cody Sutcliffe, a product of La Salle’s Catholic League powerhouse, finished alone in 62^nd place with a 239 total as he added a 7-over 77 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round to his opening-round 83 before closing with a 79.

   Another freshman, Eddie Gephardt, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a senior at Strath Haven last fall, rounded out the Temple B team lineup as he finished in a tie for 63^rd place with a 244 total. Gephardt sandwiched an 8-over 78 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round with a pair of 83s.

   Gephardt was joined at 244 by teammate Nicholas Linkchorst, a sophomore who was a scholastic standout at West Chester Rustin and competed in the John MacDonald Temple Invitational as an individual.

   Linkchorst opened with an 8-over 78 and added an 85 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round before closing with an 81.

   Rounding out the Temple contingent was graduate student Michael Quirk, another product of the La Salle program in the Catholic League who finished in 65^th place with a 246 total. Quirk added an 80 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round to his opening-round 84 before closing with an 82.

   Nice showing by Rider sophomore J.P. Hoban, a steady force in back-to-back Inter-Ac League championship teams at The Haverford School. Hoban finished in a tie for 40^th place with a 227 total as he carded a pair of 5-over 75s in Monday’s double round before closing with a 77.

   The Broncs, another MAAC entry, finished in eighth place in the team chase at The 1912 Club with an 890 total.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gallagher leads Haverford School to sweep of Episcopal Academy Invitational at Merion's West Course

 

   The Haverford School, behind senior Quinn Gallagher, swept the field in the Episcopal Academy Invitational at Merion Golf Club’s West Course Tuesday to move into second place in the Inter-Ac League standings.

   Gallagher carded a solid 1-under-par 34 in windy, soggy weather at the West to help the Fords edge reigning Inter-Ac champion Episcopal Academy by three shots with a 1-over 176 team total.

   Haverford School’s 5-0 day enabled the Fords to move into second place in the Inter-Ac race with an 8-2 record following the second of the league’s six mini-tournaments.

   Gallagher’s fellow senior, Harry Neilly, and sophomore Jesse Shurman backed up their teammate as each matched par at the West with a 35.

   Rounding out the counters for the Fords were a couple of critical 1-over 36s from a couple of their youngsters, sophomore William Thorkelson and freshman Christos Bottos.

   Episcopal Academy, which had opened the Inter-Ac schedule by sweeping the field last week in the William Penn Charter School Invitational at Huntingdon Valley Country Club’s Centennial nine, maintained its hold on first place as the Churchmen tallied a solid 4-over 179 to go 4-1 for the day.

   Episcopal Academy was left with a 9-1 mark through two rounds of invitationals with Haverford School in second place with an 8-2 mark.

   Episcopal Academy was led by junior Max Leung, who matched par with a 35. Leung might have benefited from a round over the tough Old Course at Stonewall Saturday.

   Four of the host Churchmen came in at 1-over 36, including senior co-captain Freddy Hartmann, seniors Connor Smolenski and Carson Jakuc and junior Tucker Dempsey.

   Hartmann, bidding to repeat as the Inter-Ac’s leading points-getter in the individual standings during the regular season, leads the race after two rounds of invitationals with an 81-7-7 record and 69 points.

   Hartmann’s closest pursuer in the individual standings is Malvern Prep senior standout Colby Komancheck, who was the individual medalist at Merion’s West Course with a sizzling 3-under 32.

   Komancheck’s round included two birdies and a chip-in for eagle at the short par-4 eighth hole at the West.

   By taking medalist honors for the day Komancheck improved his individual record to 78-11-5 with his 61 points trailing Hartmann by eight.

   Komancheck led the way for the Friars as they finished three shots behind Episcopal Academy in third place with a 182 total that left them very much in the Inter-Ac race in third place with a 7-3 record.

   Malvern Prep had shared second place with Haverford School at Huntingdon Valley, but took second in a tiebreaker. It looks like it’s going to be another fall when every point counts in the perennial three-way battle for the title among the Friars, the Fords and the defending champion Churchmen.

   Backing up Komancheck for Malvern Prep was senior Timmy Burns, who had four birdies on his way to a 1-under 34.

   Senior Ayden Gallen and sophomore Charlie Blok each signed for a 3-over 38 and junior Mason Matlack rounded out the counters for the Friars with a 40.

   Penn Charter finished in fourth place at Merion’s West Course with a 200 total. The Quakers were led by senior Jack Sheward, who recorded a solid 1-over 36.

   Germantown Academy finished three shots behind Penn Charter in fifth place with a 203 total. The Patriots were led by junior Onyu Park and sophomore Oliver Hubbert, both of whom registered a 4-over 39.

   Penn Charter and Germantown Academy were left in a tie for fourth place in the team standings following the Episcopal Academy Invitational, each with a 3-7 mark.

   Springside Chestnut Hill Academy finished in sixth place at Merion West with a 208 total. The Blue Devils were led by senior Brady Grieve, who posted a 4-over 39.

   Springside Chestnut Hill remained winless and in sixth place in the team standings following the first two rounds of invitationals with an 0-10 mark.

 

 

 

Cully captures title in Philly Section Women's Championship; Austin Barbin the Philadelphia Players Championship winner

 

   Catching up on some Philadelphia Section PGA events, starting with a couple of the most recent …

   Jennifer Cully, the 57-year-old who is an instructor who works out of the Honeybrook Golf Club pro shop, got hot on the incoming nine at Green Valley Country Club Sept. 16^th as she matched par with a 71 to capture the title in the Philadelphia Section PGA Women’s Championship.

   Cully made bogeys at the first, sixth and 11^th holes and was 3-over when she started to get the putter working.

   Cully went back-to-back with birdies at the 12^th and 13^th holes and a birdie at 15 got her back to even for the round.

   Cully stumbled briefly with a bogey at the 16^th hole, but a birdie at 17 got her back to even-par for the day.

   “It was awesome, the best I have played in years,” Cully told the Philadelphia Section PGA website. “I had a few three-putts (on the front nine), but I came alive on the back nine.”

   Solid effort by Megan Leineweber, the head pro at Stonewall, as she finished a shot behind Cully in second place with a 72.

   Brittany Weddell, playing on her home course at Green Valley, and Lauren Hickam, who works out of the pro shop at Gulph Mills Golf Club, shared third place, each ending up two shots behind Leineweber with a 3-over 74.

   Joanna Coe, the director of instruction at Merion Golf Club and the four-time reigning Philadelphia Section Rolex/Haverford Trust Company Women’s Player of the Year, finished alone in fifth place with a 4-over 75.

   Coe represented the Philly Section in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, a major championship on the LPGA Tour, in June at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn.

   Defending Philadelphia Section PGA Women’s champion Tessa Teachman, an instructor at Aronimink Golf Club, headed a trio of players tied for sixth place at 6-over 77.

   Teachman was joined at that figure by Alex Carr, Teachman’s colleague in the Aronimink pro shop, and Tori MacKinnon, who works out of the pro shot at Bidermann Golf Club.

   Rounding out the field was Wilmington Country Club’s Meghan Spero as she finished in ninth place with an 84.

   The Philadelphia Section PGA Women’s Championship was supported by the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board, KM Golf Sales/Kevin McClellan, 1^st and 10^th Tee Bars and the PGA Tour.

   Austin Barbin, playing out of the pro shop at the Barbin family-owned Chesapeake Bay Golf Club, finished with a rush, making three straight birdies at Lookaway Golf Club Monday to capture the title in the Philadelphia Players Championship with a 5-under-par 67.

   Presenting partners Scott and Karen Hutchinson, long-time supporters of the Philadelphia Section PGA circuit, have helped make the Philadelphia Players Championship one of the most lucrative events on the schedule. Austin Barbin earned $6,000 out of a total purse of $40,000.

   Coming off a solid college career at Liberty University, Austin Barbin capped his amateur career by winning the BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship at Whitemarsh Valley Country Club two summers ago.

   Austin Barbin and older brother Zach, the 2020 Philadelphia Amateur champion at Lancaster Country Club, have quickly established themselves as two of the Philadelphia Section’s rising young stars.

   After an early bogey at the second hole at Lookaway, Austin Barbin made birdies at the fourth, seventh and 12^th holes to get it to 2-under for his round.

   Austin Barbin then turned it on down the stretch with birdies at the 16^th, 17^th and 18^th holes to finish at 5-under, one shot better than Riley Wheeldon, the talented instructor in the Aronimink pro shop.

   “The last three holes, I looked at the leaderboard and I saw (Brian) Bergstol and Riley (Wheeldon) up at 5 (-under par) and I knew I had to get to five, so I just locked in,” Austin Barbin told the Philadelphia Section PGA website. “Honestly, it was a blacking-out and zoning-in kind of deal.”

   Bergstol, the head of instruction at the Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort, fell back to 3-under and headed a group of five players tied for third place with 69s, a shot behind Wheeldon’s 5-under 68.

   Bergstol was joined at 3-under by Waynesborough Country Club’s Kyle Early, Llanerch Country Club assistant pro Andrew Cornish, Whitford Country Club assistant pro Anthony Sebastianelli and DuPont Country Club’s Mike Caldwell.

   Terry Hatch, playing out of the Royal Oaks Golf Club pro shop, topped the Senior division with a 1-under 71.

   Mark Sheftic, the head of instruction at Sunnybrook Golf Club, and Jason Wilson of Bethlehem Golf Club finished in a tie for second place, each ending up a shot behind Hatch by matching par with a 72.

   In addition to presenting sponsors, the Hutchinsons, the Philadelphia Players Championship was also supported by golf apparel maker AndersonOrd.

   The summer-long Philadelphia PGA Match Play Championship concluded Sept. 1^st at Aronimink, where Brett Walker, playing out of the pro shop at Chester Valley Golf Club, defeated one of the Philadelphia Section’s top senior players in Laurel Creek Country Club’s Dave Quinn, 3 and 2.

   It was a return to the scene of one of Walker’s biggest victories as he captured the 100^th playing of the Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship in 2021 at Aronimink, the Donald Ross masterpiece in Newtown Square that played host to the PGA Championship in May.

   Walker got a win at the first hole of the final and never looked back, eventually building a 5-up lead through 11 holes.

   Earlier in the day, Walker advanced to the final with a 4 and 3 victory over Michael Little of Clubhouse 54 in a semifinal match.

   Quinn earned his spot in the final with a 4 and 3 victory over Whitford’s Sebastianelli in the other semifinal.

   Walker’s road to the semifinals at Aronimink included a 4 and 3 victory over Anthony Hoffman of the John F. Byrne Golf Course, a 2 and 1 decision over John Colbert of Newark Country Club, and a pair of 5 and 4 wins over Tom Michaels of Berkshire Country Club and Colton Yenser of LedgeRock Golf Club.

   The Philadelphia PGA Match Play Championship was supported by Rolex and the PGA Tour.

   The brothers Barbin, Zach and Austin, found themselves in five-way playoff for the title in the Jack Jolly & Son Championship, which was shortened to 17 holes of regulation play by some stormy weather Aug. 31^st at Manufacturers’ Golf & Country Club, the William Flynn gem in Fort Washington.

   It was Zach Barbin who prevailed in the playoff to claim the victory after he and four other players, including younger brother Austin Barbin, each posted a 5-under 61 total.

   Rounding out the quintet tied at 5-under were Andy Hewitt of Cripple Creek Golf & Country Club, Trevor Bensel, the talented assistant pro at LuLu Country Club and Whitford’s Sebastianelli.

   Braden Shattuck, the director of instruction at Rolling Green Golf Club and only a couple of weeks removed from his second straight victory in the Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship, shared sixth place with the Shawnee Inn’s Bergstol, each ending up a shot out of the playoff at 4-under 62.

   Dave McNabb, the veteran head pro at Applebrook Golf Club, and Laurel Creek’s Quinn shared the top spot in the Senior division, each landing on 2-under 64.

   Manufacturers proved to be a nice tuneup for the Philadelphia Section PGA Women’s Championship a couple of weeks later at Green Valley as Merion’s Coe and Green Valley’s Weddell shared first place in the Women’s division, each tallying a 1-over 67.

   Stonewall’s Leineweber finished two shots behind Coe and Weddell in third place with a 3-over 69.

   Zach Barbin’s playoff victory for the overall Jack Jolly & Son Championship title also earned him a win in the concurrent Philadelphia Assistants’ Organization (PAO) event over his younger brother Austin Barbin, Bensel and Sebastianelli.

   The Philadelphia Section’s talented group of seniors had the stage to themselves for the Skee Riegel Senior Open Sept. 10^th at Radnor Valley Country Club and Sheftic, the highly-regarded instructor at Sunnybrook, made a birdie at the 17^th hole to capture the title with a 4-under 66.

   Sheftic made a birdie at the first hole and a bogey at four before going off in the middle of his round with birdies at sixth, seven, 10 and 13 to get it to 4-under for the round. Sheftic dropped a shot with a bogey at the 15^th hole, but got it right back with his birdie at 17 that gave him a one-shot victory over Brendon Post, the head coach of the men’s golf team at Delaware.

   Hugo Mazzalupi of the Radnor Golf Foundation, Rich Steinmetz, the head pro at Spring Ford Country Club, Mark Chlebek, the head pro at the Steel Club, and Brian Kelly, a PGA Life Member who was the long-time head pro at Bucknell Golf Club, finished in a tie for third place, each matching par with a 70 to end up three shots behind Post.

   Mazzalupi will be part of the Philadelphia Section contingent headed for the Senior PGA Professional Championship, which tees off Oct. 22 at Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club in Grand Canyon, Ariz.

   Mazzalupi punched his ticket to Superstition Mountain by finishing in a tie for third place in the Philadelphia Senior PGA Professional Championship in June at Bellewood Country Club.

   Greg Farrow, the long-time head pro at Deerwood Country Club, claimed top honors in the Super-Senior division with a 1-under 69.

   Wayne Phillips, a PGA Life Member who was the long-time head pro at Lehigh Country Club, was the runnerup among the super seniors as he matched par with a 70.