Turner five back with 73 at Assistant PGA Professional Championship

   Whitford Country Club assistant pro Andrew Turner led the Philadelphia Section PGA contingent in round 1 at the National Car Rental Assistant PGA Professional Championship Thursday at the PGA Golf Club’s Wanamaker Course in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

   Turner carded a 1-over 73 over the 7,123-yard, par-72 Wanamaker Course that proved to be a tough test for the best assistant pros in the country. Turner had a steady round that featured three bogeys and two birdies.

   Turner is five shots back of leader Evan Wartgow of Koshkonong Mounds Country Club in Wisconsin, whose 4-under 68 was the only sub-70 round of the day.

   Starting on the back nine, Wartgow made birdie at the 12^th and bogey at the 14^th before a birdie, eagle outburst at 15 and 16, respectively, quickly got him to 3-under. A bogey at 18 left him at 2-under heading for the front nine, where he made birdies at three and seven to finish at 4-under.

   Wartgow leads a group of five players who each carded a 2-under 70 by two shots. Included in that group are: Jack Lempke of Bent Tree Country Club in Texas; Patrick Brady of Colorado National Golf Club in Colorado; Paul Apolenis of Stoneleigh Golf Club in Virginia; Chris Zumpano of Oak Hill Country Club in New York; and Dakun Chang of Twin Orchards Country Club in Illinois.

   Also from the Philadelphia Section, Lookaway Golf Club’s Michael Little is a shot back of Turner in a tie for 37^th with a 2-over 74, Sunnybrook Golf Club’s Corey McAlarney, recent winner of the Philadelphia Section PGA’s Match Play Championship, is tied for 81^st with a 77 and Philadelphia Cricket Club’s Tony Perla is tied for 123^rd with an 82.

   Gene Fieger, who dominated the Philadelphia Section as an assistant pro at Overbrook Golf Club in the 1990s, is tied for 16^th after matching par with a 72. Fieger is playing out of The Club Pelican Bay in Naples, Fla.

   The field will be cut to the low 70 and ties following Friday’s second round. The winner gets $9,000 out of a total purse of $100,000 and also earns a berth in next June’s PGA Professional Championship at the Sunriver Resort in Oregon.