The Philadelphia Section PGA staged the Doylestown Open
Friday at Doylestown Country Club.
What I do know is that Billy Stewart, an assistant pro at
The ACE Club coming off a playoff victory in the Philadelphia Open at St.
Davids Golf Club a week earlier, and Spring-Ford Country Club head pro Rich
Steinmetz came on strong on the back nine of the 6,550-yard, par-72 Doylestown
layout to shoot matching 4-under 68s.
Not sure if there were plans to break the tie with a
playoff. The evening thunderstorm that crossed the area Friday might have
prevented a playoff from happening.
Bottom line, though, is two of the Philadelphia Section’s
top players topped the field. And both overcame slow starts to do it.
Billy the Kid, who starred scholastically at Malvern Prep
and collegiately at Saint Joseph’s, was 2-over after making a double bogey at
the sixth when he found his groove.
Stewart made birdies at eight, 10 and 11 to get back into
red figures at 1-under. Then he made eagle at the par-5 14th and
finished up a 5-under back-nine 31 with a birdie at the last.
Steinmetz, a product of the golf programs at Perkiomen
Valley and Temple, was also 2-over after making bogeys at the fourth and sixth
holes. He quickly got it back to even-par with back-to-back birdies at the
seventh and eighth holes. Birdies on the incoming nine at 11, 14, 16 and 18
enabled Steinmetz to post a 4-under 32 and match Stewart’s 68.
Stewart and Steinmetz both represented the Philadelphia
Section in last month’s PGA Professional Championship at the Bayonet and Black
Horse Courses on northern California’s Monterey Peninsula. Stewart made the
54-hole cut on the number and finished tied for 69th while Steinmetz
failed to make the 36-hole cut, although he has twice emerged from the National
Club Pro with a ticket to the PGA Championship in his career.
Stu Ingraham, the head of instruction at the M Golf Range in
Newtown Square, had five birdies on his card as he shared third place with Mike
Tobiason of Deerfield Golf Club at 3-under 69. Ingraham is the Section’s
reigning eight-time Robert “Skee” Riegel Senior Player of the Year.
Alex Knoll, an assistant pro at Bethlehem Golf Club, shared
fifth place with Overbrook Golf Club head pro Eric Kennedy, each carding a
2-under 70. Knoll, like Stewart, played four rounds in the PGA Professional
Championship, finishing tied for 49th at Bayonet and Black Horse.
John Spina, a teaching pro at Philadelphia Cricket Club, and
John DiMarco, the head pro at Laurel Creek Country Club finished tied for seventh,
each posting a 1-under 71.
Jason Calhoun, the head coach of the men’s golf team at
Penn, finished alone in ninth at even-par 72.
Rounding out the top 10 were six players tied for 10th
at 1-over 73, including Eric McNamee of Golf Galaxy Montgomery, Lookaway Golf
Club assistant pro Michael Little, Gary Hardin of host club Northampton Country
Club, Vincent Kabaso of Ramblewood Country Club, Ryan McLean of Saucon Valley
Country Club and low amateur Russel Hartung, who starred scholastically at
Central Bucks East and played collegiately at Temple.
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