Alex Knoll, the head pro at Blue Shamrock Golf Club, led a
group of four pros from the Philadelphia Section PGA that survived the 36-hole
cut after Monday’s second round of the PGA Professional Championship at Belfair
in Bluffton, S.C.
Knoll had fired an opening round of 4-under-par 67 on
Belfair’s par-71 East Course Sunday and was just two shots out of the lead. But
some gusty winds buffeted Bluffton Monday and Knoll fell back with a 4-over 76
on Belfair’s 4-over 76 West Course for an even-par 143 total that left him the
group tied for 17th place.
Still, Knoll is very much in the hunt for the ultimate goal
at the PGA Professional Championship, presented by Cadillac, Club Car and
OMEGA, which is a top-20 finish that earns you a ticket to the PGA Championship,
which tees off May 16 at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y. on Long Island.
It won’t be much of a road trip to the PGA Championship if
the two players at the top of the leaderboard hang on and finish among the top
20.
Alex Beach, a 29-year-old assistant pro at Westchester
Country Club in Rye, N.Y., and Danny Balin, a 37-year-old assistant pro at
Fresh Meadow Country Club in Lake Success, N.Y., are rivals and friends on the
Metropolitan Section PGA circuit.
Beach actually just started at Westchester, taking the spot
in the pro shop vacated by Balin when he accepted a position at Fresh Meadow.
Beach eagled the par-5 third hole to jump-start his round
Monday. He went on to card a 4-under 67 on Belfair’s East Course for an 8-under
135 total that gave him a one-shot lead over Balin. Beach had opened with a
4-under 68 on Belfair’s West Course Sunday.
Balin had six birdies against a lone bogey on his way to a
5-under 66 on Belfair’s East Course which, combined with his opening-round 70
on Belfair’s West Course, gave him a 7-under 136 total.
Matt Lohmeyer, an instructor at GOLFTec in Fort Worth,
Texas, was alone in third place, two shots behind Balin at 5-under 138 after
adding a 4-under 68 on Belfair’s West Course to his opening round of 1-under 70
Sunday Belfair’s East Course.
The survivors of the 36-hole cut, which fell at 5-over 148,
will all play at Belfair’s West Course for Tuesday’s third round. There will be
another cut to the low 70 and ties at the end of the third round.
Overbrook Golf Club assistant pro Ashley Grier, one of four
women in the field, is in very good position to make that cut after Tuesday’s
third round. Grier added a solid 1-under 71 at Belfair’s West Course to her
opening round of 2-over 73 at Belfair’s East Course and is tied for 26th
at 1-over 144.
Spring-Ford Country Club head pro Rich Steinmetz, who has
qualified for the PGA Championship at least twice out of the event once known
simply as the National Club Pro, bounced back from an opening round of 3-over
75 at Belfair’s West Course with a 1-over 72 at Belfair’s East Course that left
him in the group tied for 59th at 4-over 147.
Lookaway Golf Club assistant pro Michael Little made the cut
on the number at 5-over 148 after adding an even-par 72 at Belfair’s West
Course to the 5-over 76 he carded in the opening round at Belfair’s East
Course.
Joanna Coe, a Mays Landing, N.J. native who is the
three-time reigning Middle Atlantic Section PGA OMEGA Women’s Player of the
Year, was among the group tied for 32nd at 2-over 145. Coe, an
instructor at Baltimore Country Club, added a 2-over 74 at Belfair’s West
Course Monday to her opening round of even-par 71 at Belfair’s East Course.
Billy Stewart, an assistant pro at The ACE Club and the
reigning Philadelphia Section PGA OMEGA Player of the Year, couldn’t get it going
at Belfair in his second PGA Professional Championship appearance and headed the
group of Philadelphia Section PGA pros who failed to make the 36-hole cut. Stewart
carded a 5-over 77 at Belfair West’s Course Monday after opening with a 5-over
76 at Belfair’s East Course in the opening round for a 10-over 153 total.
The PGA Championship’s move from August to May dictated that
the PGA Professional Championship had to move from June to April. That move may
favor some of the club pros from areas where year-round golf is possible.
A lot of the Philadelphia Section PGA pros have a chance to
go south in the winter to play some golf, but not for the whole winter. The
Philadelphia Section PGA contingent definitely didn’t seem to be in midseason form
at Belfair.
Mark Sheftic, the head of instruction at Merion Golf Club
who has contended for this championship a couple of times, and Brian Hollins of
The Links Golf Club both landed among the group at 154. Sheftic added a 3-over
75 at Belfair’s West Course to his opening-round 79 at Belfair’s East Course.
Hollins bounced back from an opening round of 6-over 78 at Belfair’s West
Course with a 5-over 76 at Belfair’s East Course.
The Country Club of York head pro Terry Hertzog and
Philadelphia Cricket Club assistant pro Rusty Harbold both landed in the group
at 12-over 155. Hertzog carded a 5-over 77 at Belfair’s West Course Monday
after opening with a 7-over 78 at Belfair’s East Course. Harbold added a 7-over
78 at Belfair’s East Course Monday to his opening round of 5-over 77 at Belfair’s
West Course.
Stu Ingraham, the head of instruction at the M Golf Range in
Newtown Square, added an 80 at Belfair’s West Course to his opening-round 76 at
Belfair’s East Course to end up at 156. Ingraham, playing in his 31st
PGA of America championship, has taken the National Club Pro route to the PGA
Championship six times in his career.
Harbold’s colleague in the Cricket Club pro shop, Mark
Anderson, added an 84 at Belfair’s East Course to his opening-round 80 at
Belfair’s West Course for a 164 total.
Whitford Country Club head pro Mike Ladden struggled to an
87 at Belfair’s West Course Monday after opening with an 83 at Belfair’s East
Course for a 170 total.
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