I was following a group of district champions in the Class
AAA East Regional Championship at Golden Oaks Golf Club last fall and figured
that the District Two champion from Wallenpaupack, Alex Pillar, was probably
related to a guy whose named popped up a lot in the Philadelphia Section PGA
results, John Pillar, the director of golf at The Country Club at Woodloch
Springs in Hawley.
And wouldn’t you know I would eventually strike up a
conversation with John Pillar, who that day was pretty indistinguishable from
the rest of the parents out there, dying a thousand deaths while trying to
support their kid as he or she tried to take that final step to reach the PIAA
Championship.
As you would expect, we talked a lot about golf. And he
admitted he was starting to like this “senior thing.”
Pillar had qualified for the Senior PGA Professional
Championship with a solid showing at the Philadelphia Senior PGA Professional
Championship at White Manor Country Club.
Well, Pillar is headed back to the national senior Club Pro,
but this time he’ll be there as the Philadelphia Senior PGA Professional
Championship winner.
Pillar had the low round of the day Tuesday, a second
straight 4-under-par 67 at Applebrook Golf Club, an early Gil Hanse design in
East Goshen, for an 8-under 134 total that gave him a three-shot victory in the
Philadelphia Senior PGA Professional Championship.
Pillar will lead a seven-man contingent from the
Philadelphia Section PGA to the 31st Senior PGA Professional
Championship, presented by Cadillac and supported by The Golf Channel and John
Deere, which tees off Oct. 3 at the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa in
Austin, Texas.
The top 35 finishers at Omni Barton Creek will earn a trip
to next spring’s 81st KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship at Harbor
Shores in Benton Harbor, Mich., a PGA Tour Champions major.
Pillar carded a sparkling four-birdie, no-bogey 4-under 67
in Monday’s opening round, but found himself three shots behind Bob Lennon of
Wilmington Country Club.
All Lennon did in the opening round was birdie seven of the
first 10 holes on his way to sizzling 7-under 64. He ended up with nine birdies
and two bogeys on his card.
Lennon had an early eagle at the second hole Tuesday, but
Pillar just kept coming. Pillar had six birdies and two bogeys in posting
another 67 while Lennon backed up, finishing up with a 2-over 73 that left him
alone in second place at 5-under 137.
Pillar, who claimed the Philadelphia PGA Professional
Championship in 2009, joined a short list of players who have won the
Philadelphia Section’s regular and senior titles.
“I feel grateful to join the list of Philadelphia PGA Senior
champions,” Pillar told the Philadelphia Section PGA website. “We have such a
strong contingent of senior players in our Section and to be considered in the
same sentence as those legends is truly an honor.”
Pillar finished two shots out of the top 35 in last fall’s
Senior PGA Professional Championship at the PGA Golf Club’s Wanamaker Course,
but he’ll get another shot to reach the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship when
he travels to Omni Barton Creek in October.
By the way, John Pillar’s son Alex finished in a tie for
eighth at Golden Oaks, which enabled him to close out his scholastic career
with a trip to the PIAA Class AAA Championship the following week at the
Heritage Hills Golf Resort near York.
Brian Kelly of Bucknell Golf Club and Terry Hertzog of the Country
Club of York finished in a tie for third, each posting a 3-under 139 total at
Applebrook. Kelly began the day in a tie for second place after firing an
opening-round 66, but cooled off Tuesday with a 73. Hertzog added an even-par
71 to his opening-round 68.
Kelly represented the Philadelphia Section PGA in last
spring’s KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, which was held at the classic East
Course at Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford, N.Y. Kelly failed to make the cut
at Oak Hill.
Radnor Valley Country Club’s ageless head pro George Forster
earned yet another trip to the Senior PGA Professional Championship as he
finished alone in fifth place, adding a solid 3-under 68 to his opening-round
72 for a 2-under 140 total. Not sure exactly how many times Forster has made it
to the senior Club Pro, but it’s more than 10, probably more than a dozen.
The final two tickets to Omni Barton Creek went to Dave Quinn
of Laurel Creek Country Club and Eddie Perrino of Eagle Run Resort, who
finished in a tie for sixth at 1-under 141. Quinn added an even-par 71 to his
opening-round 70. Perrino had matched Pillar’s opening-round 67, but fell back
with a 3-over 74.
Stu Ingraham, the head of instruction at the M Golf Range
& Learning Center in Newtown Square, and Concord Country Club head pro Mike
Moses are the respective first and second alternates after they shared eighth
place, each landing on even-par 142.
Ingraham, who has played in 31 PGA of America championships
in his remarkable playing career, opened with a 1-under 70 before adding a
1-over 72 Tuesday. Moses opened with a 72 Monday before adding a 1-under 70 in
Tuesday’s second round.
Defending champion Dave McNabb, playing on his home course,
was one of five players who finished in a tie for 10th place at
2-over 144. McNabb, the reigning Philadelphia Section’s Robert “Skee” Riegel
Senior Player of the Year, also represented the Section at Oak Hill and, like
Kelly, failed to make the cut. McNabb finished in a tie for 11th in
the Senior PGA Professional Championship at the PGA Golf Club last fall.
McNabb matched par in the opening round with a 71 before
adding a 2-over 73 Tuesday. Another member of the Applebrook pro shop, Rick
Fleisher, was also in the group tied for 10th after carding a pair
of 72s.
Rounding out the quintet at 2-over 144 were Mark Anderson
(73-71) of Philadelphia Cricket Club, John Cooper (66-78) of Green Valley
Country Club and Jim Bromley (73-71) of Raven’s Claw Golf Club.
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