Coe caps big week by earning a spot in next year's KPMG Women's PGA Championship

    Joanna Coe, in her first year as an instructor at Merion Golf Club, and Ashley Grier, who moved on in 2022 after several years as an assistant pro at Overbrook Golf Club, have walked together in a lot of ways in the last few years.

   The presence of women in the pro shop, on the lesson tee, competing on the golf course has been on the rise in recent years. The PGA of America, getting a big push during the recent term of its first woman president, Suzy Whaley, started to recognize the importance of getting more women involved in the role of the club pro that had been historically the domain of men.

   The PGA of America stepped in and rescued one of the LPGA’s major championships, the LPGA Championship, and rebranded it as the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. In doing so, the PGA of America also opened up some spots in an LPGA major championship for its women club pros in much the same way that the PGA Championship has always done for men club pros.

   In the spring of 2019, Coe, then an instructor at Baltimore Country Club, and Grier both teed it up in the PGA Professional Championship – the event once known as the National Club Pro – at Belfair in Bluffton, S.C.

   Both survived the 36-hole cut and then both survived the 54-hole cut. In doing so, Coe and Grier became the first two women to ever survive two cuts and play 72 holes in the PGA Professional Championship.

   Coe’s strong showing at Belfair probably had a little something to do with her being recognized with the inaugural Women’s PGA Professional of the Year award for 2019.

   In the chaotic coronavirus year of 2020, Coe did not receive her award until the postponed KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in October at Aronimink Golf Club, but it was fitting that she received it from Whaley, whose term as president of the PGA of America was coming to an end.

   The second winner of the Women’s PGA Professional of the Year award for 2020 was none other than Grier and she picked that up while earning a spot in the 2021 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship with a third-place finish in the PGA Women’s Stroke Play Championship at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla. in February of 2021.

   The Philadelphia Section PGA finally got around to staging its inaugural Women’s Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship last summer and Grier, appropriately enough, was the winner at Kennett Square Golf & Country Club.

   During her years at Overbrook, Grier had been competitive in the Philadelphia Section PGA events, including a win.

   Looks like Grier has moved on to the Yinglings Golf Center in Hagerstown, Md., close to home for her. Enter Coe to the Philadelphia Section, though, as she moved from Baltimore Country Club and joined the instruction staff at storied Merion, which staged its 19^th USGA event when the Curtis Cup Match was held on the iconic East Course last month.

   When the second Women’s Philadelphia PGA Championship was held July 21^st at Whitford Country Club, it was Coe, picking right up where Grier left off, making nine birdies in a 5-under-par 67 on her way to a seven-shot victory.

   Coe made birdies at the fourth, sixth and seventh holes around bogeys at five and eight. Then she really went off, making four birdies in a five-hole stretch to get it to 5-under for her round. Coe made back-to-back birdies at the ninth and 10^th holes and then went back-to-back again at 12 and 13.

   After a temporary stumble with a double bogey at the 15^th hole, Coe finished strong with birdies at 16 and 18.

   “I struck it really well today and was able to practice between events over the past couple of weeks,” Coe told the Philadelphia Section PGA website. “I’ve been putting well, too, probably for a year now, so I feel if I give myself chances, I can make them.”

   Coe, native of Mays Landing, N.J., was an NCAA Division II national champion at Rollins College and played several years on the Symetra Tour, which underwent a name change early this year to the Epson Tour. Caddied for her in a Partner-Pro event at Stonewall five years ago. She can really play.

   Britt Weddell, part of the team of assistant pros at Stonewall this summer, and Patty Post, the director of golf programs for both the men’s and women’s teams at Delaware, shared second place, each recording a solid 2-over 74.

   It was another six shots back to Abby Mann of Aronimink as she finished alone in fourth place with an 80. Wilmington Country Club’s Andrea Grier, Ashley Grier’s sister, was a shot behind Mann in fifth place with an 81.  Andrea Grier was the runnerup to her sister Ashley a year ago at Kennett Square.

   Jennifer Cully of Honeybrook Golf Club took sixth place with an 82, Victoria Petrosky of Fox Hill Country Club was seventh with an 83, Bridget McLaughlin of St. Davids Golf Club was eighth with an 86, Meg Donohue of Manufacturers’ Golf & Country Club was ninth with an 86 and Linda Neavatt of the Union League’s Liberty Hill Course rounded out the top 10 as she finished alone in 10^th place with an 87.

   The Women’s Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship proved to be the perfect tuneup for Coe for the LPGA Professional National Championship at the Kingsmill Resort’s River Course in Williamsburg, Va. Pretty sure the LPGA Professional National Championship is the descendent of an event that used to be called the LPGA Teaching and Club Professional National Championship.

   The Internet is not exactly forthcoming with a lot of details, but it looks like Coe lost in a three-hole playoff to Sandra Changkija after they finished tied for first place at 2-under 211 in the 54-hole event, which wrapped up Wednesday.

   Coe grabbed the lead heading into the final round with a sparkling 4-under 67 in the second round that featured four birdies and no bogeys. Coe closed with a 1-over 72 and Changkija was able to catch her with a 1-under 70.

   Coe’s second-place finish earned her a spot in next summer’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, which will be held at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J.

   Ashley Grier finished in a tie for 11^th place at Kingsmill with a 5-over 218 total. After opening with a 75, Ashley Grier matched par with a 71 round before closing with a 1-over 72.

   Ashley Grier teed it up in last month’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Congressional Country Club’s Blue Course in Bethesda, Md., pretty heady stuff for a native Marylander to get to tee it up in an LPGA major championship at Congressional. Ashley Grier posted a pair of 85s and failed to make the cut.

   Coe had a streak of at least four straight KPMG Women’s PGA appearances snapped this year, but her runnerup finish at Kingsmill this week will have her back in the field next June at Baltusrol.