There is so much talent among the Philadelphia Section PGA’s senior contingent, maybe Wilmington Country Club’s Bob Lennon doesn’t immediately come to mind.
But the 63-year-old Lennon beat them all, young, old and in between, in claiming his first career Philadelphia Section victory with a sparkling 5-under-par 65 that enabled him to finish a shot ahead of a whole gang of challengers in the Conestoga Classic at Conestoga Country Club near Lancaster June 19th.
Lennon said he made four birdies in a row to start his round, which would seem to indicate there was some kind of modified shotgun start because he made birdies at the 16th, 17th, 18th and first holes.
Lennon added birdies at the third, fifth and 10th holes for a total of seven that offset bogeys at nine and 13.
“It’s about time,” Lennon told the Philadelphia Section PGA website. “My putter isn’t usually too hot, but today I putted great. I started off with four straight birdies, which really got the adrenaline going from the beginning.”
The Conestoga Classic was a Rolex/Haverford Trust Company Player of the Year points event and the third in the series of four Silvercrest Cup qualifiers. That earned Lennon an added $2,500 out of the Silvercrest Cup bonus pool on top of his Conestoga Classic winner’s check.
Seven players chased Lennon only to come up a shot short of catching him as they finished in a tie for second place, each landing on 4-under 66.
Heading that group was Rolling Green Golf Club head on instruction Braden Shattuck, who in early May became just the second Philadelphia Section player to win the PGA Professional Championship with a gutty performance at Twin Warriors Golf Club in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M.
Shattuck is the reigning Rolex/Haverford Trust Player of the Year in the Philadelphia Section.
Also in the group at 4-under was another of the Philadelphia Section’s senior standouts, Laurel Creek Country Club’s Dave Quinn.
Rounding out the group at 4-under were Andrew Turner of Berkshire Country Club, David Hicks of Philadelphia Country Club, Anthony Schweppe of the Sittler Golf Center, Michael Little of Clubhouse 54 and John Lynch of Bidermann Golf Club.
The Philadelphia Section’s top female player, Joanna Coe, the head of instruction at Merion Golf Club, tuned up for her appearance in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, a major on the LPGA Tour, at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J. with a solid 3-under 67 at Conestoga that left her in a tie for ninth place.
Rumor has it a busload of Merion members went up to Baltusrol to support “JoCoe.” She didn’t play badly, battling to a second round of 3-over 74 after opening with a 77 for a 9-over 151 total. The Lower Course played tough with the cut falling at 5-over 147.
Joining Coe at 3-under at Conestoga were Bent Creek Country Club’s Terry Hertzog, another of the Philadelphia Section’s senior standouts, and Dustin Wallis of the Country Club at Woodloch Springs.
The top senior prize went to Brian Kelly of Bucknell Golf Club, whose 2-under 68 actually left him in fourth place behind Lennon, Quinn and Hertzog, but they were displaced since they cashed in the overall scoring.
Fifth place in the senior division went to Wallis’ boss at the Country Club at Woodloch Springs, John Pillar, the director of golf there who recorded a solid 1-under 69.
Turner prevailed in a playoff with Hicks in the simultaneous Philadelphia Assistants’ Organization (PAO) event.
Brian Bergstol, the head of instruction at the Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort, DuPont Country Club’s Matt Finger and Cedarbrook Country Club’s Andrew Cornish finished in a tie for third place in the PAO competition, each registering a 2-under 68.
Coe’s 67 gave her a first-place finish in the women’s division. Brit Weddell of Green Valley Country Club and Kelly Sanderson of Huntingdon Valley Country Club shared second place as each carded a 6-over 76.
The Conestoga Classic was supported by Jani-King, KM Golf Sales, Ohana Farm LLC, Silvercrest Asset Management Group and the PGA Tour.
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