By the time I post this, the second round of the Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship will be well under way at the Country Club of Scranton and Elmhurst Country Club in northeastern Pennsylvania.
Thought I’d try to put together a quick roundup of Monday’s opening round before heading up to Stonewall’s North Course to watch a match or two in the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship Tuesday afternoon.
Bob Lennon of Wilmington Country Club and Zac Oakley, an instructor in the Bidermann Golf Club pro shop, each carded a 5-under-par 67 at Elmhurst Monday to share the lead following the opening round of the Philadelphia Section PGA’s championship event.
The Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship is also the first step in a journey that can take a Philadelphia Section pro to the PGA Championship, a major championship on the PGA Tour that will tee off May 13, 2024 at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky.
The top finishers in this week’s Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship will represent the Philadelphia Section in the PGA Professional Championship, which tees off April 28, 2024 at Fields Ranch at PGA Frisco in Texas.
The top 20 finishers at PGA Frisco in what used to be known as the National Club Pro form the Colebridge Financial PGA Team that will represent club pros all over the country at Valhalla.
Braden Shattuck, an assistant pro at Rolling Green Golf Club, became just the second Philadelphia Section pro to win the PGA Professional Championship last spring at Twin Warriors Golf Club in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M. and went on to tee it up in a major professional championship for the first time in his career in the PGA at Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford, N.Y.
Shattuck, whose victory in New Mexico in the spring exempts him into next spring’s PGA Professional Championship, was one of five players tied for eighth place following an opening round of 2-under at the Country Club of Scranton, which played a little tougher than Elmhurst did Monday.
The field will switch courses for Tuesday’s second round after which there will be a cut to the low 60 and ties.
Lennon is having himself quite a summer. At age 63, he claimed his first career victory in a Philadelphia Section event in the Conestoga Classic at Conestoga Country Club.
The hot putter that helped Lennon go low at Conestoga apparently heated up again Monday. He made six birdies in the first 14 holes at Elmhurst at two, four, six, 10, 11 and 14. A bogey at the 15th hole slowed Lennon’s roll, but he bounced back with a birdie at 16 to get it to 6-under before a bogey at 18 left him with a solid 5-under start.
Oakley, the Rolex/Haverford Trust Player of the Year in the Philadelphia Section two years ago, jump-started his round with an eagle at the par-5 10th hole at Elmhurst. He added three more birdies on the incoming nine at Elmhurst at the 13th, 14th and 17th holes around the lone blemish on his scorecard, a bogey at 16. He also made a birdie at the second hole.
Alex Knoll of Glen Brook Golf Club went back-to-back, winning the Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship in 2019 and 2020. He opened with a solid 4-under 68 at Elmhurst to get a share of third place with Rob Shuey of the Colonial Golf & Tennis Club, who went 4-under at the Country Club of Scranton. Knoll and Shuey stood just a shot behind the co-leaders, Lennon and Oakley.
Billy Stewart, an instructor at the Union League’s Liberty Hill Course and the winner of the Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship in 2018, carded a 3-under 69 at Elmhurst to get a share of fifth place with Michael Meisenzahl of Little Mill Country Club, Meisenzahl going 3-under at the Country Club of Scranton.
Among the players joining Shattuck in a tie for eighth place at 2-under was Sandy Run Country Club’s Trevor Bensel, one of the Section’s most talented players who is coming off a victory in last month’s Pro-Am for Wishes at Penn Oaks Golf Club. Bensel registered a 70 at Elmhurst.
Rounding out the quintet at 2-under were the Manufacturers Golf & Country Club pair of Rob Wolfers and Alex Willey and Robert Fenton of Sunnybrook Golf Club, all three of whom tallied 70s at Elmhurst.
The Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship
is presented by Club Car, Corebridge Financial and Rolex and is
supported by The Golf Channel, Gallagher, the PGA Tour, Titleist,
FootJoy, Callaway, Nike, TaylorMade Golf and SCNS Foods.
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