Oakley ends up in a tie for third as Cole finishes with a flourish to take title in Assistant PGA Professional Championship

 

   Zac Oakley, an instructor in the Bidermann Golf Club pro shop, matched par with a 72 in the final round of the National Car Rental Assistant PGA Professional Championship at the PGA Golf Club’s Wanamaker Course in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Sunday to finish in a tie for third place with an 8-under 280 total.

   Oakley was playing in the final group with Preston Cole of the Quail Valley Club and Mike Ballo Jr. of Westchester Country Club, the co-leaders heading into Sunday’s final round.

   Cole led Mike Ballo by two shots and Oakley by four going to the par-4 finishing hole at the Wanamaker Course. Cole had 124 yards left and his pitching wedge found the green and one-hopped right into the cup for a dramatic eagle hole-out that gave him a deceiving three-shot margin of victory over Mike Ballo.

   “I knew I hit it good, but I didn’t see it go in,” Cole, representing the Carolinas Section PGA, told Craig Dolch of the PGA of America website. “It wasn’t until everyone started cheering that I knew it was in. Then it was just relief because I knew it was over and I had won.”

   Mike Ballo and Oakley added to the show at the finishing hole of the Assistant PGA Professional Championship, supported by Srixon, Cleveland Golf and Asics, as both stiffed their approaches inches from the hole for tap-in birdies.

   Cole had started fast with birdie at the seventh and eighth holes that got him to 11-under for the championship. But bogeys at the ninth, 11^th and 12^th holes dropped him back to 8-under.

   Cole then spurted away from the field with birdies at the 13^th, 14^th and 16^th holes and was at 11-under going to the 18^th tee. His heroics at the last gave Cole a final round of 3-under 69 and a 13-under 275 total that earned him the winner’s check of $12,500.

   Mike Ballo was right there with Cole the whole way. Mike Ballo got off to a fast start with birdies at the first and third holes. Bogeys at the 11^th and 14^th holes dropped him back to 9-under. A birdie at the 15^th hole got him to 10-under, but a bogey at 17 gave Cole a two-shot cushion going to the finishing hole.

   Mike Ballo’s birdie at the 18^th hole gave him a 1-under 71 in the final round that left him alone in second place, three shots behind Cole with a 10-under 278 total.

   After opening his final round with a birdie at the first hole, Oakley, winner of the Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship in September, made bogeys at five and seven. He tried to start a back-nine surge with a birdie at the 11^th hole, but bogeys at 12 and 15 dropped him back to 6-under for the championship.

   Oakley finished strong, making a birdie at the 17^th hole and knocking it close at 18 for another birdie that enabled him to match par in the final round with a 72 and finish in a tie for third place with Mike Ballo’s younger brother, Peter Ballo, at 8-under.

   Oakley’s tie for third place exempts him into next fall’s NCR Assistant PGA Professional Championship. He was exempt into this year’s championship by finishing in a tie fourth place in the Assistant PGA Professional Championship a year ago at the PGA Golf Club.

   Peter Ballo, who works out of the pro shop at Connecticut Golf Club and, like his older brother, represents the Metropolitan Section, also matched par in the final round with a 72 to get a share of third place with Oakley. Pretty strong showing by Team Ballo, going 2-3 in the biggest event an assistant club pro plays in.

   Trevor Bensel, who works out of the pro shop at Sandy Run Country Club, gave the Philadelphia Section, a second finisher inside the top seven as he carded a 3-under 69 in the final round to finish alone in seventh place with a 4-under 284 total.

   Bensel had five birdies on his scorecard at the third, seventh, 13^th, 16^th and 17^th holes to offset his only blemish, a double bogey at six.

   Cole’s victory earns him an exemption into next spring’s PGA Professional Championship at Fields Ranch at PGA Frisco, one of the courses at the new headquarters of the PGA of America in Texas.

   Oakley and Bensel punched their tickets to Fields Ranch for the event once known as the National Club Pro with their strong showings in the Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship at the Country Club of Scranton and Elmhurst Country Club.

   Brian Bergstol, the head of instruction at the Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort, closed with a 2-over 74 to finish among the group tied for 26^th place with a 5-over 293 total. Bergstol had been the runnerup in the NCR Assistant PGA Professional Championship in each of the last two playings.

   Parks Price, an instructor at the Country Club of York, finished up with a 1-over 73 to end up in the group tied for 45^th place with a 12-over 300 total.

   Rusty Harbold, who works out of the pro shop at Philadelphia Cricket Club, was the last of the five Philadelphia Section pros who survived the cut and played the weekend at the Wanamaker Course. Harbold closed with a 4-over 76 to finish among the group tied for 60^th place with a 303 total.

   Ashley Grier, who was the top female player in the Philadelphia Section before moving from Overbrook Golf Club to Yinglings Golf Center in Hagerstown, Md., also made the cut and posted a final round of 6-over 78 to finish in the group tied for 63^rd place with a 304 total. Grier was representing the Middle Atlantic Section.