Barbin brothers get off to strong starts as Assistant PGA Professional Championship tees off

 

   The Barbin brothers, Zach and Austin, got off to a solid start in the opening round of the 50^th Assistant PGA Professional Championship Thursday at the PGA Golf Club’s Wanamaker Course in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

   Zach Barbin and Austin Barbin both work out of the pro at the Chesapeake Bay Golf Club in Rising Sun, Md., which is owned by the Barbin family.

   Each opened with a 4-under-par 68 and landed in the group tied for ninth place.

   Zach Barbin and Austin Barbin both own a victory in the BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship, Zach Barbin capturing the title in the coronavirus summer of 2020 at Lancaster Country Club and Austin Barbin rolling to a win in 2024 at Whitemarsh Valley Country Club.

   The brothers Barbin were college standouts at Liberty.

   Zach Barbin finished in a tie for second place in the Assistant PPC a year ago at the PGA Golf Club, which earned him a return trip to the event.

   Starting off the 10^th tee in Thursday’s opening round, Zach Barbin made back-to-back birdies at the 15^th and 16^th holes before a bogey at 18, the only blemish on his scorecard, dropped him back to 1-under turning for the outgoing nine at the Wanamaker Course.

   Zach Barbin the ripped off birdies at the second, seventh and ninth holes to get to the clubhouse at 4-under.

   Austin Barbin started off the first tee and was bogey-free. After making a birdie at the sixth hole, he went back-to-back with birdies at nine and 10 and then added a fourth birdie at 16 to join the group at 4-under.

   The Barbin brothers were chasing the pair of Cameron Gray of the Darmor Club in Columbus, Texas and Morgan Deneen of Old Sawmill Golf Club in Ridgeville, S.C. as they each scorched the Wanamaker Course layout with a 7-under 65.

   Starting off the 10^th tee, Gray went off on the Wanamaker Course’s incoming nine, rattling off six consecutive birdies at 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 before making a bogey at 18, the only blemish on his card, to fall to 5-under for his round.

   Birdies at the third and eighth holes got Gray to 7-under.

   Starting off the first tee, Deneen, who was bogey-free, made birdies at the first, fourth and seventh holes on the outgoing nine. He twice went back-to-back on the incoming nine with birdies at the 12^th and 13^th holes and again at 15 and 16.

   Heading a trio tied for third place at 6-under, a shot behind the co-leaders, was defending champion Sandra Changkija, an instructor at Sugar Mill Country Club in New Smyrna Beach, Fla.

   Changkija, who played on the LPGA Tour, became the first woman to capture the Assistant PPC crown a year ago.

   Joining Changkija at 6-under were Jon Moles of the River Bend Club in Great Falls, Va. and Matt Campbell of Teugega Country Club in Rome, N.Y.

   Another Philadelphia Section PGA representative, the ever-steady Trevor Bensel of LuLu Country Club, opened with a 3-under 69 and was in the group tied for 16^th place.

   A couple of Philly Section entries, Zac Oakley, an instructor at Bidermann Golf Club, and Anthony Sebastianelli, working out of the Whitford Country Club pro shop, were among the group tied for 50^th place, each matching par with a 72.

   Oakley often contends in this championship. He finished in seventh place a year ago and shared runnerup honors two years ago.

   Sebastianelli captured the title in the Philadelphia Assistant PGA Professional Championship at Laurel Creek Country Club in June, which was the qualifier for this week’s Assistant PPC.

   Andrew Cornish, an assistant pro at Llanerch Country Club, opened with a 3-over 74 and was in the group tied for 89^th place.

   Brian Bergstol, the head of instruction at the Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort, was among the group tied for 95^th place with a 3-over 75.

   Bergstol finished alone in second place in the Assistant PPC in 2021 and ended up in a tie for second in 2022.

   Rounding out the Philly Section contingent was Logan Hay of Burlington Country Club as he opened with a 5-over 77 and was in a tie for 115^th place. Hay lost to Sebastianelli in a playoff in the Philadelphia Assistant PPC at Laurel Creek.

   There will be a cut following Friday’s second round down to the low 70s and ties.

   A couple of familiar names in the group tied for 36^th place at 1-under 71 in Alex Pillar, the son of John Pillar, the director of golf at the Country Club at Woodloch Springs, and Ashley Grier, who spent the early part of her career as a PGA professional at Overbrook Golf Club.

   Alex Pillar, who played his college golf at Newberry College, is working out of the pro shop at Sunningdale Country Club in Scarsdale, N.Y. Grier is representing the Legacy Golf & Tennis Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla., so it’s a home game for her.

   Caleb Ryan, a three-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier while representing Norristown High on the golf course, joined Hay in the group tied for 115^th at 5-over.

   Ryan, a product of the golf management program at Division III power Methodist, is working in the pro shop at the Country Club of New Canaan in Connecticut.

   The Assistant PPC, which has a total purse of $225,000, is supported by The Golf Channel and Srixon/Cleveland Golf.