Nicholas finishes second, leads Drexel to third in the team standings in CAA Championship

   It wasn’t quite the first-place finish and NCAA regional berth it had hoped for, but Drexel capped a solid season by finishing in third place in the Colonial Athletic Association Championship, which wrapped up April 25^th at Dataw Island’s Cotton Dike Course on Saint Helena Island, S.C.

   And the Dragons got one last outstanding performance from Drue Nicholas, a junior from Egg Harbor Township, N.J. who was their best player all season. Nicholas, a St. Augustine Prep product, finished up with a 3-under-par 69 over the 6,998-yard, par-72 Cotton Dike layout to finish in second place in the individual chase with a 7-under 209 total.

   There would be no denying Patrick Sparks and North Carolina Wilmington, however. Sparks, a junior from Peru, rolled to the individual title with an 11-over 205 total that was four shots clear of Nicholas.

   After opening with a 4-under 68, Sparks erupted for a CAA Championship record 7-under 65 in the second round before matching par in the final round with a 72.

   The Seahawks actually trailed Drexel by four shots after they opened with a 1-over 289, but, fueled by Sparks’ scintillating 65, UNCW matched the CAA Championship single-round record with a 15-under 273 in the second round to take a commanding 16-shot lead over the Dragons into the final round.

   UNCW closed with a solid 1-under 287 for a 15-under 849 total that gave the Seahawks their eighth CAA crown and a spot in the NCAA’s Norman Regional, where they will the 11 seed.

   Elon closed with the best round of the day in the final round, a 10-under 278, to overtake Drexel for second place with a 6-under 858 total that left the Phoenix nine shots behind UNCW. Elon had struggled to a 10-over 298 in the opening round, but bounced back with a 6-under 282 total before its strong finish.

   Drexel had grabbed the lead after opening with a 3-under 285. The Dragons added a 5-over 293 in the second round before closing with a 6-over 294 to finish in third place with an 8-over 872 total that was 14 shots behind Elon.

   Defending CAA champion College of Charleston and William & Mary finished in a tie for fourth place, each landing on 14-over 878 total that left them six shots behind Drexel.

   College of Charleston carried the CAA banner all the way to the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. by advancing out of the Palm Beach Regional a year ago. The Cougars matched par in the second round at Dataw Island with a 288 after opening with a 3-over 291 before finishing up with an 11-over 299.

   After opening with an 8-over 296, the Tribe added a 2-over 290 in the second round before finishing up with a 4-over 292.

   Delaware finished in sixth place in the 10-team field with a 20-over 884 total as the Blue Hens bounced back from an opening-round 300 with a 3-over 291 in the second round before closing with a 5-over 293.

   Backing up Sparks for UNCW was Walker Isley, a junior from Oak Island, N.C. who finished in a tie for third place with Elon’s Matt Doyle, a sophomore from Summerville, S.C., each landing on 4-under 212, three shots behind Drexel’s Nicholas.

   Isley struggled to a 4-over 76 in the opening round before contributing a 5-under 67 to the Seahawks’ second-round surge and then closing with a solid 3-under 69.

   Rone Bokeid, a freshman from Norway, gave UNCW a third finisher in the top seven in the individual standings as he finished alone in seventh place with a 1-under 215 total. Bokeid sandwiched a 3-under 69 in the second round with a pair of 1-over 73s.

   Bokeid’s fellow Norwegian, Sander Akeren, a junior, finished among the group tied for 18^th place with a 6-over 222 total as he bounced back from an opening-round 77 by matching par in the second round with a 72 before closing with a 1-over 73.

   Rounding out the UNCW lineup was Gray Mitchum, a freshman from Greenville, N.C. who finished among the group tied  for 22^nd place with an 8-over 224 total. After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Mitchum added a 1-over 73 in the second round before struggling to a 79 in the final round.

   Nicholas took some momentum into the wraparound 2022-2023 college season by winning the Patterson Cup, one of the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s major championships, in a playoff with Michael R. Brown Jr. at St. Davids Golf Club last summer.

   He was solid all season for Ben Feld’s Dragons and finished the spring in style with his runnerup finish at Dataw Island. Nicholas had finished in a tie for fourth place while leading Drexel to third in the team standings at Dataw Island a year ago.

   Nicholas opened with a 1-under 71 in this year’s CAA Championship and added a 3-under 69 in the second round. Nobody was going to catch Sparks, but Nicholas’ solid final-round 69 enabled him to earn a runnerup finish.

   Elon’s Doyle shared third place with UNCW’s Isley at 4-under as Doyle matched par in the opening round with a 72 and added a 3-under 69 in the second round before closing with a 1-under 71.

   Doyle’s teammate Landon Durham, a freshman from Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., shared fifth place with defending CAA individual champion Kieron van Wyk, a sophomore at College of Charleston from South Africa, each landing on 2-under 214.

   Durham bounced back from an opening round of 4-over 76 with a sparkling 4-under 68 in the second round before finishing up with a 2-under 70.

   Van Wyk was the driving force in the Cougars’ run to the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk a year ago. He added a 3-under 69 in the second round to his opening round of 2-under 70 before falling back a little in the final round with a 3-over 75.

   Van Wyk will represent College of Charleston in the NCAA Salem Regional, hosted by Clemson at The Cliffs at Keowee Falls, where he will compete as an individual.

   William & Mary’s Trevor Binau, a senior from Columbus, Ohio, finished a shot behind UNCW’s Bokeid in eighth place with an even-par 216 total. After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Binau carded a 1-under 71 in the second round before closing with a 1-over 73.

   Jack Halleron, a junior from Timonium, Md., gave Delaware a top-10 finisher as he shared ninth place with Elon’s Bronson Myers, a senior from Columbia, S.C., each ending up two shots behind Binau at 2-over 218.

   After opening with a 3-over 75, Halleron recorded a solid 3-under 69 in the second round before closing with a 2-over 74. Myers gave Elon a third finisher in the top nine as he added a 2-over 74 in the second round to his opening-round 75 before finishing strong with a 3-under 69.

   Backing up Nicholas for Drexel was the pair of Griffin Mitchell, a junior from New Albany, Ohio, and Tafadzwa Nyamukondiwa, a junior from Zimbabwe, as they each landed in the group tied for 13^th place at 4-over 220.

   Mitchell sandwiched a 4-over 76 in the second round with a pair of even-par 72s. Nyamukondiwa posted back-to-back 2-over 74s in the first two rounds before matching par in the final round with a 72.

   Brockton English, a sophomore from Shelby Township, Mich., finished in a tie for 25^th place with a 9-over 225 total as he got off to a great start with a 3-under 69 in the opening round and added a 2-over 74 in the second round before struggling to an 82 in the final round.

   Senior Liam Hart, the PIAA Class AAA champion in 2017 as a junior at Holy Ghost Prep, played the first two rounds at Dataw Island, opening with a solid 1-over 73 and adding a 4-over 76 in the second round. Feld subbed in Oscar Maxfield, a graduate student from Salt Lake City, Utah, for the final round and Maxfield registered an 81.

   Backing up Halleron for Delaware was Michal Bargenda, a senior from Poland who finished in the group tied for 13^th place with a 4-over 220 total. After struggling to a 78 in the opening round, Bargenda added a 3-over 75 in the second round before easily taking low-Blue Hen honors in the final round with a sizzling 5-under 67.

   Casper Nerpin, a freshman from Sweden, shared 25^th place with Drexel’s English with a 9-over 225 total. Nerpin struggled to a 78 in the opening round before adding a 2-over 74 in the second round and closing with a solid 1-over 73.

   Xiong Da, a sophomore from China, finished in the group tied for 27^th place with a 10-over 226 total as he opened with a solid 1-over 73, added a 2-over 74 in the second round and struggled a little in the final round with a 79.

   Rounding out the Delaware lineup was Sparky Ariyachatvakin, a junior from Thailand who finished alone in 31^st place with a 228 total as he carded back-to-back 2-over 74s in the first two rounds before struggling a little in the final round with an 80.

O'Keefe leads the way as Penn captures Ivy League crown by four shots over Harvard

   For Penn seniors Susan Xiao of Canada and Selina Li of Hong Kong, a team title in the Ivy League Championship, which wrapped up April 23^rd at Century Country Club in Purchase, N.Y., probably had a little more meaning than a conference championship and a trip to the NCAA regionals, as significant as those accomplishments were.

   Xiao and Li were around for the dark days when the arrival of a deadly coronavirus shut down the college golf season in the spring of 2020.

   But it wasn’t just the conclusion of the wraparound 2019-2020 season that was affected for Ivy League golfers. While some college programs resumed playing in the fall of 2020 and just about everybody was back on the links in the spring of 2021, the Ivy League remained cautious in the face of the ongoing pandemic and none of the league’s athletes were able to compete for the duration of the 2020-2021 school year.

   It's not like golf is the be all and end all for an Ivy League player. They’re there for the education. Nobody’s at Penn trying to make it to the LPGA Tour. But there are a lot of people, and Ivy League graduates are certainly among them, who think sports is a big part of developing the whole person for the professional life that lies ahead.

   Xiao and Li will always have a year-and-a-half hole in their college golf careers. But a four-shot victory over Harvard in the Ivy League Championship will always be there, too, as a reminder that unimagined adversity can be overcome, that an ultimate triumph may still be out there even when things seem pretty hopeless.

   The Quakers were led by a freshman, Bridget O’Keefe of Palo Alto, Calif., who finished in third place in the individual standings with an 8-over-par 224 total over a 6,086-yard, par-72 Century Country Club layout made even more challenging in the final round with rain and windy conditions.

   Penn opened the weekend with an 8-over 296, which turned out to be the best team round of the tournament. The Quakers added a 307 in the second round that gave them a one-shot lead over Harvard heading into the final round.

   A final round of 15-over 303 enabled Penn to finish with a 42-over 906 total and hold off Harvard by four shots for only the second Ivy League crown in the history of the program and the first for the Quakers since 2010.

   Three days later, Penn found out it was headed for the Palm Beach Gardens Regional, where it will be the 11 seed when the tournament tees off Monday. Penn head coach Mark Anderson was named the Ivy League’s Coach of the Year. He is capably supported by assistant coach Karen Siegel, the runnerup in the Senior division in last summer’s Pennsylvania Women’s Amateur Championship at Lancaster Country Club.

   Harvard, behind individual champion Isabella Gomez, a freshman from Colombia, was right there with Penn the whole weekend. The Crimson added a 304 in the second round to its opening round of 12-over 300 to creep within a shot of the Quakers going into the final round. Harvard closed with a 306 to earn runnerup honors with a 46-over 910 total.

   Gomez took control of the individual chase with an opening round of 2-under 70, the best individual round of the tournament. She added a 3-over 75 in the second round before closing with a solid 2-over 74 in some difficult conditions in the final round for a 3-over 219 total that was four shots clear of runnerup Catherine Rao, a freshman at Princeton from Camarillo, Calif.

   Gomez will represent Harvard in the Athens Regional, where she will compete as an individual.

   It was another six shots back to Dartmouth in third place as the Big Green added a 306 in the second round to their opening round of 307 before closing with a 303 for a 52-over 916 total.

   Yale was two shots behind Dartmouth in fourth place with a 54-over 918 total. The Bulldogs opened with a 306 and added a 308 in the second round before finishing up with a 304.

   Defending champion Princeton, behind Rao’s runnerup finish, was a shot behind Yale in fifth place with a 55-over 919 total. The Tigers were just a shot behind Penn with a solid opening round of 9-over 297, but backed off with a 312 in the second round and a final round of 310.

   Rao matched par in the opening round with a 72 and struggled a little with a 78 in the second round before closing with a 1-over 73 to finish four shots behind Harvard’s Gomez with a 7-over 223 total.

   Rounding out the six-team field was Columbia, which finished in sixth place with a 953 total as the Lions sandwiched a 325 in the second round with a pair of 314s.

   Penn’s O’Keefe was Gomez’s closest pursuer in the battle for the individual title going into the final round as O’Keefe matched par in the second round, the low individual round of the day, after opening with a 2-over 74 that left her just a shot behind the eventual individual champion.

   O’Keefe fell back a little with a 6-over 78 in the final round, but that still left her alone in third place with an 8-over 224 total.

   Backing up O’Keefe for Penn was Natalie Cao, a sophomore from Sugar Land, Texas who finished alone in sixth place with a 13-over 229 total. Cao carded back-to-back 3-over 75s in the first two rounds before closing with a 79.

   The rest of the Penn lineup, the two seniors, Xiao and Li, and Julie Shin, a freshman from Brambleton, Va., all finished among the large group of eight players tied for 10^th place at 232. That meant the entire Penn lineup finished in the top 10, a recipe for success in team golf on the college level.

   Xiao contributed an even-par 72 to Penn’s fast start in the opening round before adding an 81 in the second round and finishing up with a 79. After adding a 79 in the second round to her opening-round 80, Li delivered a crucial 1-over 73 as the Quakers were trying to hold off Harvard in the final round. After opening with a 78, Shin struggled to an 84 in the second round. But Shin matched Li for the low round of the final round with a 1-over 73 that went a long way toward delivering an Ivy League championship for Penn.

   Dartmouth senior Samantha Yao, who was District One’s best player for three years during her scholastic career at Conestoga, and Yale’s Coco Chai, a senior from China, finished in a tie for fourth place in the individual standings, each landing on 9-over 225, a shot behind Penn’s O’Keefe.

   Yao won back-to-back District One Class AAA individual crowns in 2016 and ’17 and had three straight top-10 finishes in the PIAA Class AAA Championship. It looked like Yao’s college career was going to end with the arrival of the coronavirus as Dartmouth briefly dropped its men’s and women’s golf programs in the aftermath of the early days of the pandemic.

   Sounded like some deep-pocketed Dartmouth alums with ties to the golf programs got together and made sure men’s and women’s golf continued at Dartmouth because golf people are like that.

   In Yao’s final appearance for Dartmouth, she added a 77 in the second round to her opening round of 3-over 75 before closing with her best round of the tournament, a 1-over 73. Chai was only four shots behind Gomez in the individual chase after adding a 2-over 74 in the second round to her opening-round 75. Chai struggled a little in the final round’s tough conditions, finishing up with a 79.

   Chai’s Yale teammate, senior Ami Gianchandani, a product of The Pingrey School, and Harvard’s Iris Wang, a freshman from Hong Kong, finished in a tie for seventh place, each posting a 14-over 230.

   Gianchandani isn’t just good for any Ivy League player, she’s just a good player, period. She beat a future major champion when she took down Patty Tavatanakit in a round-of-16 match in the 2017 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship at Boone Valley Golf Club in Augusta, Mo.

   Gianchandani earned a spot in the field for last spring’s U.S. Women’s Open at the Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C. and missed the 36-hole cut by a shot.

   In her final appearance for Yale, Gianchandani added a 78 in the second round to her opening round of 5-over 77 before finishing up with a 3-over 75. Wang sandwiched an 80 in the second round with a pair of 3-over 75s.

   Yao’s Dartmouth teammate, Sophie Thai, a freshman from Los Altos, Calif., finished a shot behind Gianchandani and Wang in ninth place with a 15-over 231 total. Thai opened with a 3-over 75 and added an 80 in the second round before closing with a 4-over 76.

 

 

 

 

 

Shattuck's clutch par putt gives him the title in PGA Professional Championship

   Braden Shattuck stared down the 12-foot putt Wednesday that would win him the most prestigious title a club professional can aspire to … and he just buried it.

   The reigning Rolex/Haverford Trust Player of the Year in the Philadelphia Section PGA capped a really solid final round at Twin Warriors Golf Club in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M. by saving par on the 18^th hole with that putt, completing a three-birdie, one-bogey 2-under-par 70 under what had to be the most intense pressure he has ever faced on a golf course.

   The 28-year-old Shattuck, the head of instruction at Rolling Green Golf Club who starred scholastically at Sun Valley, finished the grueling 72-hole test that is the PGA Professional Championship with a 9-under 279 total that was one shot better than Matt Cahill, the head pro at Seminole Golf Club, the iconic Donald Ross design in Juno Beach, Fla., and Michael Block, the head pro at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, Calif.

   By finishing in the top 20 in the PGA Professional Championship – I prefer its old-school moniker, the National Club Pro – Shattuck earned a spot on the Corebridge Financial PGA Team and will have a starting time when the PGA Championship, the second of the four major professional championships, tees off May 18^th at Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford, N.Y., outside of Rochester.

   It will be Shattuck’s debut in a PGA Tour event and it will be his debut in a major championship.

   The victory goes with a neat trophy, the crystal Walter Hagen Cup, and a pretty nice payday, too, a cool $60,000.

   “It feels incredible – I can’t imagine being here right now,” Shattuck told Ryan Adams of PGA.com following the emotional victory. “Obviously, you want to win the golf tournament when you walk in the door and show up, but my goal was really just to be in the top 20.

   “This is my first PGA Professional Championship that I’ve played in, so I didn’t really know what to expect. It means the world, though. I can’t believe it.”

   Shattuck had a share of the lead at 7-under going into the final round over the 7,631-yard, par-72 Twin Warriors layout. He got off to a good start with a birdie at the first hole before giving a shot back with the only blemish on his scorecard, a bogey at the seventh hole.

   But he was flawless the rest of the way. Shattuck made a birdie on the par-5 12^th hole that got him to 8-under for the championship. Then he holed a clutch 20-foot birdie putt on the par-5 16^th hole that gave him a one-shot lead over Cahill and Block, both of whom were playing in front of Shattuck.

   Cahill made a putt on the same line that Shattuck would have a half-hour later for a par on the 18^th hole that completed a 4-under 68 and got him to the house with an 8-under 280 total.

   Block had a decent look at birdie on the 18^th and his ball got a piece of the hole before going by. The par for Block, who was playing in the PGA Professional Championship for the ninth time, gave him a final round of 3-under 69 and an 8-under 280 total.

   Shattuck arrived on the tee at the par-4 18^th hole knowing he needed a par to pull out the victory. He bailed a little on his approach, which ended up hole high to the right of the green. He chipped it to 12 feet. He needed that putt for par to win the championship and he got it.

   My suspicion in the post I did following the third round was confirmed in a release from the Philadelphia Section PGA. Shattuck became only the second Philadelphia Section member to win the PGA Professional Championship, matching the feat accomplished in 1985 by Ed Dougherty. Both, as I mentioned in my previous post, are Delco guys.

   The victory also gives Shattuck exemptions into six PGA Tour events. Not sure if that’s including the PGA Championship or if those are events designated by the PGA Tour or ones of Shattuck’s choosing.

   The Golf Channel broadcast mentioned a car accident Shattuck was involved in four years ago that has apparently caused some chronic back issues. The back flared up on Shattuck last summer and forced him to suspend his bid to try to get through the Korn Ferry Tour qualifying.

   But by the end of the summer, Shattuck was back in good form, as evidenced by his runnerup finish in the Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship, which earned him his trip to New Mexico in the first place.

   Billy Stewart, an instructor at the Union League Liberty Hill Course, had a little too much work to do to earn a spot in the PGA Championship, but Stewart, who starred scholastically at Malvern Prep and collegiately at Saint Joseph’s, finished strong with a final round of 2-under 70 that left him in the group tied for 27^th place with an even-par 288 total.

   The Philadelphia Section’s 2022 Women’s Player of the Year, Joanna Coe, the head of instruction at Merion Golf Club, closed with a 2-over 74 to finish in the group tied for 49^th place with a 3-over 291 total.

   Only one other woman in the field was better than Coe as Stephanie Connelly Eisworth, an instructor at Eagle Harbor Golf Club on Fleming Island, Fla. Connelly Eisworth closed with her second straight 1-over 73 to finish among the group tied for 34^th place with a 1-over 289 total.

   When Coe and former Overbrook Golf Club assistant pro Ashley Grier survived two cuts at Belfair in Bluffton, S.C. in 2019, they were the first women to play four rounds in the PGA Professional Championship. Coe has now achieved that feat twice.

   Coe will represent the Philadelphia Section in next month’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, a major on the LPGA Tour, at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J. Coe punched her ticket to Baltusrol with a runnerup finish in last summer’s LPGA Professional National Championship at the Kingsmill Resort’s River Course in Williamsburg, Va.

   Cadillac, Club Car, Corebridge Financial and Rolex were presenting sponsors for the PGA Professional Championship. Gallagher USA, The Golf Channel and the PGA Tour were supporting partners and Titleist/Footjoy, Callaway, Nike and TaylorMade were supporting sponsors.

 

 

 

 

Shattuck surges to share of the lead going into final round of PGA Professional Championship

   Braden Shattuck, an instructor at Rolling Green Golf Club, probably went to the PGA Professional Championship with one goal in mind: Finish in the top 20 and earn yourself a spot in the PGA Championship, professional golf’s second major championship in 2023, later this month at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y.

   Well, don’t look now, but Shattuck, the reigning Rolex/Haverford Trust Player of the Year in the Philadelphia Section PGA, is threatening to win the thing.

   Shattuck went 4-under par over the last 11 holes at Twin Warriors Golf Club in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M. on his way to a 4-under 68 in the third round Tuesday to get a share of the lead with John Somers of the Southern Hills Plantation Club in Brooksville, Fla., each sitting at 7-under 209 going into Wednesday’s final round.

   Shattuck seems to nearly be a shoe-in to make his PGA Tour and major championship debut at Oak Hill in a few weeks, but you can never think that way in golf.

   There’s also a ton of perks that go to the winner of what was once known as the National Club Pro, but again you can’t let that kind of stuff start creeping into your head. Shattuck cut short his bid to try to qualify for the Korn Ferry Tour last summer for what turned out to be an injury that wasn’t as serious as  was originally feared. A victory in the PGA Professional Championship would really open a path to at least the Korn Ferry Tour.

   Pretty sure the only Philadelphia Section player to ever win the National Club Pro was Delco’s own Ed Dougherty, who played baseball at St. James and didn’t really get serious about golf until returning from a stint in Vietnam.

   As I mentioned in my post following the second round of the PGA Professional Championship, I covered Shattuck’s scholastic career at Sun Valley for the Delaware County Daily Times. Point is, Shattuck, like Eddie Doc, is a Delco guy, through and through.

   Shattuck entered Tuesday’s third round at 3-under and was back and forth on the front nine at Twin Warriors, making a birdie at the first hole, a bogey at three, a birdie at four and a bogey at seven.

   Caught Shattuck making a short birdie putt on the eighth hole on The Golf Channel’s coverage of the PGA Professional Championship that turned out be the beginning of his best work. Shattuck added birdies at the 12^th, 16^th and 17^th holes on his way to the house to get it to 7-under.

   Somers was also 3-under to begin the day and was hot early with birdies at the first, fifth and 10^th holes. Somers then made an eagle on the par-5 12^th hole and suddenly he was 8-under for the championship.

   Somers got it to 9-under with a birdie at the 13^th hole, gave that shot back with a bogey at 14 and again got it to 9-under with a birdie at 16. But Somers finished his round with bogeys at the 17^th and 18^th holes to fall back to 7-under and into a tie with Shattuck.

   Chris Sanger of Woodstock Golf Club in Woodstock, N.Y. posted a 3-under 69 at Twin Warriors Tuesday and is a shot behind the co-leaders at 6-under 210.

   Joanna Coe, the head of instruction at Merion Golf Club, carded a solid 1-under 71 at Twin Warriors Tuesday that left her in the group tied for 30^th place with a 1-over 217 total.

   Not sure if Coe would be eligible to tee it up in the PGA Championship if she was able to charge into the top 20. I do know Coe and former Overbrook Golf Club assistant pro Ashley Grier were the first two women to survive two cuts and play four rounds in the PGA Professional Championship in 2019 at Belfair in Bluffton, S.C. Coe finished in a tie for 51^st place.

   I also know that Coe will be in the field in an LPGA major championship, next month’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J. Coe punched her ticket to Baltusrol with a runnerup finish in last summer’s LPGA Professional National Championship at the Kingsmill Resort’s River Course in Williamsburg, Va.

   Billy Stewart, an instructor at the Union League Liberty Hill Course, survived the 54-hole cut as he registered a 3-over 75 at Twin Warriors and is among the group tied for 43^rd place at 2-over 218.

   Zac Oakley, an instructor at Bidermann Golf Club, missed the 54-hole cut by a shot as he carded a 1-over 73 at Twin Warriors Tuesday that gave him a 4-over 220 total.

   Oakley finished in a tie for sixth place in the PGA Professional Championship a year ago at the Barton Omni Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas to punch his ticket to last spring’s PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.

   The Philadelphia Section’s last two players who survived the 36-hole cut, veteran Spring Ford Country Club head pro Rich Steinmetz and Michael Little of Clubhouse 54, failed to make it to the final day in Santa Ana Pueblo as both landed on 7-over 223.

   Steinmetz, the Philadelphia Section’s reigning Robert “Skee” Riegel Senior Player of the Year, and Little both recorded a 4-over 76 at Twin Warriors in Tuesday’s third round.

   Steinmetz will represent the Philadelphia Section in the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, a major on the PGA Tour Champions circuit, later this month at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco at the PGA of America’s new headquarters in Frisco, Texas.

   Cadillac, Club Car, Corebridge Financial and Rolex are presenting sponsors for the PGA Professional Championship. Corebridge Financial seems to have a tie-in with the 20 players who will advance to the PGA Championship.

   Gallagher, The Golf Channel and the PGA Tour are supporting partners for the PGA Professional Championship and Titleist/Footjoy, Callaway, Nike and  TaylorMade are supporting sponsors.

Shattuck three shots off the lead in a tie for third after two rounds of PGA Professional Championship

   There’s still a lot of golf to be played, but Braden Shattuck, the reigning Rolex/Haverford Trust Philadelphia Section PGA Player of the Year, is tied with seven other players for third place following two rounds of the PGA Professional Championship in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M.

   Shattuck, an instructor at Rolling Green Golf Club, would be even closer to the lead if he hadn’t made a double bogey on his final hole of the day, the ninth at Santa Ana Golf Club, to complete a 1-under 71 that left him with a 3-under 141 total following Monday’s second round.

   Shattuck had carded a 2-under 70 in Sunday’s opening round at Twin Warriors Golf Club. He trails the 36-hole leader Ben Kern, the general manager of Hickory Hill Golf Club in Grove City, Ohio, by three shots.

   Looks like Shattuck headed a group of six members of the Philadelphia Section PGA contingent who survived the 36-hole cut to the top 90 players and ties, which fell at 3-over 147. Pretty sure the survivors of the cut, which wasn’t established until early Tuesday morning when the second round, suspended by darkness Monday, was completed, will all play one of the two courses in Tuesday’s third round.

   There is a tournament within the tournament at the PGA Professional Championship – I prefer its old-school moniker, the National Club Pro – as the top 20 finishers punch their ticket to the PGA Championship, the second of professional golf’s major championships, which tees off later this month at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y.

   And Shattuck has very much positioned himself to take that major step in his professional career.

   Shattuck tuned up for his trip to New Mexico by claiming a victory in the Philadelphia Section’s first event of the 2023 season, the Tournament Players Division (TPD) Championship April 24^th, with 37 points in the modified Stableford scoring at Regents’ Glen Country Club in York. He finished with a flourish at Regents’ Glen, making five straight birdies to close out his round.

   I’ve been a Braden Shattuck fan since I covered his scholastic career at Sun Valley in my previous life at the Delaware County Daily Times. Shattuck finished in a tie for 14^th place in the 2011 PIAA Championship as a senior.

   Shattuck came out of the gate fast in Sunday’s opening round with birdies at the first, second and fourth holes at Twin Warriors. He added a fourth birdie on the outgoing nine at the seventh hole between bogeys at five and nine.

   Shattuck made back-to-back birdies at the 11^th and 12^th holes to get it to 4-under for the round before making back-to-back bogeys at 14 and 15 to finish at 2-under. He was part of a large group tied for 10^th place, two shots behind opening-round leader Wyatt Worthington II, an instructor at the Golf Depot in Reynoldsburg, Ohio.

   Starting off the back nine at Santa Ana in Monday’s second round, Shattuck made birdies at the 16^th and 18^th holes, stumbled briefly with a bogey at two, but got it to 3-under for his round with an eagle at the par-5 third.

   A bogey at the fourth hole followed by a birdie at five left him a 3-under for the round and 5-under for the championship before his finishing double bogey at nine.

   Shattuck earned his spot in the field of the PGA Professional Championship with a runnerup finish in the Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship last summer at Concord Country Club and DuPont Country Club.

   Billy Stewart, an instructor at the Union League Liberty Hill Course, is also in with a shot to make it to Oak Hill as he matched par at Santa Ana with a 72 Monday after opening with a 1-under 71 Sunday at Twin Warriors and is in the group tied for 21^st place with a 1-under 143 total.

   Stewart, a product of the junior program at Llanerch Country Club, starred scholastically at Malvern Prep and collegiately at Saint Joseph’s.

   Joanna Coe, the Philadelphia Section’s Women’s Player of the Year in 2022, survived the cut and is tied for 58^th place at 2-over 146. Coe, the head of instruction at Merion Golf Club, carded a 2-over 74 at Twin Warriors Monday after matching par with a 72 at Santa Ana in Sunday’s opening round.

   Zac Oakley, an instructor in the Bidermann Golf Club pro shop, was one of the players who had to return to Twin Warriors Tuesday morning to finish his second round. He was 2-over with three holes to play, but made a bogey on the 18^th hole to make the cut on the number at 3-over 147.

   Oakley, the Rolex/Haverford Trust Philadelphia Section PGA Player of the Year in 2021, finished in a tie for sixth place in last year’s PGA Professional Championship at the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas to earn a spot in the field for the PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.

   Two other Philadelphia Section players, Michael Little of Clubhouse 54 and Rich Steinmetz, the veteran head pro at Spring Ford Country Club, also landed with Oakley in the group tied for 89^th place, making the cut on the number at 3-over 147.

   After opening with a 2-over 74 at Santa Ana, Little recorded a 1-over 73 at Twin Warriors in Monday’s second round.

   Steinmetz, who won the Philadelphia Senior PGA Professional Championship at Medford Village Country Club as a senior “rookie” last summer, carded a 1-over 73 at Twin Warriors Monday after opening with a 2-over 74 at Santa Ana in Sunday’s opening round.

   Steinmetz, the Philadelphia Section’s reigning Robert “Skee” Riegel Senior Player of the Year, is familiar with Santa Ana and Twin Warriors having finished in a tie for 24^th place in the Senior PGA Professional Championship over the two courses to earn himself a trip to the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, a major on the PGA Tour Champions circuit which tees off later this month at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco at the PGA of America’s new headquarters in Frisco, Texas.

   Another of the Philadelphia Section’s senior standouts, Dave McNabb, the head pro at Applebrook Golf Club, and Brian Bergstol, an instructor at the Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort who was crowned the winner of the Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship at DuPont last summer, just missed the 36-hole cut as both landed on 4-over 148.

   McNabb will join Steinmetz later this month at PGA Frisco as he earned a third straight trip to the Senior PGA Championship by finishing in a tie for 26^th in the Senior PGA Professional Championship at Twin Warriors and Santa Ana last fall.

   McNabb matched par with a 72 at Santa Ana in Sunday’s opening round before carding a 4-over 76 in Monday’s second round at Twin Warriors.

   Bergstol was the runnerup in last fall’s National Car Rental Assistant PGA Professional Championship at the PGA Golf Club’s Wanamaker Course, the second year in a row he finished second in that PGA of America national event.

   After opening with a 1-over 73 at Twin Warriors Sunday, Bergstol registered a 3-over 75 at Santa Ana in Monday’s second round.

   Terry Hatch, another of the Philly Section’s senior standouts who is hanging his shingle at Bent Creek Country Club this year, struggled to a 6-over 78 at Twin Warriors in Sunday’s opening round, but bounced back with a 1-under 71 Monday at Santa Ana to miss the cut by just two shots with a 5-over 149 total.

   Trevor Bensel, an assistant pro at Sandy Run Country Club (at least that’s where he was last year as club pros can move around from year to year), matched par with a 72 at Twin Warriors in Sunday’s opening round, but struggled to a 7-over 79 at Santa Ana Monday to end up with a 7-over 151 total.

   John Pillar, the director of golf at the Country Club at Woodloch Springs, bounced back from a 7-over 79 in Sunday’s opening round at Twin Warriors with a 1-over 73 at Santa Ana for an 8-over 152 total.

   Hugo Mazzalupi, like Pillar, another of the Philly Section’s deep pool of senior talent, opened with a 78 at Twin Warriors Sunday and added a 4-over 76 Monday at Santa Ana for a 154 total. Mazzalupi is at The Links of Twin Towers, which appears to be the new name for Linfield National Golf Club.

   Matthew Zehner, who was working in the Wilmington Country Club pro shop last summer, opened with a 4-over 76 at Twin Warriors Sunday before adding an 80 Monday at Santa Ana for a 156 total.

   Terry Hertzog, yet another of the Philly Section’s talented seniors, opened with a 4-over 76 at Santa Ana Sunday and added an 82 at Twin Warriors in Monday’s second round for a 158 total.

   Kern ripped off four straight birdies on the ninth, 10^th, 11^th and 12^th holes on his way to a 4-under 68 at Twin Warriors in Monday’s second round to grab the lead at the halfway mark with a 6-under 138 total. Kern had opened with a 2-under 70 Sunday at Santa Ana.

   Worthington had grabbed the lead following an opening round of 4-under 68 at Santa Ana Sunday. He matched par with a 72 in Monday’s second round at Twin Warriors that left him alone in second place, two shots behind Kern with a 4-under 68 total.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jones helps Richmond claim team title in Patriot League Championship, earn trip to NCAA's Raleigh Regional

   Lauren Jones was a freshman at Episcopal Academy when the Churchwomen won the Inter-Ac League crown for the first time in program history in 2018. EA has ruled the Inter-Ac ever since.

   So, it probably shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to see Jones, a sophomore, helping Richmond win the team crown for the first time since 2018 in the Patriot League Championship, which wrapped up April 23^rd on the Spiders’ home course, Independence Golf Course in Midlothian, Va.

   Jones and her Richmond teammates will represent the Patriot League in the NCAA’s Raleigh Regional as the 12^th seed when the regionals tee off all around the country May 8.

   Richmond’s final round of 1-under-par 287 over the 6,100-yard, par-72 Independence layout matched the single-round program record and the Spiders’ winning total of 10-over 874 was a program record.

   Richmond opened with a 5-over 293 and added a 6-over 294 in the second round before its under-par finish gave it a 16-shot victory over Boston University. The Spiders’ final-round 287, their 54-hole total of 874 and their 16-shot margin of victory were all Patriot League Championship records.

   BU, behind individual champion Christy Chen, a sophomore from China, struggled a little in the opening round with a 304 and added a 6-over 294 in the second round before closing with a solid 4-over 292 to earn runnerup honors with a 26-over 890 total.

   After opening with a 2-over 74, Chen dominated the individual chase with back-to-back 3-under 69s in the final two rounds that gave her a 4-under 212 total, five shots clear of Richmond’s Vicky Zhu, a senior from China who was the runnerup with a 1-over 217 total. A storm late in the day of the second round forced a suspension of play and the second round was completed early the day of the final round April 23^rd.

   Lehigh was another five shots behind BU in third place with a 31-over 895 total as the Mountain Hawks opened with a 10-over 298, added an 8-over 296 in the second round and closed with a 301.

   Navy finished a shot behind Lehigh in fourth place in the six-team field with a 32-over 896 total as the Mids bounced back from an opening-round 306 with a solid 4-over 292 in the second round and a final round of 10-over 298.

   Vicky Zhu led the way for Richmond with her runnerup individual finish as she opened with a 2-over 74, added a 1-over 73 in the second round and closed with the first sub-par score of her career with the Spiders, a 2-under 70 that got her to 1-over.

   Vicky Zhu’s teammates, Olivia Wilkie, a freshman from Canada, and Rory Weinfurther, a junior from Fayetteville, Ga., were right on her heels as they finished in a tie for third place, a shot behind their teammate at 2-over 218.

   Wilkie and Weinfurther were just three shots behind Chen following two rounds as Wilkie carded a 2-over 74 in the second round after matching par in the opening round with a 72 and Weinfurther was ahead of the pack with her opening round of 1-under 71 before adding a 3-over 75 in the second round. Wilkie and Weinfurther then both matched par in the final round, each recording a 72.

   Jones, a product of the junior program at Merion Golf Club, gave Richmond a fourth player in the top 10 as she finished alone in 10^th place with a 7-over 223 total. Jones, the Inter-Ac’s individual champion at French Creek Golf Club as a senior in 2021, got a little better each round as she opened with a 4-over 76, added a 2-over 74 in the second round and closed with a solid 1-over 73.

   Muskan Uppal, a senior from Cornelius, N.C., finished in the group tied for 14^th place with a 229 total as she sandwiched a solid 1-over 73 in the second round with a pair of 6-over 78s.

   The Patriot League allowed teams to have six players, counting four, for the league championship, and freshman Hannah Lydic, who starred scholastically at Delaware’s Sussex Academy, rounded out the Richmond lineup as she finished alone in 20^th place with a 232 total.

   Lydic, the Patriot League’s Rookie of the Year, has been Richmond’s best player for much of the wraparound 2022-2023 season. She struggled a little by her standards in the Patriot League Championship, but was still solid. Lydic added a 79 in the second round to her opening round of 6-over 78 before closing with her best round of the weekend, a 3-over 75.

   BU’s Alice Fan, a senior from Australia, and Lehigh’s Yuki Zhu, a freshman from China, finished in a tie for fifth place in the individual standings at 3-over 219, a shot behind the Richmond duo of Wilkie and Weinfurther.

   After opening with a 76, Fan matched the low round of the tournament with her 3-under 69 in the second round before finishing up with a 2-over 74. After opening with a 2-over 74, Yuki Zhu got it in under par with a 2-under 70 in the second round before closing with a 75.

   Bucknell freshman Paige Richter, who capped her tremendous scholastic career at Camp Hill by winning the PIAA Class AA Championship as a senior in 2021, shared seventh place with Lehigh’s Madison Pineda, a sophomore from San Carlos, Calif., each landing on 4-over 220.

   Richter opened with a 1-over 73 and added a 75 in the second round before matching par in the final round with a 72. Pineda was just a shot out of the lead going into the final round after she added a 1-under 71 in the second round to her opening round of 1-over 73. Pineda then finished up with a 4-over 76.

   Navy was led by Mara Hirtle, a junior from Pinehurst, N.C. who finished alone in ninth place with a 5-over 221 total. After opening with a 76, Hirtle registered a 1-under 71 in the second round before closing with a 2-over 74.

   Lehigh also got a strong showing from freshman Evelyn Wong, the runnerup in the PIAA Class AAA Championship as a senior at Emmaus in 2021 who finished among the group tied for 14^th place with a 229 total. After opening with a 4-over 76, Wong struggled a little in the second round with a 79 before finishing up with a solid 2-over 74.

   Bucknell finished in fifth place with a 43-over 907 total and, in addition to Richter, the 2021 Class AA state champion at Camp Hill, the Bison lineup included some other recent standouts on the Pennsylvania scholastic scene.

   Senior Tatum McKelvey, a three-time PIAA Class AA qualifier at Sewickley Academy, finished alone in 13^th place with a 228 total. After opening with a 79, McKelvey added a 75 in the second round before closing with a solid 2-over 74.

   Senior Morgan Sohosky, who was a four-time PIAA Class AA qualifier at Bloomsburg, finished in the group tied for 14^th place with a 229 total. After opening with a 78, Sohosky added a 76 in the second round before finishing up with her best round of the weekend, a 3-over 75.

   Sophomore Tara Thomas, a PIAA Class AA qualifier in 2020 with Villa Maria Academy in Erie (which apparently closed last year), finished in 34^th place with a 256 total. After opening with an 87, Thomas carded her best round of the weekend, an 83, in the second round before closing with an 86.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hinson-Tolchard claims individual title, leads Oklahoma State to team crown in Big 12 Championship

   Maddison Hinson-Tolchard accounted for Oklahoma State’s only point in its 4-1 loss to Mississippi in the NCAA Championship’s Final Match at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. in the spring of 2021.

   Last weekend Hinson-Tolchard, a junior from Australia and No. 51 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), began the road toward another trip to Grayhawk by capturing the individual title and leading the Cowgirls to the team crown in the Big 12 Championship, which wrapped up April 23^rd at the Dallas Athletic Club in Dallas, Texas.

   Last year was a little unsettled in Stillwater with Oklahoma State losing a couple of big pieces when head coach Greg Robertson enforced a team rule banishing players who decided to enter the transfer portal.

   Still, Oklahoma State, behind an individual title for Hinson-Tolchard, advanced to the NCAA Championship out of the Stillwater Regional at the Cowgirls’ home course, Karsten Creek Golf Club.

   Much of the cast has changed since two springs ago, but there was the steady force of Hinson-Tolchard matching par over the 6,264-yard, par-72 Dallas Athletic Club layout with a final-round 72 to edge Iowa State’s Pammy Chookaew, a freshman from Thailand, by a shot for the individual title and leading the Cowgirls to a seven-shot margin over Baylor in the team standings.

   It was the 11^th Big 12 Championship crown for Oklahoma State and its third in the last four playings. The Cowgirls moved up a notch in the Golfstat rankings from No. 23 to No. 22 in the aftermath of the Big 12 Championship and when the NCAA regional fields were revealed last week the Cowgirls learned that they would be headed to the San Antonio Regional as a four seed.

   After opening with a 6-over 294, Oklahoma State took control of the Big 12 Championship with a sizzling 10-under 278 in the second round. A final round of 8-over 296 gave the Cowgirls a 4-over 868 total.

   After opening with a 1-under 71, Hinson-Tolchard contributed a 3-under 69 to Oklahoma State’s second-round surge before matching par in the final round to take the Big 12’s individual crown with a 4-under 212 total.

   After opening with an 8-over 296, Baylor also put together a solid second round with a 7-under 281 before closing with a 10-over 298 that left the Bears seven shots behind Oklahoma State in second place with an 11-over 875 total.

   Baylor, who moved up a notch in the Golfstat rankings from No. 13 to No. 12 following its runnerup finish in the Big 12 Championship, will represent the conference in the Pullman Regional, where the Bears are seeded second.

   Texas Christian finished just a shot behind Baylor in third place with a 12-over 876 total as the Horned Frogs added a 3-over 291 to their opening-round 295 before closing with a solid 2-over 290.

   TCU, which moved up two spots in the Golfstat rankings from No. 40 to No. 38 in the aftermath of the Big 12 Championship, was awarded a spot in the Raleigh Regional as a seven seed.

   Iowa State, behind Chookaew’s runnerup finish, took fourth place, a shot behind TCU with a 13-over 877 total. The Cyclones struggled a little in the opening round with a 10-over 298, but bounced back with a 2-under 286 in the second round before finishing up with a 5-over 293.

   Iowa State, which maintained its No. 20 ranking following its fourth-place finish, was awarded a spot in the Westfield Regional, where it will be seeded fourth.

   Chookaew was tied for the individual lead with Hinson-Tolchard and Hinson-Tochard’s Oklahoma State teammate, Clemence Martin, a sophomore from France, going into the final round as Chookaew added a 1-over 73 in the second round to her opening round of 5-under 67.

   Chookaew closed with her second straight 1-over 73 to finish a shot behind Hinson-Tolchard in second place with a 3-under 213 total.

   Texas Tech was Oklahoma State’s closest pursuer going into the final round as the Red Raiders added a 5-under 283 in the second round to their opening round of 3-over 291 and only trailed the Cowgirls by two shots. Texas Tech backed off in the final round with a 306 to finish three shots behind Iowa State in fifth place in the nine-team field with a 16-over 880 total.

   It was a disappointing week for defending Big 12 champion Texas as the Longhorns finished in seventh place with an 896 total, dropping from No. 8 to No. 10 in the Golfstat rankings as a result. But Texas still got a high seed, No. 2, in the Palm Beach Gardens Regional.

   Oklahoma State got a big performance from a rapidly improving Martin, who finished in a tie for third place in the individual chase with Oklahoma’s Mikhaela Fortuna, a senior from the Philippines, at 1-under 215, two shots behind Iowa State’s Chookaew.

   After opening with a 1-over 73, Martin was the low Cowgirl in Oklahoma State’s second-round surge with a 5-under 67 that gave her a share of the individual lead with her teammate, Hinson-Tolchard, and Chookaew before finishing up with a 3-over 75.

   Backing up the top two for Oklahoma State was Thitaporn Saithip, a freshman from Thailand who finished in the group tied for 13^th place with a 4-over 220 total. After opening with a 2-over 74, Saithip carded back-to-back 1-over 73s in the final two rounds.

   Hun Hsuan-Yu, a graduate student from Taiwan, finished in a tie for 21^st place with a 7-over 223 total as she contributed a solid 3-under 69 to Oklahoma State’s strong second round after she had opened with a 4-over 76. Hsuan-Yu finished up with a 78.

   Rounding out the Oklahoma State lineup was Rina Tatematsu, a junior from Thailand who finished in a tie for 34^th place with a 231 total. Tatematsu struggled a little in the first two rounds, adding a 77 in the second round to her opening-round 78, but her final round of 4-over 76 was a counter for the Cowgirls.

   Oklahoma’s Fortuna added a 2-under 70 to her opening round of 1-under 71 before closing with a 2-over 74 to get a share of third place with Oklahoma State’s Martin at 1-under 215. Fortuna will represent Oklahoma in the Athens Regional, where she will compete as an individual.

   Chookaew’s fellow Thai freshman Karisa Chul-Ak-Som gave Iowa State a second finisher inside the top five as she finished alone in fifth place with an even-par 216 total. After opening with a 2-over 74, Chul-Ak-Som matched par in the second round with a 72 before finishing up with a solid 2-under 70.

   Texas Tech’s Gala Dumez, a junior from France, Baylor’s Hannah Karg, a senior from Germany, and TCU’s Sofia Barroso Sa, a freshman from Portugal, each landed a shot behind Chul-Ak-Som in a tie for sixth place at 1-over 217.

   Dumez opened with a 2-over 74 and matched par in the second round with a 72 before closing with a 1-under 71. Karg also opened with a 2-over 74 and added a 2-under 70 in the second round before finishing up with a 1-over 73. Barroso Sa sandwiched a 1-under 71 in the second round with a pair of 1-over 73s.

   Barroso Sa’s TCU teammate, Caitlyn Macnab, a sophomore from South Africa, Kansas’ Esme Hamilton, a graduate student from England, and Baylor’s Silje Ohma, a freshman from Norway, rounded out an entirely international top 10 as they finished in a tie for ninth place, each landing on 2-over 218.

   Macnab bounced back from an opening round of 4-over 76 with back-to-back 1-under 71s in the final two rounds. Hamilton struggled to a 5-over 77 in the opening round, but came on strong in the second round with a 3-under 69 before matching par in the final round with a 72. Ohma matched Hamilton’s 3-under 69 in the second round after opening with a 2-over 74 and then closed with a 75.