WHAT’S INSIDE: Hall of Fame

Patriot Golf DayAssistants Championship

...and more!

TOPICS NEWSLETTERVolume 21, No. 7 - SePTemBeR 2011

CHRIS KAUFMAN NAMED 2011 SFPGA SECTION CHAMPION

Hall of Fame Winners Bob murphy and Tom Wildenahus, page 4

contact informationSOUTH FLORIDA SECTION, PGA OF AMERICA186 Atlantis BoulevardAtlantis, Fl / 33462

PHONE / FAX561-729-0544 / 561-729-0914

EMAILsflorida@pgahq.com

WEBSITEwww.sfpgagolf.com

PRESIDENTBrian Peaper, PGA

VICE PRESIDENTWarren Bottke, PGA

SECRETARYmark VanDyck, PGA

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENTSteve Cox, PGA

SOUTHERN CHAPTER PRESIDENTDick mcNeill, PGA

SOUTHEAST CHAPTER PRESIDENTRick Heard, PGA

SOUTHWEST CHAPTER PRESIDENTBen Bryant Jr., PGA

ISLAND CHAPTER PRESIDENTBrian Shaver, PGA

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORGeoff lofstead

ADVISORY BOARDPaul Anderson Rick BaylissSteve SponderKen KennerlyJim o’Connor

chip shots

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NeW memBeRSThe South Florida PGA would like to welcome the following new members to the Section:

Gary Cahill, PGA A-8 Forest Glen Country ClubJustin Hill, PGA A-8 Doral Golf Resort & SpaBlaine Lintz, PGA A-8 Boca Raton Resort & ClubBradley Mair, PGA A-8 Broken Sound Club-Club CourseNicholas Mariano, PGA A-8 Bonita Bay ClubLori Smith, PGA A-6 Royal Palm Yacht and C.CRichard Terga, PGA A-6 John Webster Golf Academy

NeW APPReNTICeSThe South Florida PGA would like to welcome the following new apprentices to the Section: Douglas Brendel B-8 Hideaway Country ClubNathaniel Eaton B-8 Doral Golf Resort & SpaDavid Gray B-8 Boca Greens Country ClubPeter Haupt B-1 Indian Hills Golf CourseJames Puccio B-8 Lago Mar Country ClubRicardo Ronderos B-8 Hillcrest Golf & Country ClubJustin Doherty B-8 Ft Buchanan Golf ClubMichael Himebaugh B-8 Hammock Creek Golf Club APPReNTICe leVelS PASSeD

Adam Anderson B-8 Panther Run Golf Club R2Nicholas Baumhart B-8 Pelican Marsh Golf Club R1Courtney Burdick B-6 Grand Palms Golf & CC R2Gary Cahill, PGA A-8 Forest Glen Country Club R3Christopher Catena B-8 Everglades Club N1Justin Hill, PGA A-8 Doral Golf Resort & Spa R3Michael Himebaugh B-8 Hammock Creek Golf Club N-0Joshua Kirchner B-8 Gulf Harbour Yacht & CC R1Nicholas Mariano, PGA A-8 Bonita Bay Club R3John Nieporte B-1 Trump International GC R2Joshua Ross B-8 Stoneybrook GC of Estero R1John Scott B-8 Miromar Lakes Golf Club R2Lori Smith, PGA A-6 Royal Palm Yacht and C.C. R3

QuARTeR CeNTuRY CluBCongratulations to PGA members Buck Deibel, Michael Gray, and Marty Martinez, who were elected to the Quarter Century Club of the PGA of America, an elite group of members who have served the PGA with honor and pride for 25 years.

SFPGA SeNDS ITS CoNDoleNCeSLPGA/PGA member Wanda Krolikowski and brother PGA member Steve are saddened to announce the passing of brother John Krolikowski. John worked in the golf business for many years and at one time was a South Florida PGA Apprentice. He worked at Boca Teeca, Ameri-can Golfer’s Club, Delray Beach Municiple, Boynton Beach Municiple & Southwinds. Six years ago he started a new career as Parish Manager at St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church in Delray Beach. John is survived by his wife of 16 years and four children ages 11-9-6 & 4. The South Florida PGA sends its deepest condolences to the Krolikoski family.

NeeD A ReNTAl CAR WHeN TRAVelING?The PGA of America recently announced National Car Rental as the official rental car of the PGA of America. National Car Rental is providing all PGA Members with an exclusive com-plimentary membership, and flat rates on rental cars when traveling. For more details on this agreements and the benefits to you as a member CLICK HERE. PATRIoT GolF DAY 2011This year marks the 4th Annual Patriot Golf Day and already more than 3200 facilities across the country have signed up to participate. While ahead of last year’s pace, we still have a way to go to pass the 4,007 host total facilities from 2010. Already, 199 facilities have registered in the South Florida Section.

We encourage your facility to participate this year. Patriot Golf Day 2011 will again be held dur-ing the Labor Day weekend. If you are interested in joining the mission to empower the lives of deserving military families with educational opportunities, then please become a participating facility in 2011!

contact information

chip shots

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PGA Professionals who host an event and submit funds to the Folds of Honor Foundation will receive TWO MSR Credits. The 2011 Patriot Golf Day kits will be mailed to all registered facilities. Kit contents include a poster, flyer, tent cards, suggested guidelines for hosting the event as well as Best Practices. Registration is available through Patri-otGolfDay.com, or contact Joe Canny, PGA in the Player Development Department at 561-630-1705.

TeACHING SYmPoSIumMark your calendar now for the 2011 Teaching Symposium supported by Powerchute and Sun Mountain, which will be held October 4th & 5th at The Bear’s Club, and will feature:

· Joe Steranka, CEO of the PGA of America · Darren May, Director of Instruction The Bear’s Club· Vicki Wyder, Director of Physical Therapy & Performance Training· Ken McDonald, Sports Conditioning Trainer· Justin Padjen, Director of PGA Tour Operations for Trackman· Jim McLean, PGA Director of Instruction Jim McLean Golf School · Robert Allenby, PGA Tour

This biennial event will begin Tuesday at 1PM and wrap-up Wednes-day at 4 PM. Cost to attend will be $125, and registration will open on Wednesday, August 31st. Supported by Powerchute and Sun Mountain

IT’S AlmoST BuIlD TImeIn early February 2011, the Foundation Board of Directors agreed to donate $50,000 towards Habitat for Humanity of Lee County to spon-sor a home in late 2011. For the past seven years the South Florida PGA Foundation has been working on smaller charitable campaigns. Under the direction of a new Foundation Board, the South Florida PGA Foundation has decided to strive for a major campaign with a national partner. Habitat for Humanity of Lee County was chosen as the first Habitat affiliate to partner with the South Florida PGA Foundation. The first build dates of 2011 have been selected. Mark your calendars for October 15-22nd.

“If a lot of people gripped a knife and

fork like they do a golf club, they’d starve to death.”

Sam Sneadprofessional golfer

quote of the month

Left: Pete Tyree, PGA giving hitting lessons at Marlins Golf

Day on August 7, 2011

The South Florida PGA was on hand to give free lessons to baseball fans on August 7th at The Marlins Golf Day. The day was about promoting the game of golf to fans who might not have ever been exposed to the game before. Thanks go to PGA Profes-sionals Judy Alvarez, Joey Ludeman, and Pete Tyree for volunteering their time for the event. Thank you also to David Shimko and Eric Bean with TaylorMade for providing the clubs for the lessons.

The day was also in conjunction with Bunkers for Baghdad in which South Florida PGA Professionals and Ju-nior Tour members donated 10 sets of clubs to the organization.

Marlins Golf Day

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hall of fame 2011Bob Murphy & Tom Wildenhaus

Legendary South Florida PGA Professionals and local golf advo-cates Bob Murphy and Tom Wildenhaus are the newest members elected to the SFPGA Hall of Fame. Both men will be honored at the SFPGA Annual Awards and Hall of Fame Dinner in Novem-ber (location and time to be announced). Murphy and Wilden-haus will be the 26th and 27th inductees since the SFPGA Hall of Fame was created in 2002.

The SFPGA Hall of Fame recognizes individuals that have signifi-cantly impacted the golfing lives of the south Florida community through dedication and contributions to the game of golf. Indi-viduals are first nominated by a nominating committee, then vot-ed on by a committee made up of current Hall of Fame members and SFPGA Executive Board members.

PGA TOUR player Bob Murphy was born in New York and raised in Central Florida. A PGA Member since 1973, Murphy is a leg-endary golfer with a level of success few golfers can stake claim to. Murphy has won at all levels, including the amateur and collegiate

ranks, the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. In 1965 Bob won the U.S. Amateur. The following year he won the NCAA Championship, joined the PGA Tour in 1968 and was named Rookie of the Year. He achieved 6 victories while on the PGA Tour. In 1993 he joined the Champions Tour, was again named Rookie of the Year, and went on to win an impressive 11 championships.Murphy utilized his golf expertise and enjoyed being a golf analyst for CBS, ESPN, and NBC for thirty years. He holds many local Hall of Fame honors, including Polk County, Palm Beach County, University of Florida Athletics, Florida State Golf Assocation, and the Florida Sports Hall of Fame.

“I feel honored to be selected for this award by my fellow professionals, even though I haven’t been a club professional myself. Working so closely at Delray Dunes with Laurie Hammer has made me well aware of the hard work and dedication it takes to be a good SFPGA club professional. I think very highly of my peers and am priveledged to be chosen by them to be a part of the SFPGA Hall of Fame,” said Murphy on his election.

Along with his tournament success, Bob Murphy is passionate about golf in his local community. Along with friend and neighbor PGA Mas-ter Professional Laurie Hammer, Murphy has co-hosted the Delray Dunes Bethesda Hospital Pro-Am for 40 straight years. This program along has raised almost 4 million dollars.

Murphy also is the National Spokesman for Hook A Kid on Golf, a local golf program based in West Palm Beach. In ’94 he helped create the Community Sharing Grants Program, resulting in over 75,000 children receiving golf instruction, as well as a set of clubs and golf bag. Murphy has raised over 1 million for Hook A Kid on Golf. “I’ve been involved with Hook twenty years now. It’s a great program, one that really touches my heart,” said Murphy.

Tom Wildenhaus is the PGA Director of Golf at Olde Florida Golf Club and has been a PGA member since 1986. A past Section President, Wildenhaus currently serves as the South Florida Section Foundation President. He’s served in many other Section positions such as President, Vice President, Secretary, Honorary President, Education Chairperson and Tournament Chairperson. Wildenhaus held similar positions in the Southwest Chapter as well.

“I was so honored and surprised to hear I was selected for the SFPGA Hall of Fame. I’ve never stopped to look at what I’ve done during my service to deserve this, I just alway keep an eye out for my next opportunity to help make the Section and the industry better. There’s still more to do. We are off to a good start but our challenge is to keep it growing and give back to our communities in a very positive way,” says Tom Wildenhaus.

No stranger to honors and awards, Wildenhaus has won many Section awards, including the Horton Smith Award twice, Golf Professional of the Year in ’07, Bill Strausbaugh award in ’08, and various Chapter awards including the Southwest Chapter Golf Professional of the Year in ’97.

Wildenhaus also boasts a spectacular list of community achievements and involvement. Over the years, he has been a Titleist Leadership Advisory council member, an advisory board member to Florida Gulf Coast University’s PGM program, a PGM mentor program member, and the assistant tournament director of the First Tee in Naples / Collier Junior Golf Tour.

Geoff Lofstead, Executive Director for the South Florida PGA says, “Tom Wildenhaus has been a tremendous asset for the South Florida PGA from his years of service as an officer to his present role as President of the South Florida PGA Foundation. This is a well deserved honor for a PGA member that has had a profound impact on our section.”

The South Florida PGA Section will induct both Bob Murphy and Tom Wildenhaus as part of its Annual Awards and Hall of Fame dinner in November. (Date and time to be announced).

Bob Murphy Tom Wildenhaus

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patriot golf day & kickoff festivitiesPGA Village in Port St. Lucie, Fla., will once again host the Opening Ceremonies cel-ebration for the 5th Annual Patriot Golf Day Weekend at the PGA Golf Club on Sat., Sept. 3, at 8 a.m. Patriot Golf Day events, held at golf courses nationwide from Sept. 2-5 (Fri.-Mon.) raise funds for the Folds of Honor Foundation, which provides post-sec-ondary educational scholarships for children and spouses of military servicemen and women killed or disabled while serving our country. Since 2007, more than $8.6 million has been raised and over 2,100 scholarships provided, due to this generous support.

“It is an honor to once again host the Patriot Golf Day celebration at PGA Golf Club this Labor Day Weekend,” said Bob Baldassari, PGA senior director of Player Develop-ment Programs, for The PGA of America. “As we celebrate five years of Patriot Golf Day, we will once again raise funds for the families of those who have given everything. We invite everyone out to PGA Golf Club to make a

difference for our American heroes and join the fun.”New this year will be a live concert with country music recording artists Ricochet and local favorites Boss Groove, who will be joined by the Avenue D Boys Choir at Digital Domain Park (St. Lucie Mets Stadium) in Port St. Lucie, on Fri., Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. There will be ceremonies featuring Grand Marshalls PGA Chief Executive Officer Joe Steranka and Folds of Honor Foundation vice president Maj. Ed Pulido – who earned a purple heart after losing his leg while serving in Iraq. The night will kick off with family golf activities beginning at 6 p.m.

The festivities move to PGA Golf Club on Sat., Sept. 3, for the annual free to the public parade and Opening Ceremonies, as well as the John Shimkonis Memorial Medal Golf Tournament to benefit the Folds of Honor Foundation, BBQ lunch and prizes at PGA Golf Club. That evening, Patriot Golf Day celebrations will move back to Digital Domain Park for a St. Lucie Mets game at 7 p.m., followed by postgame fireworks. Both the players and Ricochet band members will wear special Patriot Golf Day uniforms that the Mets will autograph and auction off throughout the weekend to raise money for the Folds of Honor Foundation.

The charity golf event is $125 and is part of a package that includes tickets to the concert, 18 holes at PGA Golf Club, BBQ lunch, prizes, St. Lucie Mets game ticket and Folds of Honor Foundation donation. In appreciation of their service, both Active and Retired Military members will pay a special $65 rate. To reserve your Patriot Golf Day Weekend Pack-age, call 800-800-GOLF (4653).

Individual concert tickets are also available for $15 for the lower bowl; and $12 for the upper bowl. Kids 3 and under are admitted for free. Concert tickets only are available at the Digital Domain Box Office at 772-871-2115. A charity Flag Day Tournament will follow on Sun., Sept.4; and an Individual Point Quota tournament will be conducted on Labor Day, Mon. Sept. 5. Both events will feature a closest to the pin contest on all par-3 holes at PGA Golf Club. Throughout the weekend, there will be family golf events as a fund-raiser at the nearby PGA Center for Golf Learning and Performance, and the PGA Museum of Golf will showcase a new exhibit that pays tribute to the 93rd PGA Championship, with free admission.

For tee times, reservations and information about Patriot Golf Day Weekend, please call 800-800-GOLF (4653) or visit www.pgavillage.com/stlucie. Both PGA Village and Digital Domain Park are located off of I-95 Exit #121 in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

The South Florida PGA encourages your facility to participate this year in Patriot Golf Day. Patriot Golf Day 2011 will again be held during the labor Day weekend. If you are interested in joining the mission to empower the lives of deserving military families with educational opportunities, then please become a participating facility in 2011!

PGA Professionals who host an event and submit funds to the Folds of Honor Foundation will receive TWo mSR Credits. The 2011 Patriot Golf Day kits will be mailed to all registered facilities. Kit contents include a poster, flyer, tent cards, suggested guidelines for hosting the event as well as Best Practices. Registration is available through PatriotGolfDay.com, or contact Joe Canny, PGA in the Player Development Depart-ment at 561-630-1705.

tournament newsAssistants Championship presented by Callaway Golf

Richard Terga of John Websters Golf Academy shot a pair of 67s to win the Callaway Golf South Florida PGA Assistant Championship. Terga carded four birdies in a row on the front nine for a nine hole total 32 and cruised to victory with a back nine 35 for his sec-ond straight 67 in as many days.

Finishing just one stroke off the lead was 2009 champion, Alan Mo-rin of The Falls Country. Alan Morin made a run at the championship by shooting a back nine 32, carding two birdies and an eagle.

Finishing two strokes off the lead and tied for third were Drew Pierson of Naples National and defending cham-pion, Paul Scaletta of The Bears Club. The Championship was contested at Bonita Bay Club East on the Cypress course. By virtue of their finish, the top three finishers, Terga, Morin and Pierson qualified for the Callaway Golf Assistant National Championship taking place October 3-6, 2011 at PGA Golf Club in Port St Lucie.

Special thanks to title sponsor Callway Golf, and to PGA Director of Golf Michael Weiler and PGA Assistant Professional Ric Nalyd and their stellar staff for making this event a success.

L to R: Alan Morin, Ric Nalyd, Richard Terga, Phil Olive

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tournament newsPro - Super

Steve Sponder with his Global Golf Sales staff at the Beverage Oasis

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PGA Professional Rod Curl and Superintendent Kevin Down-ing of Hammock Creek Golf Club combined for a team score of 61 to win the Pro-Superintendent Championship’s Gross division. This was Curl and Downing’s second straight gross division title as they also won in 2010 with a combined score of 60.

PGA Professional Joe Bostic and Superinten-dent Matt Schad representing Turtle Creek Club with score of 59.2 won the Net division in a score card play-off over the team of PGA Profes-sional Jon Davis and Superintendent Rodney Brown of Okeeheelee Golf Course.

Finishing second in the gross division and just two strokes back of Curl and Downing was the team of PGA Professional Chris Trout and Bryce Koch of Cypress Lake Country Club who shot a combined nine under par total of 63. A to-tal of 50 teams, consisting of one South Florida PGA Professional and one superintendent (from the same facility), competed in this two-person scramble event. The event was supported by Global Golf Sales, E-Z-GO and Adam’s Golf.

Thank you to PGA Professionals ___ for helping make this event a success!

L to R: John Baughman, Matt Schad, Steve Sponder of Global Golf Sales, Rod Curl & Kevin Downing of Hammock Creek, RIck Brisky of AdamsGolf, Jackie Gonzalez of Black Widow Grips and Jeff Barrett

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tournament newsSenior Section Championship

Chris Campbell of Vero Beach, twice the runnerup, won the 29th annual South Florida PGA Seniors Champion-ship by two strokes Friday at the Turtle Creek Club.

Campbell, 56, head professional at Vista Plantation for more than 20 years, was the only player to break 70 both days, scoring 67-68—135. Jamie Fordyce of Port St. Lucie was second with 70-67—137 followed by Ric Na-lyd of Naples at 69-70—139.

Thanks to support sponsors The PGA TOUR and Southwinds Homes, and PGA Professionals Joe Bostic, Brett Belade and Luke Frazier on staff at Turtle Creek Club.

L to R: Chris Campbell and Senior Committee Chairperson Victor Tortorici

Global Golf Sales Series #3

Paul Scaletta of The Bear's Club accumulated 51 points to win Global Golf Sales Tournament Series Finale which was con-tested August 22nd at Wyndemere Country Club on the White/Gold course. Paul carded 6 birdies, 1 eagle and only 1 bogey in route to his 51 points. Players earned 6 points for an eagle, 4 points for a birdie, 2 points for a par and 1 point for a bogey in this 18-hole Stableford Competition. Finishing tied for second were Shawn Hall of Ballen Isles Country Club and Richard Terga of John Websters Golf Academy who each accumulated 45 points.

In addition to the event, Steve Sponder of Global Golf Sales sponsored a Closest-to-the-Hole contest and $1,000 Hole-in-One contest. Winning the contest was Jon Davis of Okeeheelee Golf Club who's shot ended up a mere 5 feet 3 inches from the hole. Jon won $150 for his efforts. Finishing just one inch outside Jon was Ken Martin of the Village Golf Club. Ken won $100 for second place. Thank you to PGA Professionals Tim Miller, Perry Smith, James Leland and the entire staff at Wyndemere CC for making this event a sucess.

tournament newsSFPGA Section Championship

Christopher Kaufman shot three straight 68s to win the 33rd annual South Florida PGA Section Cham-pionship presented by TaylorMade adidas Ashworth and supported by Boxgroove and The PGA Tour.

The PGA Director of Instruction at the Boca Raton Resort, Kaufman edged defending champion Alan Morin by one stroke, 204 to 205. Mo-rin, an assistant professional at The Falls Country Club, Lake Worth, was bidding for his record fourth Section Championship. He closed with 67.

With Hurricane Irene churning to-ward the mainland, SFPGA officials decided Tuesday morning to play three rounds in two days. Second

round play was interrupted by darkness Tuesday. The 36-hole cut after two rounds to the low 40 and ties fell at five over par 149.

“I’ve won a lot of mini-tour events but this is my biggest win for what it means, win-ning a Section Championship,” Kaufman said. He earned $4,190.55, including the optional bonus pool, from a purse of $44,675.37.

Thanks to PGA members Gene Feiger and Stuart Thomas at Hideout for making the Championship a sucess, and big thanks to presenting sponsor TaylorMade adidas Ashworth and support by Boxgroove and The PGA TOUR.

L to R: Eric Bean and Chris Kaufman, the 2011 SFPGA Section Champion

L to R: McRedmond Morelli from Box-groove, Perry Smith, PGA of Wynde-mere, Chris Kaufman, PGA, Gene Fieg-

er of Hideout

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Junior Tour #8 presented by The Honda ClassicPresented by:

Supported by:

The South Florida PGA Junior Tour is proudly presented by The Honda Classic & supported by Allianz Championship, Club Med Golf Academy, Don

Law Golf Academy, Palm Beach County Sports Commission, The Men’s Fun Group at Mirasol, Oakley and Titleist.

junior news

L to R: John Oyler, PGA, Overall Winners Vanessa Orr and Derron Peyton, Steve Pinger, PGA

The South Florida PGA Junior Tour presented by the Honda Classic hosted Event #8 at Hunters Run Golf and Racquet Club in Boynton Beach August 4-5. A sold out field of 104 junior competed on the East course.

Derron Peyton of Boynton Beach claimed his 6th Overall Title of the season as well as finishing with the lowest score of anyone so far on tour this season. Peyton shot 67-66 for a 133 total two-day score. Coming in second place was Julian Rippert of Palm Beach Gardens who shot a two-day total of 137. Tied for 3rd place with a score of 140 was Dane Cianelli of Plantation and Austin Schultz of Bonita Springs.

In the Girls Overall division, Vanessa Orr of Miami Gardens claimed her 1st title of the season with a 141. Coming in tied for 2nd place with a 143 were Annie Dulman of Palm Beach Gardens and Radi Sauro of Lake Worth.

Ty Strafaci of Davie claimed his 3rd title of the year with an 11 stroke lead 143. Coming in 2nd place with a 154 was Philippe Urreiztieta of Wellington. Eduardo Blochtein of Delray Beach came in 3rd with a two day score of 155.

In the Girls 12-13 Age Division Samantha Haubenstock of Weston claimed a 9 stroke victory with a two-day score of 159. Andie Shukow of Boca Raton came in 2nd place with a 168. Finishing in 3rd place with a 172 was Lorena De Antonio of Weston.

Notable mentions for shooting under par during the tournament: Ty Strafaci 69, Tim Cahill 69, Dane Cianelli 68, Julian Rippert 67-70, Jackson Shoenfelt 70, Jonah Wasserstrom 70, Mike Anderson 69, Keenan Deignan 70, Stephen McPoyle 70, John Mendoza 70, Conor O’Rourke 70, Austin Schultz 69, Annie Dulman 69, Radi Sauro 68 and Derron Peyton 67-66.

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Junior Tour #17 presented by the Honda ClassicPresented by:

Supported by:

junior news

The South Florida PGA Junior Tour is proudly presented by The Honda Classic & supported by

Allianz Championship, Club Med Golf Academy, Don Law Golf Academy, Palm Beach County Sports Commission, The Men’s Fun

Group at Mirasol, Oakley and Titleist.

Right: Ryan Sundberg, PGA with all of the girl award

winners

The South Florida PGA Junior Tour presented by the Honda Classic hosted Event #17 at The Polo Club of Boca Raton. 54 Juniors Girls 12-18 and Boys 12-13 filled the field in our 2nd unique event of the season for these age divisions. Please visit the website at www.sfpgagolf.com for full results and story.

Left: Overall Winners Jaime Freed-man and Michael Graboyes

The South Florida PGA Junior Tour presented by the Honda Classic hosted Event #9 at the Jim McLean Signature Course at Doral August 20-21st. A sold out field of 104 juniors competed in the two day event.

In the Boys Overall division, Michael Graboyes of Palm Beach Gardens beat Dane Cianelli of Plantation on the first sudden death playoff hole. Graboyes hit a close approach shot to birdie the play-off hole. Both boys had impressive two-day scores of 141. Richard Donegan of Okeechobee came in 3rd with a score of 144.

In the Girls Overall division, Jamie Freedman of Miami claimed her first victory of the season with a 69-75-144. Tied for second place with a 150, were Claudia De Antonio of Weston and Julie Steinbauer of Doral. Visit www.sfpgagolf.com for more.

Junior Tour #9 presented by the Honda Classic

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education

SFPGA TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR ANDREW MILLER

rules with drew

September Strokes

Last month at the PGA Championship Rory McIlroy made the unfortunate decision to try to advance his ball which lay against a tree root. Although Rory was successful in advancing the ball, his wrist and club paid the ultimate price. Rule 4-3aiii allowed Rory to replace the dam-aged club however his wrist was not as eas-ily repaired. You would not think this type of situation happens that often but just this past week at one of our Junior Tour events a simi-lar situation occurred. A player’s club broke at impact and he wondered if he had made a stroke or would be allowed to replace and re-play without counting the stroke?

In both Rory’s and the Junior Tour player’s case, they had each made a stroke according to the definition which states, “ a stroke is the forward movement of the club made with the intention of striking at and moving the ball, but if a player checks his downswing voluntari-ly before the clubhead reaches the ball he has not made a stroke.” As I watched the replay of Rory’s situation and thought more about the Junior Tour kid, I got to thinking. If a club breaks during a swing, at what point has the player made a stroke?

Decision 14/2 states, “The head of a player’s club separated from the shaft during his back-swing. The player completed the swing but

missed the ball. Is the player deemed to have made a stroke? No. A stroke is the forward movement of the club….A shaft by itself is not a club.” What would be the ruling if a player starts his downswing and the clubhead sepa-rates from the shaft and the player completes the swing without making contact with the ball? According to Decision 14/3, the player has made a stroke.

As I read on in the Decision book, I came across more situations which helped clarify my question. Decision 14/4 states, “The shaft of a player’s club broke during his downswing. The player stopped his swing short of the ball, but the clubhead fell and moved the ball. What is the ruling? The player did not make a stroke. If the ball was not in play, i.e., the in-cident involved a tee shot, no penalty was in-curred, and a ball must be played from the tee-ing ground. If the ball was in play, the player would incur a one-stroke penalty under Rule 18-2a or 18-2b and the ball must be replaced.” What would be the ruling if the shaft broke during his downswing, the player continued the stroke and missed the ball however, the clubhead fell and moved the ball. Decision 14/5 states that the stroke counts but the player incurs no penalty and the ball must be played as it lies.

The first four Decisions I mentioned all dealt with the “forward movement” part of the definition of Stroke but I was also able to find

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upcoming eventsSeptember 4 - 10Travel Pro - Amin Spain

September 17-18Junior Tour #10Presented by The Honda ClassicSupported by Titleist, Don law Golf Academy, Club med Golf Academy, Palm Beach Sports Commission, Allianz Championship and The Fun Group at mirasolat Wyndemere CC

September 27-28SFPGA Professional ChampionshipPresented by Club Car & mercedes-BenzSupported by Titleist, FootJoy, Nike Golf, Taylormade adidas Ashworth, & The PGA TouRat mayacoo lakes CC

September 30Player Ability Testat San Carlos Golf Club

October 10Miccosukee Open Qualifierat Plantation Preserve / Jacaranda

October 13Bobby Goodman Pro-Amat Naples Beach Club

October 14-16 Florida State Senior OpenSupported by Naples Beach Club & Pepsi Colaat Naples Beach Club

October 15-16Junior Tour #11Presented by The Honda ClassicSupported by Titleist, Don law Golf Academy, Club med Golf Academy, Palm Beach Sports Commission, Allianz Championship and The Fun Group at mirasolat eastpointe CC

examples of the second part of the definition, the “intent” part. Decision 14/1.5 states, “A player be-gins his downswing with the intention of striking the ball but decides during the downswing not to strike the ball. The player is unable to stop the club before it reaches the ball, but he is able to swing intentionally over the top of the ball. Is the player deemed to have made a stroke? No. The player is considered to have checked his downswing volun-tarily by altering the path of his downswing and missing the ball even though the swing carried the clubhead beyond the ball. If the player had not suc-cessfully checked his downswing (i.e., he had struck the ball), his is considered to have made a stroke. Any doubt regarding the player’s intent must be re-solved against the player.” Decision 14/1 asks, “If a player starts his downswing and his clubhead is de-flected or stopped by an agency other than himself, e.g., the branch of a tree, is he deemed to have made a stroke? Yes, the players intention was to strike the ball, therefore he has made a stroke.”

In closing, last month I mentioned how knowledge of the definitions was critical to making rulings and that is definitely the case with the above circum-stances. Just by knowing the definition of a stroke, you would be able to determine if the player had made a stroke and then you could determine which rule applied to the player.