NEPGA Points Update

Check out the updated standings on the NEPGA points races!

The NEPGA season might be starting to wind down, but the Section’s point races are just beginning. The Section has three major opportunities for Professionals to participate in events other than just golf on the course.

The SCNS Sports Foods 1^st Tee/ 10^th Tee Challenge takes a snapshot of the Avidia Bank Stroke Play Series that’s beyond scores in individual events. It takes a Professional’s score in relation to par on the first and tenth holes only. At the end of the Stroke Play Series, scores from the first holes and tenth holes are then aggregated and the lowest PGA Professional from either contest is crowned champion. Currently, 12 NEPGA Professionals are tied at -1 in the first tee challenge, including Rick Karbowski, PGA and Chip Johnson, PGA. Find the results in the first tee tenth tee challenge here.

In the ‘Race to the Avidia Cup”, PGA Professionals whom participate in any of the Stroke Play Series events accumulate points for high finishes. The top 54 point finishers after the five Stroke Play Series events will participate in the Avidia Bank Cup finals. In 2017, Kirk Hanefeld was the Avidia Cup Champion after a great performance at The Misquamicut Club in Watch Hill, RI. This season the Avidia Cup Finals will be at Montcalm GC on October 2nd.  Montcalm will provide a scenic background and a great challenge to the field as many have never played the Enfield, NH course . Click on the logo to the left for the updated list of points standings in the Avidia Cup Finals!

The OMEGA-Wogan Player of the Year tallies points based on New England PGA Member finishes in New England Section, State and National events throughout the year.  At the end of the season, the NEPGA Professional with the most points is declared the OMEGA-Wogan Player of the Year.  The award’s namesake, Eugene “Skip” Wogan, was an accomplished New England Section player as well as one of the founders of the PGA of America while serving as the Section's first President. Skip was also active on a national level with the PGA of America’s Board of Directors.  Over the past five years, Shawn Warren, PGA and Rich Berberian, Jr., PGA have won it three and two year respectively. This season, Warren has a 2,000 point lead on Berberian at over 12,000 points with the Avidia Cup Finals left to play. Click here for full results!

Etched in Marble

Friedman Captures Stroke Play Series #5

-Quincy, Mass.

Liam Friedman, PGA (Nashawtuc CC) shot a 68 (-3) to win the fifth Stroke Play Series event at Granite Links Golf Club in Quincy, Mass on Tuesday. This was the final Stroke Play Series qualifying event before the Stroke Play Series Finals at Montcalm in October.

Friedman began the day on a strong note. He went back-to-back with birdies on the first and second and fifth and sixth holes.  He finished the Quincy nine holes with a lone bogey on the ninth to head to the Milton nine at -3, 32.

In his second nine, he didn’t go as low.  He made a birdie on Milton 4, but fell back to even with a bogey on the par-3 Milton 6^th. He traded a bogey for birdie one last time on his final two holes of the day, to finish even through his second nine. On the day, Friedman finished three-under-par with a score of 68.

Matt Zdon, PGA (Belmont CC) finished T2 with Dan Venezio, PGA (Portland CC) and Bob Bruso, PGA (Blackstone National) who all shot 69 (-2). Venezio had a fantastic day on the course, making a double bogey on Milton 2 as his only misstep on the day. Bruso and Zdon had only small mistakes between the courses as well, but it was too much to overtake Friedman.

John Paesani, PGA (The Bay Club at Mattapoisett) may not have shot the score he wanted to win the event, but he made an ace on the second hole on the Quincy course. He finished his round at 72 (+1).

The top 60 in the Avidia Cup Points standings after this event have now qualified for the Stroke Play Series Finals at Montcalm GC in Enfield, NH on October 2^nd. To see the updated list of finalists, please click here