SHARON, Mass. – Jason Calhoun, PGA (Brown University) carded a 2-under 70 to capture the 2023 NEPGA Teaching Professional Championship, by a 4-stroke margin, on Tuesday at The Cape Club of Sharon. In the Head Pro Championship, Jeff Martin, PGA (Wollaston GC) came to the scoring table with a 1-under, 71, to break a three-way tie and claim the trophy.
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Martin started the day with a bogey on the par-4 third hole before carding three birdies in a row on 4, 5, and 6. He made the turn at 2-under. Bogeys on 11 and 15 put Martin in position to finish the round tied with Shayne Sakson, PGA (Ocean Edge GC), Frank Dully, PGA (Kernwood CC), and Hal Jacobs, PGA (Wellesley CC) who were in the clubhouse with even-par, 72 scorecards. Martin checked the leaderboard and knew he needed one more birdie over the two remaining holes to claim the Championship. He wasted no time and birdied the par-5 17th hole to take home the cup.
Sakson was 2-over at the turn, but one bogey and three birdies on the back finished him at an even-par 72 for a share of second place. Dully made the turn at 1-under with two birdies on the card on the front nine. A double bogey on 11 and a birdie on the par-4 12th hole gave him the final even-par in a three-way tie. Jacobs traded two early bogeys with two birdies on the front to make the turn at and even-par 36. A bogey on 11 moved him to 1-over, but one last birdie on 17 lifted him to an even-par finish in a share of second place.
Calhoun carded a birdie on the par-3 fourth hole, but two bogeys on five and seven put him at 1-over making the turn. After a bogey on 10, Calhoun turned his round up with an eagle on the par-4 12th hole and back-to-back brides on holes 16 and 17 gave him the final 2-under, 70 for first place in the Teaching Professional Championship.
Danny Kish, PGA (Indoor GC) and Robert Bruso, PGA (Blackstone National GC) tied for second place in the Teaching Professional Championship, carding 2-over 74s. Kish carded one birdie and one bogey on the front to make the turn at an even-par 36. A trio of bogeys on the back nine put Kish at 3-over with just two holes to play. He wrapped up the round with a birdie on the par-4 18th hole to clinch the final 2-over for a share of second place.
Bruso also made the turn at an even-par 36. He gave his scorecard some action on the back nine, starting with two birdies on the par-4 10th hole and par-5 11th hole. Bogeys on 14, 15, and 16 moved him to 1-over with two holes to play. A birdie on the par-5 17th evened his score, but a double-bogey on 18 settled his card at 2-over overall and tied for second place.
The New England PGA would like to thank its Head Pro / Teaching Pro Championship partners: Dormie Workshop, Rhone, GolfForever, Mizuno, Jack Jolly & Son, and PGA Tour. The NEPGA would also like to thank The Cape Club of Sharon host professional, John Carbeau, superintendent Nick Sweeney and the entire Cape Club of Sharon staff for hosting the event.
