The Western New York PGA Professional Championship at Clifton Springs Country Club on July 14th and 15th brought together the best Professionals in the WNYPGA Section to compete for top honors. The players arrived at Clifton Springs’ perfectly manicured layout on Sunday and were quickly faced with hot and humid weather that provided difficult scoring conditions for the field. Managing the challenge the best on day one, Tyler Smith from Oak Hill Country Club led the way after turning in a one-under-par 70, with seven players following closely behind within two shots of the lead.
With rain softening the course before Monday’s second round, the opportunity presented itself to make a swift move up the leaderboard. Ben Stover of Oak Hill Country Club and Ryan Swanson of Pinehurst Golf Course took advantage of the conditions and fired rounds in the 60s to vault themselves into the final two alternate spots. However, it was the consistent play of Nick Palladino, PGA from Crag Burn Golf Club that would earn him the victory. His even-par 71 on day one followed by a final round one-under 70 pushed him into the top spot by two strokes over Jon Hoecker, PGA, Kirk Stauffer, PGA, and J.A. Sutherland, PGA who were destined for a playoff to determine the last of Western New York’s qualifying spots.
After a one-hole tiebreaker, Kirk Stauffer, PGA, and Jon Hoecker, PGA played their way into joining Nick Palladino, PGA as the WNYPGA qualifiers for the 57th PGA Professional Championship at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, FL.
The tournament was an excellent showcase of golfing talent, and we couldn’t be prouder of the high level of play from our qualifying professionals. The WNYPGA Members thank Clifton Springs Country Club’s Head Golf Professional, Michael Basch, PGA, his staff, and the Clifton Springs membership for hosting the event.