Atlantis, Fla. – The 24th Southworth Senior PGA Professional National Championship presented by Mercedes-Benz USA, will be underway this week beginning Thursday, October 11-14 at Creighton Farms in Aldie, Virgina, and River Creek Club in Leesburg, Virginia. Creighton Farms, a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, will host the final 36 holes of competition.
This year is perhaps the strongest assembled field in the history of the popular PGA of America member event. The 264-player field features representatives from 43 states including 14 or our own South Florida PGA Senior Professionals.
Returning to this prestigious event are Ken Martin, Pete Oakley, Mike San Filippo, and Ed Sabo, all of which were exempt from qualifying. In addition, qualifying for this event in the South Florida PGA Senior Section Championship were John Lee, the 2012 SFPGA Senior Section Champion, Lee Rinker, Frank Dobbs, Jerry Tucker, Jim Karr, Gary Knapp, Gene Fieger, John Nelson, John Calabria and Michael Brooks.
Oakley, a 63-year-old PGA Life Member, is the only member of the field to claim a professional major. Oakley won the 2004 Senior British Open at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland in style, making a 10-foot par putt on the 18th green to avoid a playoff with Tom Kite and Eduardo Romero. Oakley became the 10th open qualifier to win a Champions Tour event.
In addition to being a Major Champion, Oakley is also one of three South Florida PGA Professionals competing in the event this week that are also Past National Champions. Oakley won this event in 1999, Sabo is a two time champion claiming the title in both ’00 and ’01, and San Filippo was Champion in both ’02 and ’05.
Sabo, Tequesta, Fla., enters this event as one of six past PGA Senior Professional Players of the Year having won this honor in 2000.
San Filippo, Hobe Sound, Fla., is one of seven PGA Professional Players of the Year to be competing in this year’s field. He was named the PGA Professional Player of the year in 1993.
Dobbs of Port St. Lucie, Fla., is also one of six PGA Assistant Professional Champions in the field of 264, all constituting a very challenging, and prestigious playing field for the 24th Annual Southworth Senior PGA Professional National Championship.
The field features PGA Professionals at least 50 years of age, as of the Championship, who have qualified through one of the 41 PGA Sections. The low 70 scorers and ties after Friday’s second round advance to the weekend’s final 36 holes at Creighton Farms.
The low 35 finishers will qualify for the 2013 Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid, at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Mo. The top eight finishers, including ties, will receive exemptions into the 2013 Senior PGA Professional National Championship. In addition, the top five finishers will be exempt into the Champions Tour National Finals at TPC Eagle Trace in Coral Springs, Fla., provided they have submitted an entry by the entry deadline.
We wish all of the South Florida PGA Professionals competing in this exciting event good luck next week. Continue to follow their success by CLICKING HERE.
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