Beach Earns Low Club Pro at PGA Championship
UPDATE (August 7, 2020) -- A second round 1-over 71 on Friday in the PGA Championship helped lead Alex Beach of Westchester to finishing as the Low Club Professional at TPC Harding Park. Though a couple Met Area pros improved upon their opening round scores on Friday, none will compete over the weekend in San Francisco, Calif.
Related: PGA Championship Home
Beach's 71 on the 7,251-yard layout led to his his 4-over 144 total, which missed the cut by three shots. However, none of the 20 club professionals in the field made the cut and Beach's 4-over stood two shots better than Bob Sowards and Benny Cook.
Jason Caron of Mill River improved his score by four shots from Thursday to Friday behind his 2-over 72 to tally an 8-over 148 total.
Seven time PGA Championship competitors Rob Labritz of GlenArbor and Danny Balin of Fresh Meadow carded rounds of 6-over 76 on Friday, finishing at 7-over 147 and 10-over 150, respectively.
UPDATE (August 6, 2020) -- Reigning Low Club Professional Rob Labritz of GlenArbor led the quartet of Met Area pros competing in the 2020 PGA Championship in round one at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, Calif., with a 1-over 71.
Related: PGA Championship Home
Labritz had an adventurous first nine in his seventh PGA Championship appearance, making three birdies and three bogeys en route to an even-par 35. He settled in on the inward nine, closing with eight pars and one additional bogey for his 71--good enough to place him tied for 68th after the opening round. He returns to play at 7:27 a.m., Pacific, on No. 10.
Alex Beach of Westchester tallied a 3-over 73 in the opening round alongside professionals Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia. Danny Balin of Fresh Meadow, also competing in his seventh PGA Championship, carded a 4-over 74, while Jason Caron of Mill River shot 6-over 76 to round out the quartet.
ELMSFORD, N.Y. (August 3, 2020) -- The field is set for this week's 2020 PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, Calif., and the Met Area once again has strong representation on the major stage.
Related: PGA Championship Home
Six standout professionals with ties to the area are in the 156-player field, with action set to get underway on Thursday morning.
Four local professionals made their way into the field after invites were offered to the top 20 players on the 2019 PGA Professional Player of the Year Standings. Traditionally, the top 20 finishers at the PGA Professional Championship receive spots in the PGA Championship, but this year's event was cancelled.
Fresh Meadow head professional and 2012 Met Open champion Danny Balin will make his seventh PGA Championship appearance. Balin, who will also participate in the U.S. Open at Winged Foot in September, appeared in his first PGA Championship in 2010. The 38-year-old was third on the list in the 2019 PGA Professional Player of the Year Standings to earn his the spot in the field.
Alex Beach of Westchester makes his second consecutive appearance in the PGA Championship after also competing at Bethpage in 2019. Beach has played in three PGA events this season, with his best finish coming at the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego. Beach had an outstanding 2019 campaign, winning both the PGA Professional Championship at Belfair in South Carolina and the Assistant PGA Professional Championship at PGA Golf Club in Florida.
Jason Caron of Mill River is also in the field for the second consecutive season. The 48-year-old won the 2019 POLO Golf Met PGA Head Pro Championship and fired a 70 in round one of the PGA Championship last season at Bethpage Black.
Also making his seventh career PGA Championship start is Rob Labritz of GlenArbor. The 49-year-old has had several standout performances in the event, finishing as Low Club Professional in 2010 as the only club pro to make the cut at Whistling Straits and 2019 at Bethpage Black. He has six professional wins in his career.
Two other professionals with local ties are also in the field in San Francisco: 2011 PGA Champion and St. John's alum Keegan Bradley, and Jim Herman, who was once an assistant professional at Trump National in Bedminster, N.Y.