CNYPGANEWS
NICK SERAFINO
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
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ROCKY KELLY PRO-JUNIOR CNY OPEN WOMEN’S AIM CHAMPIONSHIP
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ASSISTANT’S CHAMPIONSHIP PRO-TEAM EMMETT KELLY MASTERS
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SR SECTION CHAMPIONSHIP TECH CON COMPENSATION SURVEY
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SECTION CHAMPIONSHIP CNY PGA CENNTENIAL SUBMIT CLUB CHAMPIONS
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JLG ALL-STARS TESORI/MULHERIN CUP JR TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP
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MEMBER CLUB INFO SCHOLARSHIP INFO
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HOPE OEP NOW OPEN HOPE AT THE DICK’S OPEN HOPE INSTRUCTOR TRAINING
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EDUCATION HUB MEMBER LINKS PDR CYCLE INFORMATION
PAGE 11
STAFF CONTACTS
PAGE 12 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
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PXG ADVERTISEMENT PAGE 14
ANTIGUA ADVERTISEMENT PAGE 15
EXPERT VOICE ADVERTISEMENT
CONTRIBUTING CONTENT: FRAN PIRAINO
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHY: SOPHIA FERRIS HARLEE LUCIER
Tom Christoffersen Captures Towsley Open
The Central New York PGA’s Towsley Open delivered low scores and thrilling performances this past Monday at Elm Tree Golf
Course Tom Christoffersen
Rocky Kelly Pro-Junior
The Central New York PGA gathered at the stunning Green Lakes Golf Course for one of its most meaningful traditions: the Rocky
Kelly Pro-Junior Hosted on the course where beloved PGA of America Golf Professional Rocky Kelly served for many years, the event honors his legacy by combining competitive golf with camaraderie between PGA Professionals and junior players The team from The Pompey Club emerged victorious in the scramble competition with a dominant 21-under-par performance Team members Jackson Saroney, Emmet Kilmartin, and TJ Gardner shot an incredible 24 on the front nine and 26 on the back. Their round was highlighted by a hole-in-one from Gardner on the par-3 second hole, propelling them to a 5-shot victory over the rest of the field
Cupp wins 6th career Women’s AIM crown
VINAL WINS CNY OPEN
The competitive side of PGA of America Associate Zach Vinal came out at the right time during the Central New York Open
Despite not playing much golf over the past 12 months, Vinal’s confidence in his game helped him fire rounds of 67 and 69 to win his first major as a Professional June 30 at Cortland Country Club
Since welcoming her fourth child in May, Lauren Cupp has worked hard to get back into golf shape and there is no arguing the results
On Aug 1, Cupp reclaimed the overall Women’s Apogee Investment Management crown with a two-stroke victory over defending champion Teresa Cleland Cupp (Rome Country Club) carded rounds of 77 and 75 to win her sixth career AIM title
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“It just felt like the right things came together at the right time,” Vinal said “I found something in my golf swing on Friday that I knew if I trusted it for this event, I could play like I know how So, this was nice to win in such a big event.”
Playing in intense heat and humidity, Vinal held a one-shot lead over Anthony Falgiatano and John Duthie after the first round Entering the second round, Vinal’s competitive juices were flowing as he remained atop the leaderboard to close out the win
As an amateur, the Syracuse native and Junior Tour alum regularly competed in the AIM Championship (formerly the Post-Standard Amateur) and most recently played in the U.S. Open Qualifier in May.
Pro-Team Tournament
Yahnundasis Golf Club was the site of the Turning Stone Resort Casino Pro-Team (Scratch) Tournament on Aug 4 with Mark Tucker
AIM Senior Championship
As one of the top senior amateur golfers in the U S , Kevin VandenBerg competes in many highprofile events around the country But this week, his golf travels kept him closer to home and he added another trophy to his crowded mantel VandenBerg, of Pulaski, captured his first Apogee Investment Management Senior Championship with a three-stroke victory over 2019 champion Jack Weinerth on Aug 8 After an opening round of 73, VandenBerg stormed back for rounds of 68 and 69 to finish at 5-under-par 210. “This means a lot,” said VandenBerg, who finished second last year “This is a good one to have under my belt It’s nice to play in local things. One of the great things about senior golf is the guys you meet and the relationships you forge ” and Jeff Reader finishing tied atop the individual PGA of America Member leaderboard.
CAMPBELL REPEATS AT ASST. CHAMPIONSHIP
PGA of America Golf Associate Matt Campbell successfully defended his title at the Central New York PGA Assistants Championship on Aug. 1 at Tuscarora Golf Club.
Campbell wins Emmett Kelly Masters
PGA of America
Golf Associate Matt Campbell edged amateur John Duthie to win the overall title at the Emmett Kelly Masters at the Cavalry Club Aug 11
“This is my first win at the Emmett Kelly Masters,” said Campbell, who won his second straight Section Assistants Championship earlier this month “It’s nice to finally win this and get my name on the trophy with a lot of talented golfers ”
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Campbell (Teugega Country Club) retained the Assistant crown after firing rounds of 69 and 64 in the 36-hole competition Campbell also repeated as the Assistants Player champion in June at Yahnundasis Golf Club
Campbell won by seven strokes over runner-up Tom Christoffersen (En-Joie GC). Campbell finished at 9-underpar 133. Christoffersen, the first-round leader, shot rounds of 68 and 72 for an overall total of 140.
Campbell sat one shot back entering the second round Campbell overtook Christoffersen on the second hole of the final round and never looked back Campbell carded six birdies plus an eagle on the par-5 16th hole, playing bogeyfree golf until the 17th hole
Zach Vinal (Yahnundasis GC) and Josh Marshall (Tuscarora GC) finished tied for third at even-par 142.
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TUCKER CLAIMS SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP
For Mark Tucker, qualifying for the national Senior PGA Professional Championship is an annual objective The PGA of America Member accomplished that goal by winning his fifth career Central New York PGA Senior Section Championship on July 22.
National Recovery Month
In recognition of National Recovery Month, we are sharing that a weekly virtual 12-step program. Step meeting is available for PGA Members, Associates, Affiliates, Staff, and PGM University students committed to personal recovery from addiction to alcohol and substance abuse The group meets virtually via ZOOM each Tuesday at 10:00 a m CST
The P G A (Peace, Gratitude and Acceptance) Fellowship is a peer-led, non-clinical group providing a confidential, supportive, and spiritually grounded space rooted in the values of the 12 Steps
For more information or to receive the Zoom link, please contact group member and Illinois PGA Executive Director Carrie Williams –cwilliams@pgahq com
Tucker fired a tournament-best 69 in the final round to beat Eric Manning (Elm Tree GC) by two strokes and claim the Senior crown The two-day tournament July 21-22 for Section players 50 and over was held at Timber Banks Golf Club
After an opening round of 74, Tucker (Cazenovia Country Club) carded four birdies and played bogey-free golf for 17 straight holes for a 3-under-par 69 in the closing round. He finished at 1-under 143.
“I thought if I could keep it even par, because I thought even par would win this, and I did one better,” he said “I’m very pleased ”
Tucker attributed his solid two-day performance on a hot putter Tucker’s other Senior titles came in 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2021.
Submit your Club Champions
Celebrate amateur club champions and their PGA Coaches by submitting your 2025 club champions All champions will receive an
invitation to the 2025 PGA National Club Championship in Palm Springs, CA in December.
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New PGA signups will receive a $15 gift card to use on their first purchase
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CNY PGA Centennial
We are in the midst of planning for the Central New York PGA's Centennial in 2026, and are looking for our membership's help!
We are in search of any archived articles, memorabilia, stories or anything we should not forget! Please feel free to reach out to Brittany (bsiechen@pgahq com) or Alan (aseamans@pgahq.com) with any type of contributions from the past 100 years!
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NICK SERAFINO WINS SECTION CHAMPIONSHIP
The wait is over for Nick Serafino
After 36 tries, the PGA of America Golf Professional scored his first Central New York PGA Section Championship on Aug 26 at Turning Stone Resort Casino. For Serafino, it was a rewarding moment to finally hoist the championship trophy
Serafino, who is also the chairperson of the PGA REACH CNY, seized the lead on the front nine with birdies on holes 4, 6 and 9 Tucker erased Serafino’s two stroke lead and pulled into a tie with two birdies on 10 and 13 after Serafino carded bogeys on No. 10 and 12.
“I wasn’t really looking at the leaderboard,” Serafino said. “I’m not a leaderboard watcher. But I knew Mark birdied 10, and I bogeyed it so I knew we had to be close ”
Not to be denied this year, Serafino came through with a birdie on the par-3 No 14 to regain the lead for good
“I hit a great shot that kind of turned things around on 14,” Serafino said. “I hit it to about a foot and made birdie and then just hung on from there. I made that shot on 14 when I needed it.”
Tesori/Mulherin
Cup
The 2025 Tesori Mulherin Cup was contested on Sunday, August 17, at Bellevue Country Club, with Team Mulherin earning the
victory to stop a potential three-peat by Team Tesori The 2025 field featured boys’ and girls’ point leaders from the CNY PGA Junior Tour season along with Junior Tour Championship winners
Winners crowned at Jr. Tour Championships
Area junior golfers vied for age group division titles Aug 1314 at the Central New York PGA Junior Tour Championships which was held at Turning Stone Resort Casino
The two-day tournament capped off the Junior Tour 2025 season with boys and girls ages 9-18 competing in their respective divisions
Boys 9-11: Bryson Strohl of Rome
Boys 12-13: Collin Helmer of Manlius
Boys 14-15: Ashton Ricci of Vernon
Boys 16-18: Brayden Thomas of East Syracuse
Girls 9-11: Leslie Cupp of Rome
Girls 12-14: Charlotte Brown of Cicero
Girls 15-18: Kamryn Yerman of Frankfort
JLG All-Stars
Corning Country Club emerged victorious in both divisions Their 13u squad posted a winning score of 103, while the 17u team fired an impressive 96 to claim the title With the victories, Corning advances to represent Central New York at the PGA Jr League Regional event
Beyond the competition, the day was filled with camaraderie and celebration. Thanks to Eastside Golf for providing a special tee gift to every All-Star, making the experience even more memorable
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GOODELLE AND ABEL CROWNED CHAMPIONS AT CNYPGA JUNIOR SECTION CHAMPIONSHIP
The Central New York PGA Junior Tour held their Junior PGA Championship Qualifier on Sunday and Monday, July 6–7, as rising junior golf talent teed it up at The Pompey Club and Drumlins Country Club The event featured exceptional performances in both the boys’ and girls’ divisions, culminating in dramatic finishes and national championship qualifiers.
Thomas Goodelle, of New Hartford, NY, delivered a rocksolid performance with rounds of 72 and 71 to finish even par (143) and claim the overall boys’ title by a commanding 7 strokes
In the girls’ division, Delaney Abel, of Corning, NY, turned in back-to-back rounds of 75 to secure the overall girls’ title at 150 (+7).
With their first- and second-place finishes, Thomas Goodelle, Brayden Thomas, Delaney Abel, and Kamryn Yerman have earned the opportunity to represent Central New York at the National Junior PGA Championship, to be held at Purdue University at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex in West Lafayette, Indiana, from July 29–August 1, 2025
BECOME A MEMBER CLUB!
You should have received your Member Club packet! This program supports PGA REACH CNY Your contribution is key to growing the game of golf in Central New York Thank you to those of you who continue your support and we are hopeful more of you will consider participating as we grow this great game with our youth.
CNY PGA Scholarship
Please join us in congratulating our two Scholarship winners Catherine Dadey (Sean Dadey) and Sophia Ferris (Dave Ferris). Catherine is a senior Business Analytics and Marketing major at Syracuse University. Sophia is a Graduate Student studying Physical Education. Congratulations and we wish them the best in their future endeavours.
PGA Financial Assistance Fund Scholarship
We are excited to congratulate Alexis Herceg (Bernie Herceg), Parker Mayhew and Madeline Mayhew (Fred Zahner) have each been awarded a scholarship from the PGA Financial Assistance Fund. Congratulations!
The PGA of America is proud to award 185 scholarships, with the recipients being determined by the highest Total Selection Score These scholarships are divided between high school and college applicants, with 94 high school students and 91 college students receiving scholarships.
HOPE Instructor Training
PGA HOPE Instructor Training now open for registration. The instructor training will be held on October 9 at Drumlins Country Club The seminar will be from 8:15am12:30pm 6 PDR available th
Click here to register now.
Visions Federal Credit Union Hosts Inaugural Visions Veterans Classic in collaboration with PGA HOPE CNY
On Monday, August 18th, PGA HOPE CNY Presenting Partner, Visions Federal Credit Union, proudly hosted the inaugural Visions Veterans Classic at Binghamton Country Club The event brought together over 50 PGA HOPE veterans for a day of golf and camaraderie.
Eighteen teams competed in the tournament, each comprised of three HOPE veterans and a Visions employee A team from Usherwood Office Technologies, a HOPE Presenting Gift Partner, also participated.
PGA HOPE AT THE DICK’S OPEN
“This event was truly an amazing day of golf, camaraderie, excitement, and giving back to our local veteran community in the CNY PGA Section,” said Joe Tesori, PGA “To have partners like Visions, who are so collaborative and passionate about giving back to our veterans, it was a win-win for all parties.”
HOPE OEP is now Open!
Please be sure to let Joe Tesori know your plans for a PGA HOPE program in 2026 by September 31st, 2025. Even if you are not fully committed to running
a program in 2026, please submit your interest to Joe This is crucial as we need to submit all interested programs to HQ for funding responsibilities If you decide to run a HOPE program after the September 31st deadline for the 2026 season, we will unfortunately not be able to add you for the 2026 season
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The recent golf clinic at En-Joie Golf Club for veterans was a fantastic success, thanks to the initiative of Dick’s Open Executive Director John Karedes His idea to support veterans through golf led him to approach us during the offseason, asking if we could provide PGA HOPE veterans for a clinic taught by Tour Champions players.
18 veterans from our PGA HOPE programs participated and they were incredibly appreciative of Fred Funk and Joey Sindelar
Sindelar expressed his thoughts by saying: “This was an awesome day, I was happy to do it These veterans deserve it and I was just fortunate to be a part of it with Fred. What a great day.”
Dean Rice, a PGA HOPE veteran, shared his thoughts on the clinic: “Thank you for your time and effort putting together this event I really enjoyed the event and it was great to talk with fellow Veterans I greatly appreciate your support of the Veteran community ”
MEMBER INFORMATION
OFFICE CLOSINGS
The office will be closed Monday September 15 as PGA REACH hosts its inaugural Birdie Bash. We will reopen on September 16 at 9am th th
PGA MEMBER LINKS
CNY PGA Membership Directory
Section & Foundation Partners
Workday Home Page
Workday Help Video Northeast Region Education Hub
NEW PDR CYCLE
The NEW PDR cycle period is 6/16/25 - 6/15/28. Click here to see the PGA Professional Development Requirements chart for ways to earn credits. Check out our new Northeast Region Education Hub for more PDR opportunities.
This is the edition of thank-you’s! I personally would like to thank everyone that teed it up in this year’s Section Championship. It’s an important event that we all, and mostly Dylan pours all his heart into. A fantastic event and a job well done, and I know he thanks you all for the support as well.
These next months are, in my opinion, the best months to be in the office, the NFL is back Listening to the weekly banter between Bills and Dolphins fans on Monday mornings is unmatched. What’s working in professional sports without a little bit of friendly competition anyway? I hope our members feel free to stop in any Monday morning and join in the broadcast! I will however continue to call in sick the Monday following the Bills Dolphins game!
As always, please let me know if you have any Centennial insight or suggestions you would like to share with me! I’m trying to find it ALL!!
Thank you all for growing the game!
“Just trying to be a coffee bean”
-Jalen Hurts
Brittany Wowelko
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