August Newsletter

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2025

CNY PGA NEWS 2025 SECTION CHAMPIONSHIP WINNER

NICK SERAFINO VINAL WINS CNY OPEN

SUBMIT DURING OEP FOR A 2026 HOPE PROGRAM

CORNING CC SWEEPS :

JR. LEAGUE GOLF ALLSTARS

INSIDE THIS ISSUE PAGE 3 ROCKY KELLY PRO-JUNIOR CNY OPEN WOMEN’S AIM CHAMPIONSHIP

PAGE 4

ASSISTANT’S CHAMPIONSHIP PRO-TEAM EMMETT KELLY MASTERS

PAGE 5

SR SECTION CHAMPIONSHIP TECH CON COMPENSATION SURVEY

PAGE 6

SECTION CHAMPIONSHIP CNY PGA CENNTENIAL SUBMIT CLUB CHAMPIONS

PAGE 7

JLG ALL-STARS TESORI/MULHERIN CUP JR TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

PAGE 8

MEMBER CLUB INFO SCHOLARSHIP INFO

PAGE 9

HOPE OEP NOW OPEN HOPE AT THE DICK’S OPEN HOPE INSTRUCTOR TRAINING

PAGE 10

EDUCATION HUB MEMBER LINKS PDR CYCLE INFORMATION

PAGE 11 STAFF CONTACTS

PAGE 12

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

PAGE 13

PXG ADVERTISEMENT

PAGE 14

ANTIGUA ADVERTISEMENT

PAGE 15

EXPERT VOICE ADVERTISEMENT CONTRIBUTING CONTENT: FRAN PIRAINO CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHY: SOPHIA FERRIS HARLEE LUCIER

CNY PGA

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 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.

PAGE THREE | CNY PGA

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.

“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.

CNY PGA

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 and Jeff Reader finishing tied atop the individual PGA of America Member leaderboard.

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.”

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.”

PAGE FOUR | CNY PGA

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 (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.

CNY PGA

Please Update your Compensation Survey The annual PGA Compensation Survey is known as the industry standard for providing invaluable data on golf professional compensation levels.

Get 6 PGA Required PDR Credits + Business-Critical Tech Insights at TechCon25 Register NOW https://golfbusinesstech con.com/ to learn about existing and emerging technology to increase revenue, streamline operations, and enhance the customer experience at your golf course business. Experience Bob Parsons, Founder and CEO of PXG, Founder of Go-Daddy, Special Guest Interview and Q&A Opening Expert Panel, Closing Keynote and 13 Breakout Sessions Closing Reception at PGA Headquarters Unrivaled Networking and Camaraderie with Peers and Sponsors Optional Pre-Con Golf and Optional Pre-Con Workshop CEU credits available for PGA, LPGA, GCSAA and CMAA Preferred rates to Dallas on Southwest Airlines And much more!

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 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.

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.

CNY PGA

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.

New benefit ExpertVoice ExpertVoice is a new benefit that offers PGA of America members 14 PDR credits (and steep discounts) on 600+ top brands. Including Srixon (65% off), Bushnell (50% off), Garmin (50% off), COBRA (40% off) & many more. Joining is completely free—you just verify your PGA MEMBER ID credentials to unlock the PDR opportunities (& discounts). It's like Amazon, but better!

New PGA signups will receive a $15 gift card to use on their first purchase.

How to Join: 1. Follow this link to access your PGA Member account 2. Verify your PGA position (Member or Employee) and credentials (Member ID) 3. Once verified, you’ll receive an email confirming your access has been unlocked 4. Note you won't be able to access the education content discounts until you verify your credentials and your email address.

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!

PAGE SIX | CNY PGA

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.”

CNY PGA

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.

PAGE SEVEN | CNY PGA

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.

PAGE EIGHT | CNY PGA

PGA REACH CNY

HOPE Instructor Training PGA HOPE Instructor Training now open for registration. The instructor training will be held on October 9th at Drumlins Country Club. The seminar will be from 8:15am12:30pm. 6 PDR available.

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.

“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.

PAGE NINE | CNY PGA

PGA HOPE AT THE DICK’S OPEN 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 15th as PGA REACH hosts its inaugural Birdie Bash. We will reopen on September 16th at 9am.

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.

PAGE TEN | CNY PGA

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

Who is PXG? Founded by Marine, entrepreneur, and self-proclaimed golf nut Bob Parsons in 2013, PXG embodies his belief that every new product – from golf clubs to apparel – should be markedly better. Every innovation should noticeably improve your performance. And every moment of impact should elevateyour enjoyment.

Partnering with PXG: Elevate Your Member Experience No Inventory Commitment Required PXG does not require green grass facilities to stock product to establish a partnership.

Complimentary Fittings for Your Members • On-site atyour facility • At PXG Fitting Hubs – orders placed through your account • At PXG Retail Stores – orders alsocreditedto your account

Flexible Account & Billing Options Designed to Suit Your Business Operations: • Commission-basedmodels • Pre-pay option • Traditionalbilling

World-Class Fitting Experience • 300+shaft optionsto fit every golfer • TrackMan technology utilized in every session • Full-timeMasterFitters deliveringatour-caliber experience

Benefits for PGA Professionals • PXGStaff Program • Preferred (PUD) Pricing • MSR Points for training and continued education

Contact Us to Learn More George LaBarr | 480.734.4876 | glabarr@pxg.com

LICENSED GOLF APPAREL GET YOUR LICENSED APPAREL FOR YOUR PRO SHOP OR RETAIL LOCATION

Victory Crew Neck

Intent 1/4 Zip

Effortless Full Zip

Twine Polo

Contact your Antigua Sales Representative, John Plumb to place an order PLUMBJOHN10@GMAIL.COM

Earn PDR credits through ExpertVoice

ExpertVoice extends access to PGA of America members to bring you premium brand discounts, immersive learning opportunities and connections to industry pros. Sign up today to earn benefits that help you succeed both on and off the course.

Here’s how it works: Sign up with your PGA member number.

Start learning with exclusive brand dedicated education.

Earn PDR credits - a er completing a PDR-eligible course and receiving certification, credits will be applied to your PGA account monthly.

Signing up is simple, and membership is always free.

Scan the QR code to get started.

For help, contact: support@expertvoice.com or call 866-376-4685 Monday-Friday 8:30 am to 5:30 pm MST