August 21, 2026
Greetings Pennsylvania Golfers!
A Message from the President
Pennsylvania Golf Association – Third Quarter 2026
Greetings Pennsylvania Golfers!
What a summer of golf in Pennsylvania!
As we enter the final stretch of our 2026 championship season, I'm continually impressed by the level of play across the Commonwealth, the strong participation in our events, and how well Pennsylvania golfers are performing nationally. Our championship season has delivered plenty of highlights.
Brock Kovach, won the George Dressler Memorial in a four-hole playoff and added a victory in the GAP Patterson Cup. At Country Club of Hershey, Chase Yenser won his second consecutive Junior Amateur nipping Carson Kittsley by a shot over 54 holes. At Lebanon Country Club, Alyssa Zhang's 12 under par performance gave her the victory by as many shots.
Our junior golfers continued to impress. At the U.S. Junior Amateur at Saucon Valley, five Pennsylvanians qualified. Chase Yenser and Nico Ward both advanced to match play and each won their opening matches to reach the Round of 32. Chase went on to the Round of 16. At the Country Club of Scranton, David Mecca captured the R. Jay Sigel Amateur Match Play Championship, defeating Josh Ryan in a dramatic 20-hole final.
Ryan then went on to win the 113th Pennsylvania Amateur Championship at Oakmont Country Club and then two weeks later was medalist at Merion and Philadelphia Country Club earning the top seed in the U.S. Amateur. He was beaten in the opening round but Michael Lugiano, our 2025 Amateur runner-up, advanced all the way to the quarterfinals.
On the women's side, Mary Grace Dunigan won the 90th Pennsylvania Women's Amateur Championship at Gulph Mills Golf Club with an impressive 8 under par total for the 54 holes. At the U.S. Junior Girls' national event, Mya Morgan advanced to match play, while Alyssa Zhang missed by just one stroke.
Our senior players continue to raise the bar. Congratulations to Rick Stimmel who prevailed in a back nine shoot out with Neil Gordon, Arnie Cutrell and Jeff Frazier in the Senior Amateur at Berkshire Country Club. Stimmel's second Senior Amateur title followed a senior division title at the season opening Dressler and a runner-up finish in our Senior Open.
At the Pennsylvania Open at Laurel Valley Golf Club, we again saw one of the strongest fields of the year. Congratulations to Zac Oakley on winning the 110th Pennsylvania Open Championship in a closely contested final round that saw eight players within 2 shots of the lead entering the final round. Oakley and Jake Haberstumpf both finished at -8 and Oakley claimed the title on the second hole of sudden death.
Pennsylvania was also well represented at the U.S. Amateur at Merion Golf Club. In addition to Ryan and Lugiano, eight other Pennsylvanians advanced through two qualifying stages to earn their spot in the field. U.S. National Development State team member Charlie Barrickman was joined by Nickolas Gross, Patrick Isztwan, Hank Karcher, Matthew Mattioli, Logan Paczewski, Hunter Stetson and Chuck Tragesser.
Participation across our championships continues to grow. We had record entries in the Men's and Women's Amateur as well as the Pennsylvania Open. Strong fields are what makes our championships special and we are grateful to every player who competes. While many champions have already been crowned, we're not finished yet.
Still ahead are the Senior Four-Ball at Toftrees, the Art Wall, Jr. Memorial at Scotch Valley, the Middle-Amateur Championship at LedgeRock, and the Men's and Women's Senior Amateur Match Play championships at Chambersburg. There is still plenty of great golf to be played.
Finally, thank you to our host clubs, members, golf professionals, superintendents, and staff. Their support and hospitality are essential to everything we do.
Thank you as well to our staff, volunteers, and all of you who support golf across Pennsylvania.
It has been a memorable year, and I look forward to what's still to come.
Enjoy the rest of the summer, and I hope to see you on the course.
Yours in Golf,
Jeff Ranck
President, Pennsylvania Golf Association
