Why They Keep Coming Back

Why They Keep Coming Back

By Henry O’Brien

In over a century of Pennsylvania Golf Association tournaments, there have been a plethora of players who have routinely come back to play in the legendary events such as the Amateur Championship and the Open Championship. 

Whether it be the elite competition or the challenging courses, these tournaments have given many PA golf “long timers” a chance to experience the very best golf this state has to offer. It gives these champions a reason to keep coming back. 

Vince Zachetti (Hannastown Golf Club) has experienced some of Pennsylvania’s toughest courses in many events over the years. After finishing as the runner-up in the 1993 Amateur at Lancaster Country Club, he finally took home the event’s trophy in 1989 at Sunnybrook Country Club

“The different courses all through the state,” Zachetti said. “And I always just felt like I always wanted to move up a level.”

Don Erickson of DuBois Country Club in DuBois, Pa., said the big clubs in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh like Oakmont Country Club and Philadelphia Country Club were always a draw to come back.
But Erickson said the competition was always top-notch.

“I was fortunate enough to always be kind of into contention many times,” Erickson said.
Even with the competition, Erickson won the Amateur Championship in 1988 at Lancaster Country Club with a four-day score of 283, defeating competition like Arnold Cutrell and Ted Tryba to take home the crown.
“I paid myself to join the Pennsylvania Golf Association, and that year I won the Pennsylvania amateur,” Erickson said. “It opened a lot of doors for many different things.”

Mike Vassil of the Country Club of Scranton has been involved in competitive sports all his life and golf has always been the sport that let him compete for the longest amount of time. He had nothing but compliments for how PA Golf has run the tournaments.

“The PA Golf Association runs great tournaments, and it's good to see guys from all over the state and play competitive golf,” Vassil said. “Most of my social golf is just preparing for tournaments. But the opportunity to see courses across the state, play them in optimum conditions with good competitive field is the draw for me.

Brian Kelly, the former golf professional at Bucknell University, won the 1987 Open at Saucon Valley Country Club. Kelly remembered coming off the 18th green after the first round, when a fellow competitor, Bobby Fritz, asked how he played.

Kelly was upset with a bogey he recorded on the 17th and he found out that someone had shot the course record of 69. This surprised Kelly as he finished the round with a 67. Kelly won the event with a score of 140.

Kelly said, even after decades of experience in PA Golf tournaments, he got to experience the special moment of playing in a tournament with his son in 2025. Kelly played in the group in front of his son, and he routinely received updates, both good and bad, on how his kin was doing from his wife.

And after that special event, Kelly said he’ll look for one more tournament outing with his son.

“That was a great experience, because that was really the first big tournament that we got to play together,” Kelly said. “We can try one more time.”