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Defending Champion Kevin Kraft Leads After 1st Round of Senior Open
KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. - The 5th annual Pennsylvania Golf Association (PAGA) Senior Open Championship features a field of dozens of talented competitors who have challenged for titles for years all across the state -- and after the first round at Gulph Mills Golf Club, the top of the leaderboard is looking awfully familiar.
Defending Senior Open champion Kevin Kraft (2nd Swing Golf) leads the overall field as well as the Professional Division after finishing Monday with a three-under-par 68. Kraft sank seven birdies on the day, including four on the front nine, with his only true trouble spot a double bogey on hole No. 6.
Just one stroke behind Kraft is amateur Neil Gordon (Doylestown Country Club), who has claimed multiple GAP titles (including last summer's 17th Brewer Cup Senior Division crown.) Gordon's two-under 69 got off to a rocky start, with bogeys on holes No. 1 and 2 and a double on hole No. 3. Gordon recovered and played an exceptional bogey-free round after that point that included birdies on 5, 6, 7, 10, 16, and 18.
Only two other golfers were under par on Monday, firing one-under 70's: Applebrook Golf Club's Dave McNabb and Connoquenessing Country Club's Rick Stimmel. McNabb trails Kraft by two strokes in the Professional Division and fired an almost mistake-free round, with just a single bogey on hole No. 5 and two birdies on holes No. 9 and 18.
Stimmel, who won the Senior Division of PAGA's season-opening Dressler Memorial Championship two weeks ago, carried that momentum over into Monday's round. He carded six birdies and only a double bogey on 17 prevented him from climbing any higher on the leaderboard.
The contenders in the Professional Division also include Spring Ford Country Club's Rich Steinmetz, the 2023 Senior Open champion, who shot an even-par 71 and trails leader Kraft by three strokes. Past Steinmetz lurks a quartet of golfers with one-over 72's: Michael Molino (Elmhurst Country Club), 2022 Senior Open champ Kevin Shields (Nevillewood), John Allen (Squires Golf Club), and Terry Hertzog (Bent Creek Country Club), who was a PAGA Open champ in 2000 and 2002.
The Amateur Division also has a tightly-packed group of experienced players and PAGA medalists who shot one-over and are still within reach of the leaders: Greensburg CC's Arnie Cutrell, Jericho National's Colin Sanderson, and Wyoming Valley CC's John Olszewski.
Play continues tomorrow at Gulph Mills with the final round. Tee times begin at 8 AM, with the leaders teeing off around 1 PM.
The Pennsylvania Golf Association would like to thank the staff and membership of Gulf Mills Golf Club for the hospitality shown during today's rounds. Additional thanks go to DICK’S Sporting Goods for sponsorship of the event as the title sponsor of the PAGA.
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