2025 PA Open Preview

Pennsylvania Open history doesn’t typically repeat itself

Pairings

Valley Brook Country Club’s Jake Sollon will attempt to join rarified air when the 109^th Pennsylvania Open gets under way Monday, August 11, at Llanerch Country Club in Havertown, Pa. Sollon, the defending champion, along with 51 other professionals and 74 amateurs will contest 54 holes over three days to decide 2025 champion in the Pennsylvania Golf Association (PAGA) event presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

In the first 108 years of competition just 17 players have won the title more than once, Sollon, the titlist a year ago and in 2022, is the latest member on that list. But, in the storied history of the event, just four players have won the Open back-to-back. The contestants in the three-day affair will play 18 holes each on Monday and Tuesday, August 12, before a cut is made to include the low 40 scores and ties for Wednesday’s (August 13) final round.

Mike Van Sickle (Treesdale Golf and Country Club) was the last player to win consecutive championships accomplishing the feat in 2007 and 2008. Van Sickle is in the field for this season’s tournament. Prior to his accomplishment you must go all the way back to 1955-56 when John Weitzel (Hershey Golf Club) was victorious in consecutive Opens. The other two gentlemen to match the rare effort were Steve Kovach (Ligonier Country Club) in 1946-47 and Ed Dudley (Concord Country Club) in 1929-30.

Sollon also has the chance to join a select group to have won more than two Pa. Open titles, just three other players to date. The late R. Jay Sigel, recognized as one greatest amateur golfers in history and playing out of Aronimink Golf Club at the time, is the only player to have won four Open championships, while Oakmont’s Bob Ford and Gene Fieger (Overbrook Golf Club) each won three times.

The defending champion grabbed the lead on the opening day and never trailed to win the crown at St. Clair Country Club in 2024. Sollon led by two strokes after day one and despite a shaky front nine on day two, registered an eagle on the 14^th hole to maintain his lead enroute to the two-shot, six-under victory. Amateur Tanner Johnson (Nemacolin Country Club) finished second followed by J.D. Hughes and Van Sickle at -3.

Kevin Kraft (2^nd Swing Golf) is another of those two-time winners of the event capturing crowns in 2018 and 2023 and will shoot for his third title along with other former champions in the field including LedgeRock Golf Club’s Alex Blickle in 2021, The 1912 Club’s Greg Jarmas in 2017 and Billy Stewart (The ACE Club), John Pillar, Sr. (Woodloch Springs Resort), Mark Sheftic (Sunnybrook Golf Club) and Brian Kelly (Titleist Fit Crew) in 2015, 2014, 2011 and 1997, respectively.

There is no shortage of other challengers with more than enough past success at both the professional and amateur levels to make the event an interesting affair. Start with Patrick Sheehan (Talamore Country Club), PAGA’s and the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s (GAP) 2024 Player of the Year as the Amateur and Sigel Match Play champion before moving to the professional ranks, where he qualified for the PGA Tour’s Cognizant Classic early in his first season this Spring.

Throw in Jon Rusk (LuLu Country Club), a GAP Open champion and last year’s Pa. Open runner-up, and Jeff Osberg (Huntingdon Valley Country Club), a four-time GAP player of the year with a long list of GAP titles. Braden Shattuck (Rolling Green Golf Club) has won a GAP Open among other crowns, captured the 2023 PGA Club Professional title and, in 2024, earned the Low Club Professional honors at the PGA Championships. Add on to the list Connor Schimdt (Nemacolin Country Club) this year’s Western Pennsylvania Golf Association (WPGA) Open champion and a former PAGA Amateur champion and the leaderboard could quickly become very interesting early.

On the amateur side, Saucon Valley Country Club’s Matthew Mattare has a string of victories including a GAP Open and is a former PAGA Mid-Amateur champion and player of the year in the association. More recently, Oakmont Country Club’s Dave Fuhrer won the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association’s (WPGA) 125^th Amateur title and J.F. Aber (Allegheny Country Club) finished fourth in the event.

Chuck Tragesser (Willowbrook Country Club) was the runner-up in the WPGA Open and Williamsport Country Club’s Peyton Mussina held the lead for a long time in the GAP’s Joseph A. Patterson Cup last week before missing a playoff for the title by a stroke and was the runner-up in last year’s R. Jay Sigel Match Play Championship. Karl Frisk (Outdoor Country Club), the 2023 Sigel Match Play winner, and Calen Sanderson (Jericho National Golf Club), the 2023 PAGA Player of the Year finishing just ahead of Frisk and was the Pa. Open runner-up two seasons ago.

Without a doubt the field will be loaded and Llanerch’s  par 71, Alexander Findlay layout measuring 6,780 yards should offer plenty of test.