21st Art Wall Memorial Preview

Stimmel Seeks Third 2025 win, Rothaus Hunts Three-Peat

The Pennsylvania Golf Association’s (PAGA) 21^st playing of the Art Wall, Jr. Memorial Championship, honoring one of the state’s all-time great golfers, will have plenty of story lines when the 36-hole event gets underway September 8-9. The tournament is set for the William and David Gordon designed 6,599 yard , par-71 course at Old York Road Country Club in Ambler, Pa.  

Winners will be determined in Overall Championship as well as the Pre-Senior Division (40-54 years of age), Senior Division (55-64 years of age) & Super-Senior Division (65 years or older). The tournament is presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

Rick Stimmel (Connoquenessing Country Club) already has two PAGA victories in 2025 winning the season-opening Dressler Memorial at Moselem Springs Golf Club in April and the Senior Open title at Gulph Mills Golf Club. Stimmel was the first amateur to win the Senior Open title. Stimmel is also the two-time PAGA Senior Player of the Year and is the current leader in this year’s race and should lock up his third-straight honor with a solid performance.  

Standing between him and his third PAGA win of the season are some serious contenders including the reigning Pennsylvania Senior Amateur champion, Brian Groff (Lancaster Country Club) and Jeff Frazier (Carlisle Country Club, who won the Golf Association’s (GAP) Senior Amateur last week and was the runner-up in PAGA’s senior amateur event at Williamsport Country Club.

Groff is currently second in the player of the year standings followed by Neil Gordon (Doylestown Country Club), Arnie Cutrell (Greensburg Country Club), Frazier and Rob Stoop (Butler Country Club).

Joining this crowded field is Oscar Mestre (Overbrook Country Club) and Stoops, who finished tied for third just behind Groff and Frazier at Williamsport, along with the defending senior champion in this event, Dan Brown (Manada Golf Club), and the list grows. Stoops paired with Bob Crnjarich (Allegheny Country Club) late last month to capture the Pennsylvania Senior Four-Ball title and Crnjarich has enjoyed a lot of success in this event in the past as well.

Cutrell is the lone four-time winner in the history of the event and is among the list of past champions in the field including recent winners Eric Williams (Glenmaura National Golf Club) and Mark Johnson (PAGA Individual member) who won titles in 2021 and 2018, respectively.

In the super senior category, Rothaus has won the last two Wall Memorial titles by a combined 10 shots and is shooting to become only the second player in the tournament history to win three straight titles in any division. Of the four titles, Cutrell won three in consecutive seasons in 2014, 2015 and 2016, with the other coming in 2011, Rothaus has a chance to equal the feat.

Plenty of firepower from players with past success in this event and elsewhere will be the hurdles for Rothaus to get over if he wants the trifecta. Joe Weiscarger (Wyoming Valley Country Club) won the Dressler Memorial super senior crown earlier this season outdistancing Don Donatoni (Hershey’s Mill Golf Club) in that tourney. In addition, Mike Capotis (The Kahkwa Club) is the reigning Western Pennsylvania Golf Association (WPGA) super-senior champion.

Rothaus, Weiscarger and Donatoni currently trail only Bucknell Golf Club’s Ben Cook in the Player of the Year points race with just this event and the 18^th Super Senior Match Play left on the schedule. Glenn Smeraglio (LuLu Country Club), who is third in the player of the year standings, is also in the field. He trails second-place Rothaus and is ahead of Weiscarger and Donatoni in the fifth and sixth positions. Also, either Rothaus, Donatoni or Greg Osborne (Overlook Golf Course), who is also in the field, have won the last five GAP Super Senior titles.      

The tournament’s namesake had 31 professional victories, including 14 on the PGA tour.  None is remembered more than the 1959 Masters when the Honesdale, Pa. native got his biggest career win with five birdies in the final six holes to capture the coveted title by a stroke. That season he won the tour’s money title, Vardon Trophy and PGA player of the year honors. Mr. Wall passed away in 2001.