This Year, the Field Has Been Expanded from 126 to 132 Competitors

Frank Bensel of Purchase, New York, made history when he won the 2013 National Car Rental PGA Assistant Championship, becoming just the second player with three PGA Assistant Championship titles.

Bensel, a PGA assistant professional at Century Country Club in Purchase, New York, closed out the competition last year with a final-round 69 at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida. At the start of the final round, he trailed eventual second-place finisher Charles Frost of Charlotte, North Carolina, by one stroke. Bensel opened his round with an eagle on the par-5 first hole and a birdie on the par-4 second hole to capture a lead that he would never surrender.

Bensel finished with a 10-under-par 278 total to secure a six-stroke victory. Bensel, 45, previously won the PGA Assistant Championship in 2010 and 2011. He joined Kyle Flinton of Edmond, Oklahoma (2002, ’03, and ’05) as the only players to win the event three times.

This year, the field has been expanded from 126 to 132 competitors.

The 72-hole Championship will run Oct. 30–Nov. 2 on PGA Golf Club’s Wanamaker Course for the 19th consecutive year. The field will be cut to the low 70 players and ties following the second round of play.

The 2014 National Car Rental PGA Assistant Championship winner, if eligible, will earn a berth in the 2015 PGA Professional National Championship presented by Club Car, Mercedes-Benz and Omega, to be played June 28–July 1, 2015, at Philadelphia Cricket Club in Flourtown, Pennsylvania.

In addition, the top four finishers and ties will earn a berth in the 2015 National Car Rental PGA Assistant Championship.

A $100,000 purse will be on the line, of which the champion will receive $9,000. Each competitor who makes the cut will receive a portion of the purse.

Notable past champions and competitors in the PGA Assistant Championship include Loren Roberts, (champion, 1979); Fred Funk (champion, 1984); Rich Beem (third, 1998); Jeff Freeman (T-7, 1998); and Tim Thelen (champion, 2009).

In 2012, National Car Rental became the title sponsor of the Championship.

To learn more about the PGA of America, please visit PGAMediaCenter.com.

Contact: Randy Stutzman, PGA of America 561/809-8609