IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Bob Denney
Dec. 14, 2010 561/624-8458
34TH PGA TOURNAMENT SERIES CONTINUES AT PGA GOLF CLUB
New York’s Bensel cools down to cruise to eighth career PGA Tournament Series win
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – Reigning PGA Assistant National Champion Frank Bensel, who makes his winter home in Jupiter, Fla., overcame a day of erratic ball-striking, Dec. 3, to score a three-stroke victory in the second event of the 34th annual PGA Tournament Series.
A final round of 1-over-par 73 for 136 at PGA Country Club was made less stressful since Bensel started the final round with a seven stroke advantage over the field of PGA Professionals from around the country after an opening-round 63.
“I didn’t hit the ball well but I was able to keep it together and made a few putts,” said Bensel, 42, a PGA assistant professional at Century Country Club in Purchase, N.Y. “It was a tough day but any time you putt well, you’ve got a chance.”
Bensel birdied three of the four par-5 holes, Nos. 1, 11 and 18, bogeyed the eighth and 13th holes, and made double bogey at the fifth after hitting his tee shot out of bounds. He earned $2,625 from the $13,000 purse.
It was Bensel’s third victory of the year following the Westchester PGA in the spring and the PGA Assistants Championship at nearby PGA Golf Club in October. He now has eight PGA Tournament Series titles.
Tied for second at 139 among 52 starters were Floridians Ken Martin of Wellington and Rod Perry of Port Orange, each with 68 the final round. Martin made four birdies, Perry five birdies and a bogey. Each received $1,507.50.
PGA Tournament Series – Event No. 2
PGA Country Club, Port St. Lucie, Fla.
(Par-72, 6,839 yards)
Frank Bensel, Jupiter, Fla. $2,625 63-73—136
Ken Martin, Wellington, $1,507.50 71-68—139
Rodney Perry, Port Orange, $1,507.50 71-68—139
Danny Balin, Rockville, Md., $823.33 74-67—141
Rick Schuler, Chester, Va., $823.33 72-69—141
Jeff Sorenson, Blaine, Minn., $823.33 72-69—141
Charles Meola, Mamaroneck, N.Y., $620 73-70—143
Chris Krueger, Rehoboth Beach, Del., $620 71-72—143
Brian Cairns, Bloomfield, Mich., $620 70-73—143
Travis Johns, Oswego, Ill., $502.50 73-72—145
Bill Murchison, Canton, Ga., $502.50 73-72—145
Scott Ford, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. $405 78-68—146
Simon McGreal, Greensboro, N.C., $405 76-70—146
Mark Brown, Glen Head, N.Y., $405 75-71—146
Chris Borgen, Eagan, Minn., $405 73-73—146
Jeff Ritchey, Westlake, Ohio, $405 73-73—146
Colorado’s Blanton Tessin marks first professional victorywith triumph in Event No. 3 of PGA Tournament Series
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – Blanton Tessin of Vail, Colo., earned his first victory as a golf professional Dec. 7, winning the third event of the 34th annual PGA Tournament Series. An assistant at Eagle Springs Golf Club in Wolcott, Colo., Tessin, 27, made an eagle, four birdies and two bogeys for a 4-under-par 68 and a two-stroke triumph at 10-under-par 134 on the Ryder Course at PGA Golf Club. He was a co-leader after the first round Monday with a 66.
“The playing conditions were about the same both days,” said Tessin, who turned professional in June 2006, and was elected to PGA of America membership last June. “But, if we had started on schedule this morning it might have been a lot different.”
The start of second-round play was delayed by frost for 90 minutes. Temperatures in some parts of coastal southeast Florida had dipped to 32, the lowest ever this early in the season.
Tessin eagled the par-5 13th when he holed a 50-foot chip shot from in front of the green and closed out the round with a 12-foot par-saving putt at the par-4 18th. “I made a few putts and pretty much had control of my ball both days,” Tessin said. He earned $3,100 from the $15,000 purse.
The top of the 60-member leaderboard was dominated by players more accustomed to the cold. Two players from Minnesota and one from southern Illinois tied for second at 138 and another Minnesotan, Jeff Sorenson, a first-round co-leader, was sixth at 72-138. Chris Borgan of Eagan, Minn., and Chris Peterson of Farmington, Minn., each had a 68. Mark Faulkner of Marion, Ill., posted a 69.
PGA Tournament Series – Event No. 3
PGA Golf Club - Port St. Lucie, Fla.
Ryder Course (Par-72, 6,950 yards)
Blanton Tessin, Vail, Colo., $3,100 66-68—134
Chris Borgen, Eagan, Minn., $1,433.33 68-68—136
Chris Peterson, Farmington, Minn., $1,433.33 68-68—136
Mark Faulkner, Marion, Ind., $1,433.33 67-69—136
Rick Schuller, Chester, Va., $825 69-68—137
Jeff Sorenson, Blaine, Minn., $735 66-72—138
Scott Ford, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. $675 71-68—139
Chris Brown, Farmers Branch, Texas, $607.50 71-69—140
Kevin Savage, Melbourne, Fla. $607.50 69-71—140
Frank Bensel, Jupiter, Fla. $479.29 73-68—141
Charles Meola, Mamaroneck, N.Y., $479.29 72-69—141
Frank Dully, Salem, Mass., $479.29 72-69—141
Travis Johns, Oswego, Ill., $479.29 71-70—141
Brian Varsey, Willoughby, Ohio, $479.29 69-72—141
Ken Martin, Wellington, Fla. $479.29 69-72—141
Mike San Filippo, Hobe Sound, Fla. $479.29 68-73—141
Sonny Skinner, Sylvester, Ga., $397.50 71-71—142
Brian Cairns, Bloomfield, Mich., $397.50 68-74—142
Georgia’s Bill Murchison captures first Tournament SeriesVictory Despite Bogey on Second playoff hole
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – Bill Murchison of Canton, Ga., bogeyed the second playoff hole, Dec. 10, but it was just enough for his first victory in the PGA Tournament Series at PGA Golf Club.
After they tied at five under par 139 on the Wanamaker Course, Murchison outlasted Frank Bensel of Jupiter, Fla., who bogeyed the first extra hole, the par-4 18th, and left-hander Travis Johns of Oswego, Ill., who double bogeyed the second time they played 18.
Bensel, an assistant at Century Country Club in Purchase, N.Y., flew the green the first time and could not save his par while Murchison and Johns made routine two-putt pars. The second time, Johns pulled his drive almost into the adjacent first fairway, hit 7-iron over the trees into 18’s back bunker, came out to about 12 feet and three-putted.
The first round leader at 68, Johns was still ahead after 35 holes but hit his drive into a fairway bunker, his second into the water in front of the green, made the green in four and two-putted to drop into the playoff.
“That 18 is just a tough hole,” acknowledged Johns, a PGA teaching professional at Twin Lakes Golf Course in Palatine, Ill. He had four birdies and a bogey on the first 17 holes.
Bensel had come from six shots off Johns’ first round lead of 68, closing at 65 on eight birdies and a bogey.
“I hit good tee shots all three times I played 18,” Murchison said, “and that made a big difference. The second time in the playoff, I had a 20-foot downhill putt and barely touched it and it went six feet past. The next one was hard to read…it broke a little to the left, which I couldn’t see,” but he made a two-foot bogey putt for the win. In regulation he had one bogey plus three birdies on each nine for 67.
Coincidentally, two other Georgia professionals rounded out the top five: Sonny Skinner, Sylvester, fourth, 68-141 and Craig Stevens, Dallas, fifth, 69-142. Skinner won the season opener Nov. 30 on the Wanamaker Course.
There were 60 starters and a total purse of $15,000. The six-event PGA Tournament Series concludes Dec. 17, on The Ryder Course at PGA Golf Club.
PGA Tournament Series – Event No. 4
PGA Golf Club - Port St. Lucie, Fla.
Wanamaker Course (Par-72, 7,035 yards)
Bill Murchison, Canton, Ga., $3,100 72-67—139#
Frank Bensel, Jupiter, Fla. $1,650 74-65—139
Travis Johns, Oswego, Ill., $1,650 68-71—139
Sonny Skinner, Sylvester, Ga., $1,000 73-68—141
Craig Stevens, Dallas, Ga., $825 73-69—142
Dwayne Randall, Findley Lake, N.Y., $656.2575-68—143
Mike Parrish, Madison, Ala., $656.25 75-68—143
Christopher Brown, Farmers Branch, Texas, $656.25 71-72—143
Mark Faulkner, Marion, Ill., $656.25 69-74—143
William Van Orman, Bogart, Ga., $545 74-70—144
Charles Meola, Mamaroneck, N.Y., $545 72-72—144
Kyle Roman, Grayling, Mich., $475 71-74—145
Scott Ford, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. $475 71-74—145
Mark Diffley, Pelham Manor, N.Y., $475 70-75—145
Mike San Filippo, Hobe Sound, $413.33 73-73—146
Ryan Kalista, Old Greenwich, Conn., $413.33 73-73—146
Simon McGreal, Greensboro, N.C., $413.33 70-76—146
Frank Dully, Salem, Mass., $131.67 75-72—147
Kyle Sanders, Wheaton, Ill., $131.67 75-72—147
Chris Krueger, Rehoboth Beach, Del., $131.67 74-73—147
# Murchison won playoff, bogey-5 on second extra hole
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