The Pennsylvania Golf Association

Butler’s Pratkanis leads open by three strokes

FARMINGTON, Pa.–Jon Pratkanis, a 20-year-old amateur from Butler, Pa., carded a 6-under-par 66 at Nemacolin at Woodlands Resort (Mystic Rock Course, par 72, 7,049 yards) in Farmington, Pa., and leads the Pennsylvania Open Championship by three shots after the first round on Monday. Sean Farren, 35, the defending Open Champion and head professional at Totteridge GC, and amateur Artie Fink, Jr., 36, of Altoona, Pa., are in second place at 3-under-par 69. A trio of Eastern Pennsylvania residents, amateur Kyle Davis, 20, of Kennett Square, Pa., touring professional Scott Ehrlich, 26, of Blue Bell, Pa., and amateur Conrad Von Borsig, 19, of Swarthmore, Pa., are tied for third after all finished at 2-under-par 70.

Conrad Von Borsig (left) chats with
Kyle Davis on the 17th hole.

Pratkanis and four of his five closest pursuers all teed off in the morning before a steady and sometimes gusty wind entered the area. Fink, who plays out of Sinking Valley CC, is the only one atop the leaderboard who began his round in the afternoon.

Pratkanis, a member at Kittanning CC, beat the wind and recorded an eagle, five birdies and a lone bogey en route to the opening day’s low round. Not bad for someone who a year ago lost interest in the game and was living in Arizona building and racing high horsepower street cars.

“I went to Duquesne [University in 2004-05] for a year and really shied away from golf and school after that,” said Pratkanis, who plans on heading to Orlando and the Leadbetter Academy this fall. “I figured I would play in Arizona when I went there but I didn’t. I was driving and racing cars.”

Pratkanis experienced a change of heart, though, moved home and has played a full summer’s worth of tournaments in Western Pennsylvania. His best effort came in the Tri-State Amateur Championship at New Castle CC in mid-June. Pratkanis posted an opening-round 69 and trailed the leaders by a stroke before eventually finishing in a tie for seventh.

In his opening round at Nemacolin, Pratkanis did it with good, solid play. He missed only two greens. He did record 31 putts, however, a high number for such a low score. Beginning on the back nine, Pratkanis birdied No. 13 (par 4, 369 yards) when he knocked a wedge to five feet and No. 14 (par 4, 457 yards) after he punched a 6-iron from 175 yards to 10 feet. A three-putt bogey on the next hole, No. 15 (par 4, 433 yards), curtailed some momentum, but on No. 16 (par 5, 517 yards), he drained a pitching wedge from 95 yards for an eagle three after he punched a 4-iron out of trouble.

“This is my last tournament of the year and I don’t want to end my summer on a bad note,” said Pratkanis. “My game’s been coming around. I carded a course-record 62 at Kittanning CC last week.”

Pratkanis followed his front nine up with three more birdies. He carded red digits on No. 4 (par 4, 383 yards) when he knocked a pitching wedge to eight feet; No. 5 (par 5, 504 yards) after he watched a 10-foot eagle chance just slip by, and No. 8 (par 5, 491 yards), where he powered his second shot, a 6-iron from 197 yards, to 20 feet and finished up with a tap-in birdie.

And what will tomorrow hold?

“I’m sticking to my game plan, fairways and greens,” said Pratkanis.

He did that pretty well today.

Von Borsig of Concord CC, and Fink tied for the low nine-hole score of the tournament with a 4-under-par 32 on the front nine, both player’s back nines.

Von Borsig, a University of Virginia sophomore-to-be, carded two birdies and an eagle on that nine.

“In the practice round yesterday I shot real well on the back, I didn’t know I had that in me on the front,” said Von Borsig, “but the two par fives on the front give you an opportunity to make up ground.”

Von Borsig birdied No. 5 and than rolled in a 40-foot eagle on No. 8.

Fink netted four birdies and zero bogeys for his 32.

Davis, a soon-to-be sophomore at the University of Central Florida and member of Inniscrone GC, is the reigning Golf Association of Philadelphia (GAP) Amateur Champion and Ehrlich, a current mini-tour player, is a former GAP Amateur Champion.

The Open is a 54-hole championship with a cut to the low 40 players and ties after the first two rounds. Last year, Farren rallied from four shots back with nine holes to go to defeat Kevin Shields, an assistant pro at Mount Lebanon Golf Course, by a stroke.

NOTES–This is the first time the Pennsylvania Open Championship has visited the Nemacolin at Woodlands Resort, site of the PGA Tour’s 84 Lumber Classic.

Name	Score
Jon Pratkanis, Butler, PA	66
Artie Fink, Jr., Altoona, PA	69
Sean Farren, Oakmont, PA	69
Conrad Von Borsig, Swathmore, PA	70
Kyle Davis, Kennett Square, PA	70
Scott Ehrlich, Blue Bell, PA	70
Brian Kelly, Lewisburg, PA	71
Cole Willcox, Berwyn, PA	71
Brian Belden, Jr., Emmaus, PA	72
John Mazza, Beaver Falls, PA	72
Kevin Shields, Bethel Park, PA	72
Stephen Arnold, Langhorne, PA	72
Arnie Cutrell, Greensburg, PA	73
Bob Ford, Oakmont, PA	73
Bob Friend, Pittsburgh, PA	73
John Sawin, Haverford, PA	73
John Spina, Schwenksville, PA	73
Mark Sheftic, Ambler, PA	73
Philip Bartholomew, Yardley, PA	73
Rich Steinmetz, Gilbertsville, PA	73
Robert McClellan, Butler, PA	73
Robert Rohanna, Waynesburg, PA	73
Robert Shuey, Mechanicsburg, PA	73
Roy Vucinich, Moon Twp, PA	73
Travis Deibert, Doylestown, PA	73
Tug Maude, Rosemont, PA	73
Dan Pinciotti, Jr., Churchville, PA	74
Gordon Vietmeier, Pittsburgh, PA	74
John Michael Pelet, Atglen, PA	74
John Pillar, Sr., Hawley, PA	74
Mark DiGiacomo, Lebanon, PA	74
Stuart Ingraham, Newtown Square, PA	74
Travis Dickson, Butler, PA	74
Tyler Witman, Manheim, PA	74
Chad Bricker, Waynesboro, PA	75
David Olexson, Easton, PA	75
Geoffrey Kelowitz, Jim Thorpe, PA	75
Harvin Groft, State College, PA	75
Nicolas Milito, Jeannette, PA	75
Terry Hertzog, Lititz, PA	75
Tyler Brewington, Orangeville, PA	75
Chase Duncan, Lancaster, PA	76
Chris Gallagher, West Chester, PA	76
Christopher Ault, Yardley, PA	76
Clint Deibert, Doylestown, PA	76
Dan Thompson, Johnstown, PA	76
Dan Walters, Lititz, Pa.	76
David DeNunzio, Jeannette, PA	76
Ed Perrino, Mifflintown, PA	76
George Forster, Villanova, PA	76
Kevin Nicholson, Lansdale, PA	76
Ryan Sikora, Greensburg, PA	76
Adam Corson, State College, PA	77
Alex Knoll, Bethlehem, PA	77
Cody Kersey, Fredericksburg, PA	77
Graham Dendler, Havertown, PA	77
Matthew Mattare, Bethlehem, PA	77
Thomas Ryan, Collegeville, PA	77
Tony Perla, Collegeville, PA	77
Tyler Glassman, Ft. Washington, PA	77
Chad Zelenak, Punxsutawney, PA	78
Christopher Reedman, Yardley, PA	78
Dave Figura, Langhorne, PA	78
Eric Fonner, Abington, PA	78
Eric Williams, Honesdale, PA	78
Greg King, Harrisburg, PA	78
Gregory Pieczynski, Kingston, PA	78
Lucas Serbun, Abington, PA	78
Ronald DeNunzio, Jeannette, PA	78
Sean Knapp, Oakmont, PA	78
Shawn Lavin, Drexel Hill, PA	78
Vincent Zachetti, Greensburg, PA	78
Brian Tutich, Greensburg, PA	79
David Malatak, Pittsburgh, PA	79
David Wedzik, North East, PA	79
Doug Stadler, Wexford, PA	79
Henry D'Alberto, Easton, PA	79
Jason Tyska, Mt. Pleasant, PA	79
Jim Haus, Lititz, PA	79
Jim McGrath, Connellsville, PA	79
Joe Boros, Saxonburg, PA	79
Joe Corsi, Greensburg, PA	79
John Aubrey, Butler, PA	79
Michael Brown, Cheltenham, PA	79
Robby Walizer, State College, PA	79
Russell Harbold, Lancaster, PA	79
William Smith, Newville, PA	79
Brandon Detweiler, Akron, PA	80
Charles Tait, Harrisburg, PA	80
Jacob Wetzel, Blue Ridge Summit, PA	80
Joseph Cordaro, Pittsburgh, PA	80
Rich Thon, Swarthmore, PA	80
Robin McCool, Bethlehem, PA	80
Brian Corbett, Shavertown, PA	81
Jake Pleczkowski, Valencia, PA	81
Michael Gross, Clarks Green, PA	81
Scott Jenkins, Erie, PA	81
Steven Wager, State College, PA	81
Cole Peffer, Philadelphia, PA	82
Eric McNamee, Exton, PA	82
Jim Cichra, Pittsburgh, PA	82
Joshua Krumholz, Reading, PA	82
Justin Hilgert, Delaware Water Gap, PA	82
Scott Kegerreis, Chambersburg, PA	82
Stu Michaels, Curwensville, PA	82
Trevor Pope, Elizabethtown, PA	82
Bennett Boyer, Millersburg, PA	83
James Bohn, Lewisburg, PA	83
Malcolm Spatz, Allison Park, PA	83
Ryan Franks, Bethel Park, PA	83
Andrew Hardin, Bethlehem, PA	84
Bryan Ott, Whitehall, PA	84
Christopher Sturgell, Malvern, PA	84
James Rattigan, Orwigsburg, PA	84
Miles Blundell, Farmington , PA	84
Ryan Gelrod, Warminster, PA	84
Sean Smyth, Harrisburg, PA	84
Joe Cunningham, Blue Bell, PA	85
Kevin Reiber, Waynesboro, PA	85
Dennis Clark, Farmington , PA	86
Paul Oglesby, Ardmore, PA	86
Adam Langford, Gibsonia, PA	87
Michael DiGiandomenico, Elverson, PA	87
Mitch Mercer, Wexford, PA	87
Robert Loftus, Bryn Mawr, PA	88
Brian Sterlitz, Natrona Heights, PA	90
Geoff Forcino, Malvern, PA	91
Glenn D Dolfi, Sewickley, PA	94
James McGrath, Connellsville, PA	WD
Bill Gropp, Media, PA	WD
Edward Vietmeier, Coraopolis, PA	WD
Lee Famularo, Swiftwater, PA	WD

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