November 11, 2026
Greetings Pennsylvania Golfers!
Dear Pennsylvania Golfers,
Now that our 2026 championship season has come to a close, I want to thank everyone who helped make this a memorable year for golf across the Commonwealth. From The Dressler in the spring to the Art Wall Memorial this fall, we celebrate our champions and all of you who compete to make a champion.
Since my last letter in August, we finished the competitive season. At Toftrees, Brian Fisher and Jeff Wuerstle captured the Men’s Senior Four-Ball title. Michael Vassil and Byron Whitman prevailed in a six-hole playoff to win the Men’s Super-Senior division, while Lisa Day and Allison Long earned the Women’s Senior Four-Ball championship.
At Scotch Valley, Jon Pratkanis won the Art Wall, Jr. Memorial in a playoff. Rick Stimmel successfully defended his Senior division title, and Bob Gill captured the Super-Senior division.
Brock Kovach added another highlight to his outstanding season by winning the Pennsylvania Middle-Amateur Championship at his home course, LedgeRock. After weather canceled the second round, Brock defeated Zach Dilcher with a birdie on the third playoff hole.
Our season concluded with the Senior Amateur Match Play Championships at Chambersburg, where Neil Gordon won the Men’s Senior title and Mike Farling captured the Men’s Super-Senior title. Missy Wietlisbach won the Women's Senior title and AK Frazier won the Women's Super-Senior.
One of the pleasures of serving as your president is seeing the breadth of talent in Pennsylvania golf. Our juniors are taking their first steps onto the national stage, our amateur players continue to compete at a high level, and our senior competitors remind us that a love of competition lasts a lifetime. Together, they represent the strength of our game.
At the USGA Senior Amateur in Baltimore, two of our senior stalwarts, Stimmel and Arnie Cutrell advanced into match play but both lost to the eventual finalists as Stimmel was knocked out in a one down match with defending champion Todd White in the round of 32 while Cutrell advanced to the round of 16 before dropping his match with eventual champion Mike Sposa.
Our championship season gave us opportunities to recognize outstanding performances at every level. Congratulations to all of our champions, and to everyone who earned Player of the Year honors. (Look for Pete Kowalski’s story on these players in the coming weeks.)
Joshua Ryan — W.C. Fownes, Jr. Amateur Player of the Year
Rick Stimmel — Senior Player of the Year
Gregory Osborne — Super-Senior Player of the Year
Mary Grace Dunigan — Women’s Amateur Player of the Year
Stephenie Harris — Women’s Senior Player of the Year
Lisa Day — Women’s Super-Senior Player of the Year
Those season-long awards reflect far more than one good round or one successful week. They recognize consistency, preparation, and the ability to perform against strong competition throughout the year.
I also want to recognize the players whose accomplishments may not appear in a headline. Qualifying for a first championship, making the cut, winning a hard-fought match, or simply returning to competition can be a meaningful achievement. Thank you to every golfer who entered an event and helped make our championships competitive and rewarding.
None of our championships happen without the generosity of our host clubs. To their members, golf professionals, superintendents, and staff: thank you for welcoming our players and sharing your courses. We know the preparation and effort involved, and we deeply appreciate your support.
My thanks also go to our PAGA staff led by Executive Director Jason Barkley and on-site administrators Bob Krieder, Rennie Sacco, Matthew Rusinko, Emilee Barkley and Victor Mominey. Much of their work takes place before the first tee shot and after the final score is posted. Their care, knowledge, and commitment make these events possible and help ensure that our players enjoy a first-class championship experience.
I also can’t say enough about our volunteers. We simply could not conduct quality championships without them. Many travel great distances to serve as starters, rules officials, spotters and pace of play monitors. This year we had 81 of them and we are always in need of more.
Our 2026 volunteers were: Robert Allshouse, George Anderson, Orin Bache, Damon Barbacci, Robert Barto, James Beck, Al Beeken, Carl Berlinger, Michael Betts, Edward Blomstedt, Alexander Bournias, Martin Bowman, Michael Brown, John Choyka, Mark Coassolo, Brian Corbett, James Cotner, Philip Davern, Bill Davis, David DelBiondo, Albe Evans, Tom Evans, J Richard Fiedorek, Tom Fleig, Ken Flisek, Bob Ford, Peter Gebhard, Jane Glass, Jim Hollister, Pat Hughes Gelardi, Tom Jones, Fred Joseph, Kevin Kelly, Lee Kerschner, Perry Landis, Don Loughney, Steven Lucas, Hilary Mainka, Bob Marek, John Marous, Lucille Marsh, Larry McClure, Pat McCullough, Mike McGuire, Glenn Meyer, Peter Moniodes, Courtney Myhrum, Barbara Naglak, Christopher Olinger, Gene Olinger, Judy Olinger, Nick Pallante, James Parsons, Art Peternel, Paul Romano, Tip Schroeder, Jim Sherma, Steven Siegfried, John Sly, Colin Smith, William Stasiulatis, Frank Stiner, Charles Stringfellow, Jeffrey Troutman, Annie Vanzant, Michael Vassil, Thomas Verney, Paul Vey, Chick Wagner, Don Walters, Greg Wilks, W. Scott Yard, Dave Yarrish, John Young and Vince Zuwiala.
As we look toward 2027, I hope you share my appreciation for the people who make Pennsylvania golf special. The trophies and results matter, but so do the friendships, traditions, and spirit of sportsmanship we carry from one season to the next.
Thank you for your participation and your continued support of the Pennsylvania Golf Association. I wish you and your families a wonderful holiday season, and I look forward to seeing you on the course next year.
Jeff Ranck
President
Pennsylvania Golf Association
