Brian Bergstol comes back to capture Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship

WILMINGTON — Brian Bergstol’s comeback from a 5-stroke deficit in the final round of the Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship looked as if it would be derailed Wednesday after he lost his tee ball to the right at the par-4 10th hole of DuPont Country Club and had to take a stroke-and-distance penalty.

He might have been looking at double bogey, but Bergstol pulled off the shot of the tournament by holing out from 156 yards with an 8-iron for a most unlikely par.

The comeback was still on track and Bergstol completed it down the stretch to come away with a 2-stroke victory in the 101st championship for Philadelphia Section PGA members, his debut in the event.

Bergstol, 37, of Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort, birdied three of his last six holes to finish with a 2-under-par 69 and a 9-under total of 204 for 54 holes. Braden Shattuck of Rolling Green, the section’s points leader, charged with a 5-under 66 and vaulted into second at 206.

Bidermann Golf Club’s Zac Oakley, who led after the second round, appeared in command after birdies at the second and third holes got him to 10 under for the tournament, but he played the final 15 holes at 4 over and came in with a 73 for third place at 207.

Bergstol, who bogeyed the second and third holes to fall behind by 5 strokes, finished the front nine with birdies at Nos. 8 and 9 to make the turn one back. Then came the 10th.

“I got lucky,” he said. “When I hit it, I thought that was as good as I can possibly execute that shot. I can’t see anything from there, so I had no idea. Zac said, ‘Good shot,’ so I’m assuming it rolled back by the hole. To find out it was in the hole, yeah, that was great, that was relieving.”

Oakley held on to a 1-shot lead through the 13th hole, but he bogeyed the 14th to tie not only Bergstol but also Shattuck, who was playing two groups ahead of the leaders, at 7 under. Bergstol grabbed the advantage for good with a 10-foot birdie putt at No. 15, then two-putted from 70 feet at the par-3 17th to stay in front. He finished with a birdie on 18.

“The thing I did good was, I kept focused on just what I could do in front of me,” Bergstol said. “It kind of freed up the putter a little bit. I told myself, ‘Let’s go back to putting the way we normally do and just try to get to the hole.’ That’s all I worried about.”

Shattuck said he knew where he stood as he continued on the back nine, but a three-putt bogey at the 17th dropped him back.

“Brian played super well,” he said. “It’s hard to chase somebody who’s 9 under. But it was awesome.”

Oakley, who is No. 2 on the points list, said he was hurt by three short misses on putts and two bad iron shots but felt he played “pretty solid overall.”

The section qualified 14 players for the 2023 PGA Professional Championship in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M. In addition to Bergstol, Shattuck, and Oakley, those advancing were Trevor Bensel of Sandy Run, Michael Little of Makefield Putters, Terry Hatch of Royal Oaks, Hugo Mazzalupi of Linfield National, Matthew Zehrer of Wilmington, Billy Stewart of Union League Liberty Hill, Rich Steinmetz of Spring Ford, John Pillar of Woodloch Springs, Terry Hertzog of the Philadelphia PGA, Dave McNabb of Applebrook, and Joanna Coe of Merion.