PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Ryan Benzel of Kirkland, Wash., birdied the final two holes to fire a 6-under-par 66 Thursday at the PGA Golf Club, and heads up the 120 PGA assistant professionals and apprentices after the first 18 holes of the 2006 TaylorMade-adidas Golf PGA Assistant Professional Championship. Eight birdies and two bogeys put Benzel one stroke ahead of local resident Jim Herman of Port St. Lucie and Rob Hunt of Highlands Ranch, Colo.
"There are several difficult holes that I feel you have to make par on to be on top of the leader board this week, including the par-3 No. 16," said Benzel, PGA Assistant Professional at Seattle (Wash.) Golf Club. "It is a treacherous hole with water on the back, left and right sides of the green. I hit the ball in the hazard, out of the mud, and slapped it to about 10 feet for a great par save."
Both Herman and Hunt are familiar with the Ryder Course, as they have played at the PGA Golf Club several times in their golf careers. Herman was an employee of both the PGA Golf Club and PGA Country Club in Port St. Lucie for more than one year combined and played at the PGA Golf Club several times. He is now employed at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J.
Hunt, on the other hand, played on both the North and South Courses, now the respective Ryder and Wanamaker Courses, several years ago in college, when his university (Tennessee State University) participated in the PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship.
"I believe that I have the biggest advantage over the field as the PGA Golf Club is my second home and I love coming back here, especially with the support of all the members, employees, and close friends," said Herman, 28, who carded a bogey-free 67 and only missed one green. "Even with the recent renovations, I still know the Ryder Course well and the updates to the greens have made the course more player-friendly, especially on No. 7, where the undulations were removed from the green."
Hunt's 67 consisted of three birdies on the front nine to complement his final four consecutive birdies. He is determined to improve on his 2004 appearance in the Championship, when he missed the cut.
"I got off to a good start and birdied three of the first five holes," said Hunt, the 2004 Colorado PGA Apprentice Player of the Year. "I came alive the end of my round with birdies on the final four holes. On hole No. 17, I was able to get up and down from the front bunker and ended my round by hitting a wedge on No. 18 to 10 feet for a birdie putt to close out the round."
Nine players carded 68s to sit three shots back from Benzel going into Friday's second round in a tie for fourth place. Philip Jonas of Canada is included in the mix, and his round was highlighted by an eagle on the 535-yard par 5. He entered the clubhouse with the lowest score among the three international players in the field -- the others being Brett Taylor (73) of England and Julian Reynolds (78) of Australia.
"On No. 13, I hit a good drive down the center of the fairway and hit a 3-iron to 30 feet and sank the putt for eagle," said Jonas, who tied for ninth place in 2004. "It is wonderful that The PGA of America extends the opportunity for the Canadian Assistant Professional Champion to compete. I was very disappointed to not return last year and am extremely honored to be participating this year."
Three-time Champion (2002, 2003, 2005) Kyle Flinton of Edmond, Okla., shot a 2-under 70 and is in a tie for 17th place with 13 additional players.
The 30th TaylorMade-adidas Golf PGA Assistant Professional Championship is comprised of 41 PGA Section assistant champions, section qualifiers, the defending Champion and assistant/apprentice champions from Australia, Canada and Great Britain. TaylorMade-adidas Golf returns as the title sponsor for the seventh consecutive year and is joined by Bank of America, Buick and MasterCard who serve as the supporting sponsors.
The winner of the TaylorMade-adidas PGA Assistant Professional Championship will collect $9,000 of the $100,000 purse and, if eligible, will earn a berth in the 2007 PGA Professional National Championship at Sunriver (Ore.) Resort, June 21-24. Furthermore, the low apprentice will be invited to participate in the 2007 Australian PGA National Futures Championship.
Following the first 36 holes of play, the field will be reduced to the 70 players having the lowest scores and those tied for 70th place.
Celebrating its 90th anniversary, The PGA of America was founded in 1916, and is a not-for-profit organization that promotes the game of golf while continuing to enhance the standards of the profession. The Association is comprised of more than 28,000 men and women PGA Professionals who are dedicated to growing participation in the game of golf.
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