VERONA, N.Y. -- Ron Philo Jr. of Westchester, N.Y., executed golf's dream shot just when he needed it most. Then he hung on through a three-hole sudden-death playoff to defeat Alan Schulte of Fishers, Ind., with a bogey and win the 39th PGA Professional National Championship, June 25, 2006, at Turning Stone Resort & Casino's Atunyote Golf Club.
Philo recorded the third hole-in-one of his career, holing out a 4-iron on the 199-yard third hole, then just missed a winning birdie putt on the 18th green, to finish regulation play with a 4-under-par 68. The timely ace is believed to be the first by a PGA Professional National Champion in the final round.
Schulte, who ended with a 71, and a matching 10-under-par 278, hit his tee shot on the 11th hole (the third playoff hole) into a water hazard. After a penalty drop, he could not get up and down for bogey to extend the drama.
The victory made Philo the fifth Metropolitan PGA Section member to win the Major Championship for PGA Professionals. He earned $75,000 from a record $550,000 purse.
The scenario brought back vivid memories at Atunyote Golf Club for Philo, who lost a playoff in the 2004 Eastern PGA Club Professional Championship.
"I was in a playoff here two years ago in our [former] Regional Championship, and I was not successful," said the 40-year-old PGA head professional at Metropolis Country Club in White Plains, N.Y. "So I was pretty thrilled to just get off the 18th hole the first time, because I didn't get beat on the first [playoff] hole. I'm excited, and I'm worn out and ready to sit down and have something to drink."
It was Philo's moment, having registered three previous top-five finishes in the National Championship, including a tie for third in 2003. He accomplished his mission with his father, PGA Professional Ron Philo Sr., mother and sister, LPGA star Laura Diaz, in the gallery, along with his many other friends.
Schulte's best showing in seven trips was a seventh place in 2004, and last year tied for 69th.
Both players opened the 10th playoff in PGA Professional National Championship history with pars on the par-5 18th and the par-4 10th. Schulte nearly holed out a wedge approach on the 10th from 107-yards, but the ball bounced 20-feet past the flagstick. The devilish 197-yard 11th hole, which yielded only one birdie all day, was set up with a hole location on the right edge.
"In regulation, I hit a 6-iron, and it came up in the bunker," said Schulte. "It's almost the right length. It didn't really feel like the wind was helping that much. I tried to cut a little 5-iron, and I really just didn't hit it hard enough. If I had gone ahead and trusted it and hit it and made the swing for a cut, it probably would have turned out just fine. All you're trying to do is get it front-left right there. That's a brutal hole location, and it just didn't work out."
Schulte's shoulders slumped after he hit his tee shot.
"All in all, I'm pretty happy with the week. It's never easy to take what I guess you consider a loss. Heck, coming into the week, all I really wanted to do was play well enough to make Medinah [a berth in the 88th PGA Championship], and it was kind of a bonus to have a chance to win."
Lee Rinker of Jupiter, Fla., finished third at 280, after a 70. Meanwhile, Defending Champion Mike Small of Champaign, Ill., the head golf coach at the University of Illinois, finished in fourth place at 281, after a 74. Small had held the lead through six holes in the final round, before a double-bogey, bogey collapse on the seventh and eighth holes.
Chris Starkjohann of Cardiff by the Sea, Calif., finished in fifth at 282, after a 72.
Schulte, the 2000 National PGA Assistant Professional Champion, led or was tied for the lead after the first three rounds. He held the lead to himself with two holes to play, but bogeyed the 467-yard, par-4 17th. Philo had preceded Schulte with a bogey-bogey-par finish and waited in the scoring tent to see if a playoff would occur.
Philo's ace on the third hole came after a birdie on the second hole and temporarily gave him the lead at 9-under. It was the fourth hole-in-one of the Championship.
"The hole-in-one was pretty neat," said Philo. "That was my third in competition, and it was the longest one I've had. It's great -- it's where I was aiming. I was feeling pretty good about the fact that it went in. It's a very, very tough hole to get close to. It was early, so we still had a lot of golf to play, and I was just trying to stay focused on playing more holes without getting too excited about that."
Philo's parents and sister joined the gallery after Diaz had finished competing in the Wegmans LPGA event earlier in the day in Pittsford, N.Y. She had tied for 17th place.
On the nearly two-hour trip to Verona, the family learned of Ron Jr., getting off to a hot start that included a hole-in-one.
Philo's parents, Ron Sr. and Cheryl, joined the gallery on the 11th hole. Diaz arrived in Verona in time to watch Ron make a par on the 72nd hole.
"Ron said the night before that he could get back in it with a good start," said Ron Sr., a PGA Director of Instruction at Amelia Island (Fla.) Plantation. "He certainly got that when he needed it. I heard about the hole-in-one on the drive from Rochester. I got worried, though, when he went bogey-bogey on 16 and 17."
But Schulte then bogeyed 17, and both he and Philo did it the same way -- from bunker-to-bunker and 20-foot putts. The hole was really confusing to the players due to the wind.
"Ron always knew that he could achieve this, but he needed patience. It's the biggest thing he's won in golf and comes at a great time in his career."
It was a special moment for the Philo family, as they watched Ron Jr., accept the Walter Hagen Cup in the award ceremony.
"It's an honor and a privilege to win this Championship," said Philo. "What makes this a special event for me is the fact that I'm competing with my fellow PGA Professionals from around the country who are doing, on a daily basis, their best to make this great game even better.
"It's made very special by all of the folks up here, all of the folks who came to compete, and all the folks back home hoping to try to get here next year."
The PGA Professional National Championship is presented by Titleist, FootJoy and Cobra; Buick and Club Car. The Greg Norman Collection is the Official Golf Apparel of the Championship. The Golf Channel is the exclusive media partner, and the PGA Tour is a contributing partner.
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.
