Over the last dozen years, the PGA Professional National Championship has been staged on a variety of the nation’s most modern resort courses, including Whistling Straits, Sunriver, Kiawah Island, Longaberger, French Lick and Turning Stone.
Now for something completely different.
On June 26-29, when the PNC comes to southeastern Pennsylvania, it will be at one of the nation’s oldest golf resorts, steeped in history and exuding the sweet smell of chocolate.
| PGA PNC |
| When » June 26-29 |
| Where » Hershey Country Club, Pa. |
| Former winners of the PNC include Chip Sullivan (2007), pro at Ashley Plantation in Roanoke, and Wayne DeFrancesco (2001), teaching pro at Woodmont. |
Hershey Country Club, which traces its origins to 1909, will host the 2011 PNC, some 71 years after it was the site of Byron Nelson’s victory in the PGA Championship and 60 years after immortal Ben Hogan served his final season as Hershey’s highly visible club pro.
The facility’s ability to host national-level events 71 years apart is testament to the timeless quality of Hershey’s West Course and the continuing vitality of the East Course, now 32 years of age.
“Hershey East and West will provide a perfect venue to crown a national champion,” said Mike Small, winner of the last two PNC titles and three overall. “The West — that is a fun golf course. It’s a course we’re only going to play one out of the four [rounds]. But that’s a course I could play every day.”
Described as the U.S. Open for club pros, 3,700 players attempted to qualify this year through Sectional competition. On June 26, 312 players will tee off in the PNC. The top 20 finishers earn slots in the PGA Championship in August.
“My first goal is to make the top 20. That’s what you shoot for,” Small said. “I’ve played in U.S. Opens before and I have more affinity, more admiration for the PGA Championship. It’s my association now. It’s my big deal.”
Two years ago, the tournament was shifted from Thursday-Sunday to Monday-Thursday, to avoid conflicts with other professional golf tournaments and enhance fan interest. The Golf Channel will broadcast all four rounds. There is no admission for fans.
It will be interesting to see how the players fare on Hershey’s traditional 36 holes. Mark Tschetschot, in charge of course setup for the last 14 PNCs, says don’t expect scores to be any different than on notoriously brutal French Lick or Whistling Straits, both diabolically designed by Pete Dye.
“You have to think your way around the course,” Tschetschot said. “It’s all position yourself off the tee and then make sure you hit it to the right spot of the green and give yourself an uphill putt.”
Small, the golf coach at the University of Illinois, has his battle plan in place as he tries to become the first four-time winner in PNC history.
“You have to be more disciplined on a golf course like this,” Small said. “You have to really work on your speed putting, lag putting, and your efficiency around the greens.”
