Stafford, Va. – Faber Jamerson, PGA General Manager at Falling River Country Club in Appomattox, Va., is the 2013 Middle Atlantic PGA Player of the Year. Jamerson edged out fellow MAPGA Professional Dirk Schultz of Beaver Creek Country Club in Hagerstown, Md. by a slim margin of 11 points.
This is Jamerson’s first Player of the Year title since becoming a PGA Member in 2010. His surge for this title began in August of 2012 when he won MAPGA Professional Championship at Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg. He finished second in last year’s Player of the Year race with two wins and three top five finishes.
To start the 2013 season, Jamerson dominated the ALSCO Match Play Championship and claimed the top spot in the MAPGA’s Southern Chapter Championship at Lakeview Golf Club in Harrisonburg, Va.; Jamerson’s old stomping grounds from his time on the James Madison University golf team. When asked what was different this year than last, Jamerson stated, “My golf game really wasn’t different than in past years. I just got a head start on points with the early win at the match play.”
As the season progressed, Jamerson earned points in some non-MAPGA events like the 2013 PGA Professional National Championship, where he made the cut, and the State Open of Virginia, where he finished as the eighth lowest professional in the field. Then, in August, Jamerson played in the MAPGA Professional Championship looking to defend his title. It was this moment in the season when the Player of the Year race started to get very interesting.
Prior to the Professional Championship, Jamerson lead Dirk Schultz by 368 points. Schultz went on to win the Championship and Jamerson finished T-22 to give Schultz the lead by 38 points. “Having some bad breaks and injury hampered the event for me,” Jamerson stated of his play at the Professional Championship.
The next main event was the Players Cup at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md. Both Jamerson and Schultz finished in the top ten, yet Jamerson earned 167 points for his second place finish and Schultz earned 77 points for eighth place. The lead now switched hands to Jamerson by 52 points.
The final Player of the Year points event was the Pro-Scratch held at the Federal Club in Glen Allen, Va. and both Jamerson and Schultz were set to play. With heavy rains from tropical storm Karen bearing down on Central Virginia, the tournament was shortened to nine holes. Jamerson and Schultz were paired together, so they knew where the other stood. Schultz edged out Jamerson by one stroke; shooting a 1-under par 35. All Jamerson could do was wait until all the scores came in. “I felt that I was close enough to him that it wouldn’t matter, but I didn’t know how ties would affect the points,” said Jamerson when asked how he felt knowing that Schultz had beat him that day. In the end, Jamerson earned 87 points and Schultz earned only 128 which gave Jamerson the win by 11 points.
Jamerson credits PGA Life Member Frank Herrelko (North Chesterfield, Va.) for getting his game back in order when he started to slip at both the State Open of Virginia and at the Professional Championship. “We worked on several things that were way out of whack and I was able to find the clubface again,” said Jamerson. “This lesson gave me the confidence to play better golf in the latter part of the season.”
About the Middle Atlantic Section of the PGA of America
The Middle Atlantic Section of the PGA (MAPGA), located in Stafford, Virginia, is one of 41 Sections of The Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA), headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. As a part of The PGA since 1925, the MAPGA consists of over 1,100 members and apprentices in Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia and small portions of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Together, the MAPGA golf professionals, volunteers and staff support the mission of The PGA to promote enjoyment and involvement in the game of golf and to contribute to the game’s growth by providing services to PGA Professionals and the golf industry.
Contact:
Stephanie Jennings, PGA
sjennings@pgahq.com
(540) 720-7420 ext. 116
