Ashley Grier an assistant PGA professional at Overbrook Golf Club in Villanova, PA is set to compete in her first KMPG Women’s PGA Championship; M Golf Range head PGA professional, Stu Ingraham, will return for his second consecutive U.S. Senior Open
Lower Gwynedd Township, PA., June 25, 2018 … The Philadelphia PGA is announcing that two local PGA Professionals will be competing in National Championships at the end of this week. Ashley Grier, Assistant PGA Professional at Overbrook Golf Club in Villanova, PA, will compete in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, taking place at Kemper Lakes Golf Club in Kildeer, Illinois, from June 28th through July 1st. Also competing on the national stage is M Golf Range Head PGA Professional, Stu Ingraham, who will be in the field when the U.S. Senior Open gets underway June 28th through July 1st at The Broadmoor (East Course) in Colorado Springs, Colo.
SEASIDE, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 18: Stu Ingraham hits his tee shot on the seventh hole during the final round at the 27th Senior PGA Professional National Championship at Bayonet Black Horse on October 18, 2015 in Seaside, CA. (Photo by Montana Pritchard/The PGA of America)
In 2017, Grier rose to prominence when she became the first female PGA Professional to capture a Philadelphia PGA individual stroke play event when she won the Callaway TPD Championship at Trump National Philadelphia. But that accomplishment was just one in a long line of accomplishments during Grier’s playing career. Prior to her arrival in the Philadelphia PGA, Grier was a four-time Middle Atlantic PGA Women’s Player of the Year. Grier also has a PGA of America Winter’s Series win on her resume after she took home the top spot at the 2013 PGA Women’s Championship. Grier is also no stranger to National Championships as she competed in the 2007 U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club
“I am looking forward to a fun week in Chicago with a lot of family and friends in attendance,” said Grier. “The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship will be my second major after the 2007 U.S. Women’s Open Championship. I was so excited just to be there and got so wrapped up in the excitement, that I didn’t play my best. I said to myself back then that next time I play in a major I will go into it with a more competitive attitude. It’s now 11 years later and I don’t play for a living anymore, but I still feel that I have a chance to compete. I owe most of that to my boss Eric Kennedy. He has supported me and helped me with my game so much in my past 3 years at Overbrook, and I don’t think that I would be at the level I am right now without his help. I have been overwhelmed by the support of the members at Overbrook, so many people wish me luck this week that it is really touching. Regardless of what happens it will be a fun week!”
The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, a collaboration between the PGA of America, KPMG and the LPGA Tour, offers a purse among the highest in women’s golf, and is broadcast in partnership with NBC and Golf Channel. In 2018, Grier will compete alongside the premier players from the LPGA, including past winners such as Danielle Kang ’17, Brooke Henderson ’16 and Inbee Park who captured three straight championships from 2013-2015. In winning the 2017 Callaway Golf TPD Championship, Grier carded four birdies and only one bogey to finish with a total of 24 points in the modified stableford tournament to become the first female Philadelphia PGA Professional to capture a full field event.
Stu Ingraham of M Golf Range will also be making his second consecutive U.S. Senior Open after qualifying as the medalist at the June 4 qualifier at Indian Valley Country Club in Telford, Pa. Ingraham has a lengthy playing resume with accomplishments throughout his career both locally and nationally. As a member of the Philadelphia PGA, Ingraham has twice won the Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship and is also a five-time winner of the Philadelphia Senior PGA Professional Championship. Ingraham has also competed in multiple National PGA and Senior PGA Professional Championships qualifying for six PGA Championships and four KitchenAide Senior PGA Championships. Ingraham played all four rounds at last year’s U.S. Senior Open after a dramatic putt to end his second round.
“I definitely want to build on last years’ experience at Salem Country Club,” said Ingraham. “I am truly looking forward to walking inside the ropes and competing at another major championship.”
“We are extremely proud of both Ashley’s and Stu’s accomplishments.” said Geoff Surette, Executive Director, Philadelphia Section PGA. “They are getting a chance to compete against the best players in the world on a national stage. It is truly a reflection of the hard work they put in day in and day out. We are very proud that two of our members will be representing the Philadelphia PGA on the highest level.”
Ashley Grier will open up her KPMG Women’s PGA Championship on Thursday, June 28th at 12:50 pm alongside of Katelyn Dambaugh and Benyapa Niphatsophon while Stu Ingraham’s U.S. Senior Open will begin on Thursday, June 28th at 8:45 am with Jack Hall (a) and Craig Bowden.
For more information, visit philadelphia.pga.com or follow us on social media: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Ashley Grier, PGA Professional
Stu Ingraham, PGA Professional
About The Philadelphia Section PGA
The Philadelphia Section PGA (PPGA) is one of 41 geographical sections of The PGA of America. Composed of PGA Professionals who serve as the “Experts in the Game & Business of Golf,” the PPGA encompasses Eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey (Trenton – south), Delaware and parts of Northern Maryland. Since the 1920s, the PPGA has been the voice and face of golf throughout the region backed by over 850 PGA Professionals and Apprentices who promote the enjoyment and involvement in the game of golf, and who are at the forefront of programming/events at more than 300 public and private golf facilities, including some of the country’s most acclaimed golf courses. PPGA members collectively impact over 2 million rounds of golf annually, encompassing over 100,000 club members, hundreds of thousands of public course golfers, business leaders and one of the country’s strongest stable of junior golfers. The PPGA is further complemented by its charitable arm, the Philadelphia Foundation, which was created to positively impact lives and communities through the game of golf. For more information about the Philadelphia Section PGA, visit philadelphia.pga.com.
CONTACTS:
Joe Monforto
(215) 481-9086
jmonforto@pgahq.com
Jared Minski
(732) 469-5700
jared@mastrocomm.com
