Alan Morin Wins Back To Back SFPGA Professional Championships/Section Championship
Naples (Sept. 21, 2016) – Alan Morin picked the perfect way to clinch his ninth South Florida PGA Player of the Year honors by winning the Section Championship.
Morin shot a 4-under 68 Wednesday to win the South Florida PGA Section Championship for a record fifth time. The PGA Assistant Professional at The Falls Club of the Palm Beaches in Lake Worth won by three shots at 10-under 206 at Wyndemere Country Club (Green/White courses).
The victory also clinched Player of the Year honors for the 47-year-old Morin, who had to finish in front of Chris Kaufman, PGA Teaching Professional at BallenIsles Country Club and Lee Rinker, PGA Director of Golf at Emerald Dunes Golf Club to do so.
“It’s humbling and very self-gratifying to win both the Section Championship and Player of the Year honors,” said Morin, who earned spots in next year’s Honda Classic and the Puerto Rico Open on the PGA TOUR. “There’s a lot of great players in the section — former TOUR players.”
Morin started the day in a five-way tie for the lead and maintained a share of the lead with Andrew Filbert after both shot 33s on the front nine. Filbert, the PGA Assistant Professional at Bonita National Golf & Country Club in Bonita Springs, birdied the 10th to take the lead, but bogeyed the next two holes to fall two back after Morin made a birdie at No. 12.
Morin finished with six pars, but wasn’t sure he won until he saw the scoreboard.
“I couldn’t believe I won by three shots,” he said. “I thought for sure somebody would make a run on the back nine.”
Andrew Filbert, PGA Assistant Golf Professional at Bonita National Golf and Country Club finished second at 7-under 209 after a 71. Kaufman of Coral Springs was another shot back, alone in third place, with a 69.
Rinker (71-218) tied for 25th at with his sister, Laurie, PGA Life Member (74-218).
Gene Fieger, PGA Assistant Golf Professional The Club at Pelican Bay (74) and Joe Allinder, PGA Head Golf Professional at Imperial Golf Club (70) tied for fourth at 4-under 212. Morgan Jewell, PGA Head Professional at the Floridian, shared the day’s best round with Rushi Orza, PGA Assistant Golf Professional at Jonathan’s Landing Golf Club at Old Trail – a 67 – and finished in a sixth-place tie with Kyle Sanders, PGA Head Golf Professional at The Fox Club in Palm City (68).
Also earning spots into next year’s PGA Professional Championship by finishing in the top 12 were Roger Kennedy Jr. (69-210) of Country Club at Mirasol, Paul Scaletta (71-214) of The Bear’s Club, Tim Turpen (72-214) of Ironhorse in West Palm Beach and Gary Keating of Shell Point, who along with Rushi Oza advanced in a six-way playoff.
The 50th PGA Professional Championship will be held June 18-21 at Sunriver Resort in Sunriver, Ore.
Club Car, Mercedes-Benz and Omega were presenting partners for the South Florida PGA Section Championship. Serving as supporting partners were Titleist/FootJoy, Nike Golf, TaylorMade adidas Ashworth, the PGA TOUR, Golf Life Navigators/Golf Life Research and Radio Cat.