Westchester CC's Beach Wins PGA Pro Championship
BLUFFTON, S.C. -- Westchester Country Club assistant Alex Beach earned the PGA Professional title victory at Belfair’s West Course in Bluffton, South Carolina this week. He finished at 10-under 277.
The 29-year-old from Connecticut, won by two strokes over fellow Metropolitan area professional, Danny Balin, head professional at Fresh Meadows Country Club.
Related: Final Leaderboard / PGA Article
Beach became the eighth individual Metropolitan PGA Member to capture the Championship, with the Section owning nine overall titles. In March, Beach succeeded Balin at Westchester Country Club, adding another historic footnote. Westchester Country Club becomes the first to employ two PGA Professional Champions. Bruce Zabriski was a former PGA Assistant Professional at Westchester when he captured the 1997 Championship.
“This has been a lifelong goal ever since I became a PGA Professional, knowing this is the highest level that we can compete,” said Beach. “I know that playing a guy like Danny Balin one-on-one is not easy. The only way I handled it today is because I’ve done it before. I’m going to have to do it all season. I got him this time, but I guarantee you he’s going to have a few more trophies. It was fun being out there with him. A guy like him makes me play better. I was lucky to come out on top today.”
Three other downstate New York club professionals finished in the top 20 and will join Beach and Balin at the PGA Championship at Bethpage Black later this month including Jason Caron of Mill River Club, Brian Mackey of Hollow Brook Golf Club and Rob Labritz of GlenArbor Golf Club.
