1996 PGA Professional National Championship
| Tournament Info for: 1996 PGA Professional National Championship | ||
| Date: | September 26 - 29, 1996 |
|
| Site: | PGA West | |
| Champion: | Darrell Kestner | |
| Purse: | $400,000.00 | |
| Field: | 105 | |
| Cut at: | 103 | |
| Par: | 0 - 0 - 72 (6,854 yards) |
|
| Players Advanced: | 213 | |
| Sponsors: | Club Car Inc.
, Cobra Golf , Atrigon Golf Inc. , Fila USA Inc. , Goldwin Golf USA Inc. , Guess Golf , Imperial Headwer , le coq sportif & Lynx Golf |
|
Darrell Kestner of East Norwich, N.Y., staged a putting experiment at the 29th PGA Club Professional Championship that may be one of the most remarkable turnabout performances in the history of the showcase event for PGA Professionals. Kestner rebounded from an opening 73, and switched to a crosshanded putting grip to find the winning touch on the PGA West greens in La Quinta, Calif. Kestner, a 43-year-old head professional at Deepdale Golf Club in Manhasset, N.Y , capped his rally by making a curling 40-foot birdie putt on the l8th hole of the Arnold Palmer Private Course for a record-breaking 17-under-par 271. Kestner, whose previous best finish in nine attempts was a share of second place in 1994, broke the 28-year-old 72-hole scoring record of 272 by 1968 Champion Howell Fraser. Kestner finished with birdies on three of his last four holes for a 5-under-par 67. He edged Dan Bateman of Huntington Beach, Calif., by one stroke. Bateman's bid for a playoff faded when his uphill five-foot birdie putt on the l8th hole hit the cup and spun out. Kestner became the first player in PGA of America history to win both the national PGA Assistant Professional Championship and The PGA Club Professional Championship. He also is the only multiple winner of the PGA Assistant Professional Championship (1982, '87). The Championship had the lowest cut (3-under-par 213) in tournament history using three regulation-length courses.. John Bermel of Cedar Falls, Iowa, one of 103 to make the cut, survived by making a hole-in-one on the l7th hole of the Arnold Palmer Private Course, and nearly holing out his approach for an eagle on the l8th hole. The 29th PGA Club Professional Championship was the final Championship to feature 360 players in the national finals. A new 72-hole format went into effect in 1997.
| Results | |||||||
| Course Average | Under Par | At Par | Over Par | Low Rounds | Round Leader | Darrell Kestner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1: | 70.74 | 62 | 16 | 27 | 65 Jeffrey Lankford, Tad Holloway | 65 Jeffrey Lankford, Tad Holloway | 73 |
| Round 2: | 69.4 | 78 | 13 | 12 | 64 Bob Sowards, Darrell Kestner, Rick Hartmann, Rick Lewallen | 133 Rick Lewallen | 137 |
| Round 3: | 69.79 | 77 | 12 | 14 | 64 Phil Bland | 200 Brad Sherfy | 204 |
| Round 4: | 72.11 | 46 | 16 | 41 | 67 Darrell Kestner, Ed Whitman | 271 Darrell Kestner | 271 |
| Totals: | 70.50 | 263 | 57 | 94 | |||
