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Craig Thomas, who owns the Atunyote GC course record and shares the Shenendoah course mark, looms as a favorite this week. (Photo: PGA of America)

Local knowledge could provide a big edge, says O'Brian

Turning Stone Resort has hosted players from New York State's four PGA Sections since 2000, and host professional Bob O'Brian believes that experience could be a crucial advantage for the 25 New York-based players in the field this week.

By Bob Denney, PGA of America

VERONA, N.Y. -- PGA Professional Bob O'Brian says he isn't a gambler, which is a bold statement for someone whose office is little more than a 300-yard drive from a casino's back door.

But, if pressed, O'Brian says he'd place a bet on a New York-based PGA Professional to be among the top five finishers in this week's 39th edition of the PGA Professional National Championship, June 22-25, at Turning Stone Resort & Casino.

The National Championship officially opens a new chapter this week in the traditional showcase event for PGA Professionals. There are 312 players, double the size of a year ago, competing for a $550,000 purse and being challenged by two courses -- Atunyote ("uh-DUNE-yote") Golf Club and Shenendoah Golf Club. Each member of the field will play a round at Shenendoah and Atunyote before the low 70 scorers and ties Friday night will be determined, and finish the weekend's final 36 holes at Atunyote.

Turning Stone Resort has hosted players from New York State's four PGA Sections since 2000.

"Experience here is everything, and it has been a big plus for our PGA Professionals in this state to have played here over the past six years," said O'Brian, the newly appointed PGA director of instruction who has spent the previous six seasons as director of golf and guiding a campaign to attract a national championship at the resort which lies some 40 miles east of Syracuse, N.Y.

"If the wind doesn't blow, I could see the winner finishing 15-under. The players who know these courses realize that you can be very aggressive off the tee. What is different in past events we've hosted is that the rough is up. We have fertilized it to the point that by the end of the week we could have it 4 to 4 1/2 inches."

O'Brian's prognostications are based on a 25-player contingent from the state's quartet of PGA Sections, a group that includes Craig Thomas of Oceanside, N.Y., who owns the course record (9-under 63) at Atunyote and shares the course mark at Shenendoah (65).

Thomas is joined by co-record holders at Shenendoah in Mike Gilmore of Locust Valley, N.Y., and Mike Deuel of Endwell, N.Y., one of five Central New York PGA Professionals enjoying a national championship close to home.

Thomas, a 42-year-old PGA head professional at the Muttontown Golf Club in East Norwich, N.Y., won the 2004 New York State PGA Championship on Shenendoah Golf Club and the 2004 Eastern PGA Club Professional Championship at Atunyote, which will host three of the four National Championship rounds.

The field also features defending champion Mike Small of Savoy, Ill., and 12 past champions: John Traub, Oakland Township, Mich. (1980); Bill Schumaker of Columbia City, Ind. (1984), Brett Upper, Scottsdale, Ariz. (1990), Jeffrey Roth, W. Bloomfield, Mich. (1993), Steve Schneiter, Sandy, Utah (1995), Bruce Zabriski, Jupiter, Fla. (1997); Michael Burke, Towaco, N.J. (1998); Tim Thelen, Richmond, Texas (2000, '03), Wayne DeFrancesco, Baltimore, Md. (2001); Barry Evans, Charleston, W.Va. (2002); and Bob Sowards, Dublin, Ohio (2004).

Small, the head coach at the University of Illinois, is on a mission to play close to home in a major championship in August. To do that, he needs to finish among the 20 low scorers who will earn a berth in the 88th PGA Championship, Aug. 17-20, at Medinah (Ill.) Country Club.

The national field was assembled from 41 Section PGA Professional Championships conducted in 2005. The Section championships and the National Championship offer a combined purse of more than $1.3 million.

New York is the 13th state to host the PGA Professional National Championship, which originated in 1968.

The PGA Professional National Championship is presented by Titleist, FootJoy and Cobra; Buick and Club Car. The Greg Norman Collection is the Official Golf Apparel of the championship. The Golf Channel, the exclusive media partner, will provide 12 hours of live coverage and The PGA Tour is a contributing partner.

"We are excited about hosting this Championship," said O'Brian. "We have 1,200 volunteers, and we had requests from 300 more that we had to turn down. They are coming to work this event from Syracuse, Rome (N.Y.), Utica, Oneida, Rochester and several from out of state. Since we are a resort with no members, it is a most gratifying response.

"Having two courses to hold this Championship, you have to have a good staff, and I'm blessed to say that we have such a group of people. Now, we hope that the players will have a great experience here."

Atunyote, a Tom Fazio design, opened for play in July 2004. The course was listed by Travel & Leisure Golf as one of the "10 Best New Public/Resort Courses," and was selected in 2004 by GOLF Magazine in its "Top 10 New Courses You Can Play."

Atunyote, the Oneida nation word for "eagle," features a parkland setting with gently rolling hills, rock formations, a preserved deadwood marsh, a stream and waterfalls and several lakes and ponds. A New England-style clubhouse opened this spring. The par-72 Atunyote layout will play to 7,297 yards, and Shenendoah at 7,069 yards.

Designed by Rick Smith, Shenendoah opened in May 2000 and has earned a niche in the 2005-06 Golf Digest directory of "America's 100 Greatest Public Courses" and was ranked No. 2 in New York in Golfweek's "America's Best" public access courses.

Shenendoah was crafted from a natural landscape to create wooded parkland holes, open pastures that retain the feeling of a links course and also features several low-country holes. Golf Digest's 2002-03 "Best Places to Play" rated Shenendoah the No. 1 public access course in conditioning.

Celebrating its 90th anniversary, The PGA of America was founded in 1916, and is a not-for-profit organization that promotes the game of golf while continuing to enhance the standards of the profession. The Association is comprised of more than 28,000 men and women PGA Professionals who are dedicated to growing participation in the game of golf.