Harley Abrams wins Palm Beach County Stroke Play
story by Larry Bush courtesy Palm Beach
County G.A.
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida (Aug. 17, 2014)
– Harley Abrams of Boca Raton , playing in his
first Palm Beach County Golf Association
tournament, won the eighth annual Stroke Play
Championship on Sunday at BallenIsles Country
Club.
Coming off a career record eight under par 64
Saturday, Abrams added a one under 71 for
135 with two birdies and his only a bogey of
the weekend when he missed the green at the
par-4 ninth hole. He won the open division by
five strokes.
“I hit a lot of good shots today,”
Abrams said. “I just lipped out a bunch of
putts.”
Tied for second at 140 were two-time
former champion R.J. Nakashian of Palm Beach
Gardens and Ryan Crowley of Boca Raton,
matching the day’s low score of 68, and
Richard Donegan of Okeechobee with a pair of
70s.
Two older age groups went to
playoffs. Peter Wegmann of Fort
Lauderdale sank an 18-foot birdie putt on the
second extra hole to win the senior division for
players 50-59 years old. On a final round of 71,
he tied at 143 with David Tassell, Jupiter, who
closed with 70; last year’s winner, Pete
Williams, Juno Beach , 72; and Chris Hubman,
Palm Beach Gardens , the first round leader,
74.
Brothers David and Dann Merrill tied
at 150 in the 60-older super seniors flight.
They halved the first two holes with par-4s,
the third with birdie-4s, then David, the older
of the two, sank a 15-foot birdie putt at the
par-4 fourth for the win.
A life-long resident of Palm Beach
County , Abrams, 21, was graduated from
Spanish River High School in 2012 and is
headed into his junior year at Lehigh University
in Bethlehem , Pa. “I was looking for a school
where I could play, had good facilities and
where I could get a good education,” Abrams
said in explaining how a native Floridian wound
up in Pennsylvania.
Lehigh won the Patriot League title
his freshman year and has an indoor golf range
for winter golf activities. He is studying for a
major in political science.
Next on the PBCGA schedule: Friday,
ESPN Challenge, Quail Ridge CC, and Sept. 6-7,
Senior Amateur, Pine Tree GC. For membership
information and tournament entry, go to
www.pbcga.org.