Golfers gather to raise money for United Way of Mercer County

Dan Hiner, The Herald, Sharon, Pa.
·3 min read

Aug. 25—HERMITAGE — The swoosh of the club cutting through the air was heard often on Thursday afternoon on Avalon Country Club at Buhl Park's course.

One hundred and sixty golfers took to the links, four amateurs and one golf pro, for the Penn Northwest Pro-AM. The event helped raise money for the United Way of Mercer County in partnership with the Business and Industry Day by the Greenville Area Chamber of Commerce.

"It was an amazing effort on both sides," said Carla Regginello, co-director of the United Way of Mercer County. "Obviously (Penn Northwest Development Cooperation Executive Director) Rod Wilt and his team did an amazing job. He's been the force behind the Business and Industry Day."

The United Way and golf go back over four decades. Each year golfers and businesses from around the area would gather to help contribute funds to the organization, and get in a little fun on the course.

This year, however, the event saw some professional play. The Tri-State PGA added the event to its schedule, allowing golf pros from courses throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland to join.

The amateur golfers played a four-person scramble. One pro joined each scramble group, but the pros played their own ball and tallied their score individually.

The event carried a $10,000 purse. Rob McClellan, the director at Slippery Rock Golf Club, emerged victorious in the individual professional standings. He shot a 4-under 66 to take home the $2,000 first-place prize.

Skill prizes were also distributed during dinner for the amateur golfers.

"The amateurs are playing a scramble, which is great. It's a really fun format," McClellan said. "And the pros play their own ball, and if we can help them make a birdie that they don't ... it's the only format we play like that. We play 10, 15 Pro-AMs all year, but it's the only one we play like that."

The event is expected to return next year with the same format, but it will be held at a different time during the summer. The Senior Section Championship was held Tuesday and Wednesday, so a number of other pros were unable to play.

"I think them doing it next year on a different day, there will be a lot of guys that want to play that won't get in," McClellan said. "It will be invited based on points."

Regginello said Wilt planned to raise $25,000 but Regginello said they could have exceeded expectations.

The money raised will go toward the United Way's various associations in the area.

With the summer's end nearing closer, so does the United Way's annual Kickoff Campaign. The fall is one of the most important times of the year for the various United Way branches across the country.

The success on Wednesday was a good jumpstart heading into the fall season, according the Regginello.

"It kinda builds your momentum," she said. "You kinda ride the highs where you feel like we had a successful event. The hype is all there, everybody's excited. We just want to build upon that."