The waiting is over, Penn Masters week is upon us! 119 combatants will set sail on a four-day pleasure cruise in Wilkes-Barre beginning this Thursday May 1st. Spencer Baum is favored to raise the Brownie Jug for a second straight year, although there is a deep talented field who may say otherwise. Let the madness begin!
Penn Masters Golf Championship Handicaps
“Field of One Hundred Nineteen”
H’cap Bio
Spencer Baum +1 ‘Spence’ won a thriller last year in Binghamton. Can anyone dethrone our champ?
Chris Schoemaker 2 2-time champ, Schoe, was just 1 stroke back on Sunday…fully capable of a 3rd Jug
John Quigley 3 Quigs had a legit shot to win the Brownie Jug in ’24. Does glory await in W-B?
Stephen Schoemaker 3 Steve’s scintillating 74 to open with at Hiawatha Landing in ’24 was his PM best
Doug Hannie 4 Doug is a talented first timer hoping to make a splash on golf’s grandest stage
Ed Brown 5 Ed missed the ‘Low 16’ for the 1st time ever. Went on to win Family Open & GKM!
Peter Goral 6 Two-time major champion, Peter, recently played golf in Augusta for inspiration
Joe Murphy 6 Making his 14th consecutive PM start, Joe has nine Top 10’s & six Top 3 finishes
Nick Fontanella 6 Nick’s sizzling opening round of 76 at Hiawatha Landing had him PM dreaming
Ron Wheeler 7 Wheels never shoots higher than 85…but rarely breaks 80 in this legendary event
George Christie 7 George has a run of 4 straight top 10 finishes, although he’s never broken 80?
Ryan Crowley 7 Ryan’s last 54-hole totals of 243 and 245 have won many previous Penn Masters
Rob Gill 7 Rob is coming off a blistering 2024 where he won two different leagues…capable
Rob Masouras 8 Rob has six top 5 finishes on his resume. Posted lowest 54-hole total in Allentown
Ryan Shute 8 Ryan holed out on for an albatross at Battle Island # 18…during a practice hole!
Alex Renzi 8 Alex has heard the buzz and has decided to test his game under the bright lights
Brian McLauchlan 9 07 Champ has changed careers, but his smooth swing never does…enjoy the wine
Greg Griffin 9 Griff, the legend, posted another prestigious ‘Low 16’ on his stellar resume in ‘24
Mike Wojcikowski 9 Woj finished T14 last year after three consecutive ‘break 90’s’. No easy PM feat
Brian Murphy 9 Murph’s game hasn’t suffered as much as typical guy who has a growing family
Rick Brown 9 Rick made the prestigious ‘Low 16’ in his maiden start last year. Impressive game
Shawn Evans 9 Missed out on the Low 16 by a single shot in ’24. Good dude with a game to match
Andy Bennett 9 Andy is super pumped for his first Penn Masters. Thinks he can win the Jug
Tom Hobart 9 ‘Hobie’ finished a very respectable 27th place in Niagara Falls during 2020 PM
Mike Fontanella 10 Surprisingly, Mike missed out on the Low 16 last year, but plans to be back in ‘25
Tim Ryan 10 Timmy refused to play in the cold and rain last year at Conklin. Weak. Man up
Bryce Pettitt 10 Bryce closed with a career best round of 77 at Conklin Players Club last year
Steve Aksterowicz 11 Steve’s another talented first timer fully capable of landing in prestigious Low 16
John Andrews 11 John opened with a sizzling round of 84 at Hiawatha Landing before cooling off
Gary Hilborn 11 Gary is another talented first timer who is a darkhorse to make a run at the jug
Geoff Mapstone 12 Geoff was ‘Low 16’ in 2020, yet failed to break 100 in ‘24…Dr Jeckyll or Mr Hyde?
Josh McKay 12 Josh will experience a PM ‘cold shower’ by playing it down and putting em out
Michael Jaquin 13 Mike’s 54-hole total of 264 was 19 shots better than his previous best. T17 finish
Chris Lukowski 13 Chris had a great experience at his first PM in Binghamton. Welcome back
Gerry Murphy III 13 Gerry experienced thrill of a lifetime at the ‘24 Solheim Cup. PM thrills await too
Josh Griffin 13 Josh’s scintillating 81 at Conklin Players has him trending in the right direction
Keith Campbell 14 Keith was co-handicap champion with ‘Brownie’ back in 2004…his 21st PM start
Kevin Heffernan 14 Hef shot 27 shots higher last year than in ’23? His h‘cap went up a measley stroke
Chad O’Clair 14 Chad’s finished an impressive T22 last year…proud to be making his 13th PM start
Ty Natali 14 Ty’s closing effort of 84 at Conklin was the lone bright spot from last year’s PM
Gerry Neri 14 Gerry loves playing golf in any condition, always found smiling and enjoying life
Mike Krupa 14 2-time Family Open Champ lost out on the hat trick in heartbreaking fashion
Jerry LeBlanc 14 Jerry’s 83 at Riverview CC in Allentown is his PM career low. Low 16 bound?
Gerard Miller 14 Gerard’s damaged hand has fully healed…has sights set on making the Low 16
Greg Virginia 14 Greg is another talented 1st timer ready to display his skills on golf’s big stage
Bert Farrell 14 Bert’s 87 to open with at Hiwatha was impressive before fading into the PM abyss
Charlie Jaquin 15 Charlie was smiling on Sunday after he left Conklin with a career low round of 77
George Blasiak 15 ’98 Champ can’t wait to set foot inside the hallowed grounds of Irem CC on Thurs
Mike Preble 15 Preble finished with an impressive 82 at Conklin leading to a Top 30 finish in ‘24
Mike Cavaluzzi 15 Mike succumbed to nerves and didn’t break 90 in ‘24. Redemption awaits in W-B
Bob Smith 15 Smitty is still searching for a spot in the Low 16…making his 7th PM appearance
Jacob Romancik 15 Jake closed with a PM career best round of 80 at Conklin…sights set on Low 16
Dave Bradley 15 Dave can’t wait to spend 3 glorious nights laughing it up with his childhood buds
Declan Forde 15 Declan’s opening round of 90 at Hiawatha Landing propelled him to a T40 finish
Ryan McSheehy 15 Ryan notched his second top 40 finish last year in four Penn Masters attempts
Doug Kierst 15 Doug would love nothing more than to secure a ‘Low 16’ on his virgin PM voyage
Chuck Jaquin 16 ‘CJ’, the legend, is proud to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of his historic win
Don Brown Jr. 16 Chairman is proud to host the ‘greatest event in all of golf’ for the 29th time
Marty McEneny 16 Marty shot his first ever even par round of 36 at Greenview in the GKM league
Glen MacNeil 16 Glen’s reveling at the chance to spend 4 glorious days with his buds. His 26th PM
Gary Natali 16 2-time Family Open Champ is excited to tee it up all four days with son Ty
Jerry Amidon 16 Jerry’s making the long drive up from South Carolina. The lone Amidon in field
Ron Case 16 Ron is a longshot to make the ‘Low 16’, but fully capable of shooting in Low 80’s
Tyler Underwood 16 Tyler is fearful of the hazing and nightly beatings in store for all 1st timers
Kris Shore 16 Kris, a 2-time Family Open Champ, has his sights set on his first ‘Low 16’ in W-B
Tim Colwell 16 Tim is making his first Penn Masters plunge…good thing, a world of joy awaits
H’cap Bio
Nick Henry 16 Nick failed to break 90 during his initial PM in ‘24, but had a blast along the way
Bob Masouras 17 Bob returns to the tourney he loves for the 1st time in 3 years. His 19th PM start
Tim Havern 17 Tim, one of the nicest guys in the field, is overdue to make a splash in his 8th PM
Anthony Ponto 17 ‘23 Family Open Champ is favored to walk away with $400 in H’cap trophy cash
Bradley Veneklase 17 Brad shot a solid 88 at Conklin on Sunday after settling down from the pressure
Dennis Smith 17 Dennis has heard rumors about the ‘greatest event in all of golf’…they’re all true
Tom McLauchlan 18 Making his 19th PM start, T-Mac posted a career low round of 85 back in 2005
Charles Gilbert 18 “Eddie” had a blast in Binghamton last year despite not playing up to his skills
Jerry Aldrich 18 Jerry failed to break 100 in Binghamton last year? Proudly making his 21st start
Jeff Snyder 18 The creative genius of pennmasters.com was Jeff’s 1st website. Now he’s big-time
Tyler Bush 18 Bushy’s has closed the last 2 Penn Masters on ‘Sr Tee Sunday’ w/ 85 & 87…decent
Matt Biedekapp 18 While Bied’s game has made strides, he’s yet to break 90 in championship history
Mike Schoemaker 18 The father of golfing studs Chris & Stephen shows up as an eighteen h’cap. Hmm?
Tim Shute 18 Tim is looking forward to spending quality ‘Father-Son’ time at the Craps table
Dustin Beaman 19 Dustin’s 293 total last year was a PM career best, he continues to make progress
Joe Mannion 19 Joe carded a hole-in-one on the 8th hole at Camillus last year…what a thrill
Derek Montalto 19 Derek’s game went backwards during his dismal 2nd PM. 3rd time is the charm
Mike Fruscello 19 Peachy’s game has made many strides since we last saw him during the 2010 PM
Jay Sparrow 20 Jay closed with a PM low of 90 at Conklin, has sights set on Ted Amidon trophy
Evan Sgroi 20 Evan’s closing effort of 90 at Conklin shows us just how far his game has come
Mike D’Antona 20 Mike’s closing effort of 88 at Conklin was 20 strokes better than opening round
George Shepherd 20 Shepherd’s Pie will be teeing it up in his 16th PM, loves hanging with brother John
Bruce Berg 21 Bruce posted his lowest all time 54-hole total in Binghamton. His 17th PM start
John Kirwin 21 John’s 95 at Chenango Valley was solid, proudly making his 6th PM appearance
Jared LeBlanc 21 Jared, who is still in the early stages of developing his game, is a joy to play with
Timothy Bolger 22 Tim nearly died from 4 days of debauchery in Binghamton, thank God he’s ok
Dave Rosati 22 2022 h’cap champ feels like a kid on Christmas morn…It’s Penn Masters week!
John Provo 22 John, who runs the best Masters pool on the planet, is making his 3rd career start
Sam Golden 22 First timer, Sam, is looking forward to every ounce of joy this tourney provides
Ryan Austin 22 Ryan plans to go off grid into Wilkes-Barre’s notorious underground club scene
Bob Stamey 22 Bob is looking forward to the blackjack tables at Mohegan Sun. Golf not so much
Frank Gordnier 23 Frank is making an impressive 23rd PM appearance, shot a 95 once in 2020
Steve Ruston 23 Steve is jacked! Finally posted a solid PM round on Sunday at Conklin w/ a 94
Joe Cormier 24 Plumber Joe is proudly making his 12th career Penn Masters start. Awesome
Michael Forde 24 Michael will try to navigate the stormy waters that lie ahead in Wilkes-Barre
Tom Flynn 25 Flynnstoned has made improvements to his game, we’ve just never witnessed ‘em
Mark Jaquin 26 The Wolf, who has notched 5 Family Open titles, yet he still yearns for PM respect
Tom Jaquin 27 Tom’s never broken the 300 mark in 17 PM starts…has newly found iron game
John Wallace 27 Making an incredible 29th consecutive start…Wally is Penn Masters platinum
Donald Nelson 27 Don’s ‘Moving Day’ round of 101 at Chenango Valley wasn’t half bad, his 13th PM
Kevin Brown 27 The ‘king of juice’ would rather be bass fishing, but this tourney aint so bad
Tom Wells 28 Doc Wells doesn’t look like he’s in his low 80’s, but his golf game sure does
John Shepherd 28 John was proud to post a ‘break 100’ the last time we saw him in Allentown
Josh McGough 28 Josh has no idea what to expect…lots of booze, women, gambling and debauchery
Dave Pridemore 29 Dave just completed a Cannes Film Festival nominated effort in ‘Eephus’…cool
Mike Arena 29 Mike posted his lowest ever 54-hole total last year. He’s no longer the horses’ ass
Jonathan Contrada 30 Jonathan has loved being battered into submission during each of the last 2 PM’s
Tom Hoffman 31 Tom reached the pinnacle of his life by winning the Family Open playoff in 2024!
Bobby Craver 32 Bobby’s ready to experience exotic drinks, mind altering smoke and sleeping late
Tom Tracy 32 Tom, a Family Open Champ, is jacked to spend all his free time at Mohegan Sun
Tony Ponto 33 Tony’s not into the golf…he’s pumped for the slow roasted BBQ at Pine Hills Sat
Tony Sgroi 35 Tony’s career low PM round of 106 at Blue Ridge Trail fails to impress the masses
Don Saunders (Sat Only) 32 Saddam will be teeing it up on Sat at Pine Hills, and living large at the Woodlands
Ravi Raman - ‘Indian who pays taxes’ is making the trip down for good eats and fine tobacco
Mick Reynolds - Cameraman Mick will be drinking hazy’s, smoking cigars and loving every minute
