FEATURE: Moon Open Makes History, Brings Out Record Numbers

MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Throughout Saturday morning, Moon Golf Club General Manager Josh DeNinno excitedly greeted a Moon Open-record 132 golfers with a familiar refrain.

“Happy Moon Open,” DeNinno said through countless smiles and a myriad of handshakes.

Chatter throughout the first and 10th tees came from the field, many returning, but some newcomers who were curious about the event, just of how much fun they were going to have.

This year’s Moon Open proved to be a family affair as five different families teed it up Saturday, setting another record, but one provided history of its own.

Allan and Chris Bross in addition to Mason Beimel, who was playing in his first Moon Open, were the first-ever family to have three generations represented as all played together.

“It’s very bittersweet, it really is, to be able to come out and play with them, as well as they play,” Allan Bross, the family patriarch stated. “We really enjoyed ourselves today and it’s really great. We have fun all the time. It’s competitive and all that stuff, but we do more cheering on than the competitive end of it and make sure all of us are hitting a good shot.”

For Chris, the goal of course was to have fun, but with Mason in the same foursome, there was something else to achieve.

“I just didn’t want to lose to him yet,” remarked Bross. “He’s still younger. I held him off, but he whooped us both pretty good today.”

After Mason realized that there were no mulligans and flop shots were not in play Saturday, he began to navigate through the course and considered the finishing 18th hole his favorite.

He appreciated the format overall and it comes at a course quite familiar to Mason as he plays it at least once or twice a week, a clear sign that his love for golf is only growing.

“I love golf even more,” Beimel assessed. “I’ve gotten so much better at it and how can’t you like it more? It’s really fun to play.”

Perhaps the family affair was of some comfort to Allan Bross as 81 places him in a tie for sixth place in Flight B, three shots behind Zachary Mikolics’s lead.

Rounding out the group was two-time defending Flight A Champion Dave Michaels who has played several times with the Bross’s making it a natural pairing.

Michaels currently sits four shots back of Brian Stewart in Flight A.

The swing of two-time defending Moon Open Flight A champion @windmill44 as his round is underway @MoonGolfClub. pic.twitter.com/cc3ahhOQLa

— Zachary Weiss (@ZacharyMWeiss) July 20, 2024

Another family which has been a staple are the Zgolas: Michael and Michael Jr.

Michael, who is a past Flight C champion, is known in some circles as ‘Mailbox Mike’ for overhitting a ball next to a mailbox on nine, a spot which now is considered out of bounds, smiled when recalling what Moon Golf Club has given him.

“I sent out our handicaps to a couple of buddies of ours from 2018, he (Jr.) was a 23 and I was a 22 and that was the year I won C Flight,” he offered. “Now we are down to 10.5 and 10.6 all because of Moon.”

The course means even more when considering Zgola Jr. worked on it for multiple years.

“Every year we schedule our plans around the Moon Open,” revealed Zgola Jr. “I have a bridal shower to go to (this afternoon) and I made sure to make it here before I had to show up there. That kind of shows how important this is to us and a lot of people.”

Both Zgolas are in Flight B and Michael’s 82 has him four shots behind Mikolics. He estimated that 7-8 players in his league are in this event and spent time preparing for the Moon Open.

“I wish there were 3-4 Moon Opens during the year here,” he concluded. “People will sometimes say ‘it’s this, it’s that,’ come play it and see what you score because it has its challenges and its trees and blind shots. I don’t know what I’d do without the Moon Open. We work vacations around it that we need to do to play in it.”

The other three families in this event are the Gilmore’s (Jeffrey and Jonathan), Heeter’s (Darrell and Greg) and Keaton’s (Landon and Tom).

NO BOOTH REVIEW NEEDED FOR STERATORE

A pin drop could be heard as Frank Steratore attempted a par putt on the 10th hole and when it fell, his friend and playing partner Craig Swen greeted him with knuckles and chatter.

“It was everything I dreamed of,” Steratore beamed. “Playing with Craig (Swen) … he’s a friend of mine, he was always in your head and always trying to get an edge up. You’ve just got to give in a little bit so he thinks he’s getting ahead but in reality he hasn’t made one move on you.”

Frank Steratore knocks it in to save par on 9 green at the Moon Open @MoonGolfClub. pic.twitter.com/MIudgvNBxb

— Zachary Weiss (@ZacharyMWeiss) July 20, 2024

Steratore is an NFL official and also officiates NCAA basketball games. His cousins Gene and Tony were longtime NFL officials.

Saturday though, Steratore was a player in the field, dressed in a black Travis Mathew shirt, having a blast with his friends.

Steratore participates in a league on Monday and through it all has seen the course improve. Following bites of his now-favorite MGC wing variety, Steratore explained the joy of competition and how it continues to bring him back.

“The competitiveness of it no matter what you’re doing, just always wanting to play your best, compete against yourself and try to be better today than you were yesterday,” concluded Steratore. “That’s what I like about the event itself. The thing about the game of golf that I love is you still have to hit golf shots. No matter where you’re playing, you have to go out and execute a golf shot. That’s not easy.

“There’s a part of the mental game, a lot of physically being able to execute a shot and that’s the challenging part. There’s a lot of great golfers out here and some days are good and some days you’ll have bad, but end of the day it’s about executing and producing a good score.”

BATCHELOR’S “PARADISE”

Moon Golf Club Superintendent Jason Batchelor has had quite the unenviable job, trying to make the course not only challenging but playable through a brutally hot period, with minimal rain received.

While other courses have dried out, Moon Golf Club stood strong throughout and Batchelor and his staff are to thank for that.

“We just had to keep it straight today and some of the greens are quick, but the course is just in great shape for the event and we’re looking forward to tomorrow,” Allan Bross said.

The fairways certainly provided some run with the greens being both true and fast. An unlucky bounce could advance a ball an additional 20-30 yards, sometimes making a shot hard to find.

In normal years both Batchelor and DeNinno will go through the course determining hole placements but this year, that honor has gone to the former as he is picking locations with receptive areas, recognizing the challenges the weather presented.

That still has not stopped the Zgola’s from guessing what awaits them on Sunday.

“Last year we were talking about what’s going to happen tomorrow because last year on Saturday, the pin placements were a little rougher, there were two in particular on 4 and 11 that were difficult,” surmised Zgola. “Today they weren’t as difficult, but we’re trying to think is this going to be a PGA thing, and will they make them more difficult on Sunday, but we’ll see.

“The pin placements are what makes Moon challenging, they need that. We’re looking forward to it.”

2024 Moon Open Flight A Leaderboard Gross

1. Brian Stewart 69

2. Jake Ferringer 72

3. David Michaels 73

4. Daniel Thomas 74

T5. Daniel Bennett 75

T5. Cameron Krotec 75

T5. Andy Moore 75

T5. Matt Nelson 75

Flight A Leaderboard Net

1. Jake Ferringer 70

2. Sean Cummings 71

3. Brian Fredericks 72

T4. Andy Moore 73

T4. Brian Stewart 73

Flight B Leaderboard Gross

1. Zachary Mikolics 78

T2. Noah Brandy 80

T2. James Gunkel 80

T2. John Pichi 80

T2. Domenic Scherer 80

Last year’s defending gross and net champion John Kim is five shots behind.

Flight B Leaderboard Net

T1. Noah Brandy 71

T1. James Gunkel 71

1. Zachary Mikolics 72

T4. John Pichi 73

T5. Domenic Scherer 73

Flight C Leaderboard Gross

1. Robert Soda 82

T2. Frank Presto 84

T2. Dean Prozzoly 84

T4. Dominick Bassegio 85

T4. Calvin Cygrymus 85

T4. Jeffrey Gilmore 85

Flight C Leaderboard Net

T1. Calvin Cygrymus 71

T1. Dean Prozzoly 71

1. Frank Presto 72

T4. Dominick Bassegio 73

T4. Jon Dushack 73

T4. Jeffrey Gilmore 73

T4. Tom Keaton 73

T4. Mark Trella 73

Flight D Leaderboard Gross

1. Matthew Trella 84

2. David McHugh 86

T3. Luis Cardiel 88

T3. Ron Swantek 88

1. Todd Fisher 89

Last year’s champion Luis Cardiel is four shots behind.

Flight D Leaderboard Net

1. Ian Ayers 66

2. Matthew Trella 68

3. David McHugh 71

T4. Todd Fisher 73

T4. Adam Strickland 73

Domenic Scherer (Flight B) won the longest putt contest on the 11th hole and Jake Farringer (Flight A) emerged victorious in the closest to the pin battle on the par-3 seventh hole.