By Craig Dolch, Special to the PGA of America
PORT ST. LUCIE, Florida – When Domenico Geminiani of Italy gets hot, it seems like the rest of the field is playing for second place.
Even when he makes a major putting change.
Geminiani took control of the PGA Stroke Play Championship with a first-round 63 Feb. 9 and never let go. He closed with a 4-under 67 Tuesday on the Ryder Course to win by three shots at PGA Golf Club.
Geminiani went wire-to-wire to finish at 14-under 200, three ahead of Jared Jones of Houston, to earn the $6,000 first prize
“I played phenomenal the first day, one of the better rounds I’ve had in a while,” said Geminiani, a PGA Assistant Professional at Old Corkscrew Golf Club near Naples. “And I had a lot of putts lip out. It was crazy.”
Geminiani maintained his two-shot lead Monday with a 70 on the tougher Wanamaker Course. He bogeyed his first hole Tuesday, before he started dealing with more lip outs.
“I had four lip outs for birdies on the next five holes,” Geminiani said. “Jared asked me, ‘What did you do last night’ (to deserve that bad luck)? It would have been easy to get frustrated, but I started making some putts on the back nine.”
Geminiani had been putting with great success the last year with the flag in, but decided to take the flag out two weeks ago after he struggled on the greens. Wise move.
“I wasn’t holing much, and I was feeling tentative, so I pulled the flag back out,” he said. “Who knows, in a couple months, maybe I’ll put it back in.”
Jones (68) twice got within a shot of Geminiani on Tuesday. The last time, Geminiani then matched Jones’ birdie on the 14th hole to keep a multiple-shot lead the rest of the day.
“He played great and made some great putts at the end,” said Jones, the PGA Director of Instruction at River Oaks Country Club. “It was fun to keep him on his toes.”
Also at stake Tuesday were the final two spots in the PGA Professional Championship, the PGA Professional’s premier event, held at PGA Golf Club on April 27-30. They went to Andre Chi of Flushing, N.Y., with a sparkling, bogey-free 64, capped with a 60-foot birdie on the 18th; and Jon Mayer of Greenville, S.C., to finish tied for third at 10-under 204.
“I wasn’t eligible to qualify in my Section because I didn’t have my Class A (until after the Section Championship), so I knew this was my last chance,” said Chi, a 24-year-old Assistant PGA Professional at Deepdale Golf Club. “I’m glad I was able to get it done. I wanted to get to 10 (-under). Making that long putt at the end was a bonus.”
Mayer shot 68 to achieve his goal for the week – qualifying for the PPC.
“That was my only goal after missing it at Section,” Mayer said. “I just wanted to grind, get better and be one of those guys who gets those PPC spots.”
Andy Svoboda (70-206) was fifth and defending champion Dylan Newman (69-207) tied for sixth with Greg Koch (67-207) of Orlando and Evan Bowser (69-207) of Naples.
The PGA Winter Championships, presented by GolfPass and On Location, will conclude with the Women’s Stroke Play Championship Sunday-Tuesday.
For more information about the 2025 PGA Winter Championships, visit the event website.
