Mabee, Berliner earn berths in NENYPGA Professional Championship

CLIFTON PARK — All the members of the Northeastern New York PGA needed was $240 for the entry fee and a dream of playing in a major golf championship.

Chris Sanger of Woodstock proved last year that dreams can come true when he advanced out of the local section and subsequently made it to this year’s PGA Championship at Oak Hill in Rochester. Now two, and possibly three, others will pursue a similar path next spring.

Eric Mabee, head pro at Pittsfield (Mass.), and Scott Berliner, teaching pro at Glens Falls, earned the two berths Tuesday at Eagle Crest in the NENYPGA Professional Championship, which serves as a qualifier for the 2024 PGA Professional Championship. The tournament, known in golf circles as the National Club Pro, will be played April 28-May 1 in Frisco, Texas, a suburb of Dallas.

The top 20 in the 312-player field at Frisco will earn berths into the 2024 PGA Championship.

Mabee rolled in a short birdie putt on the final hole to beat Berliner, a six-time champion, to capture the first-place check of $2,665. He finished 36 holes at Eagle Crest in 141, 3 under par.

“Winning’s one thing,” Mabee said, “but I just want to get to Dallas.”

Because he finished in the top 20 of the 2023 National Club Pro, Sanger didn’t need to qualify, choosing instead to play Tuesday in the 108th Metropolitan Open in Paramus, N.J. That gives the NENYPGA three representatives, with a strong chance of a fourth. Kyle Kressler, head pro and owner at Cedar View in Massena, was alone in third and holds the first alternate’s position.

“We usually end up on top of the alternate list, so I'm not too worried about that,” said Kressler, who was in the final group with Mabee and Berliner.

“We always know that top three usually get in. This is the most fun I've had in at least 10 years,...