IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Bob Denney December 21, 2009 561/624-8582 [email protected]

VIRGINIA’S RICK SCHULLER TOPS MONEY LIST; NORTH FLORIDA’S ROD PERRY WINS SCORING TITLE AS 33RD PGA TOURNAMENT SERIES CONCLUDES

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Rick Schuller of Chester, Va., and Rod Perry of Port Orange, Fla., were the top performers during the 33rd season of the PGA Tournament Series.

Schuller, PGA director of instruction at Swaders Sports Park in Prince George, Va., was the leading money winner with $8,181.50. He played in all six tournaments during December, a total of 11 rounds after rain washed out play the last day, Dec. 18.

Schuller’s late-season push helped clinch the PGA Professional Player of the Year award for 2009. Earlier in the year he won both the PGA Stroke Play and PGA Match Play championships and he was the Middle Atlantic PGA Player of the Year.

Perry, a PGA teaching professional at Daytona Beach (Fla.) Municipal Golf Club, had the lowest stroke average among the professionals who played at least half the rounds. He averaged 68.333 for six rounds, three tournaments.

Coincidentally, Schuller’s was the lowest money total to lead, and Perry’s stroke average was the best ever, since the Tournament Series began in 1977.

Schuller and Perry each scored one victory, the former on the Ryder Course at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla., and Perry, a left-hander, at Hammock Creek Golf Club in Palm City, Fla.

Other Tournament Series winners were Sonny Skinner, Sylvester, Ga., PGA GC, Wanamaker Course; Gary Rusnak, Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., PGA CC; John Scott Rattan, Montgomery Village, Md., PGA GC, Wanamaker Course; and Ed Kirby, Wakefield, R.I., PGA GC, Dye Course.

The top 10 in each statistical category:

Money Leaders: 1. Rick Schuller, Chester, Va., $8,181.50; 2. Sonny Skinner, Sylvester, Ga., $6,914.17; 3. Frank Bensel, Purchase, N.Y., $6,454.83; 4. Mike San Filippo, Hobe Sound, Fla., $6,345.83; 5. Gary Rusnak, Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., $6,030.22; 6. John Scott Rattan, Montgomery Village, Md., $5,759.33; 7. Rod Perry, Port Orange, Fla., $5,008; 8. Shannon Sykota, Davie, Fla., $4,051.66; 9. Brian Nosler, Vancouver, Wash., $3,629.25; 10. Ed Kirby, Wakefield, R.I., $3,600.

Stroke Average Leaders (min. of six rounds): 1. Rod Perry, 68.3333 (6 rounds); 2. Mike San Filippo, 68.8571 (7); 3. Mike Small, Champaign, Ill., 69.3333 (6); 4. Sonny Skinner, 69.444 (9); 5. Rick Schuller, 69.5455 (11); 6. Gary Rusnak, 69.7000 (10); 7. Frank Bensel, 69.7273 (11); 8. Brian Nosler, 70.3636 (11); 9. John Scott Rattan, 70.4444 (9); 10., Chris Borgen, Eagan, Minn. 70.7273 (11).

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