James Cataldo and Anthony Carra take Best Ball; Brady Heidemann and Will Efkeman win Scramble in playoff
Over the Sept. 7-8 weekend, two-player teams of adult amateurs competed in best ball and scramble formats on Talon and Raptor in pursuit of the 2024 PGA Team Golf Championship title.
James Cataldo and Anthony Carra fired 71-69 (-4) to capture the Overall Best Ball competition. After last year’s runner-up near miss in North Carolina, this pair from Massachusetts finally made the national stage.
“Chemistry between partners is the whole ball game,” said Cataldo. “When you can trust your partner to be there for you or to make a difficult shot, it makes you play better.”
On the scramble side – after two teams finished regulation tied at -15 – Brady Heidemann and Will Efkeman prevailed in a closest-to-the-pin tiebreaker, sticking it to 11’1” for the victory. They topped Nick Braydich and Aunders Erickson who managed to push the first playoff hole before coming up short in Grayhawk’s famous/infamous “Dry Heave,” which calls for a winner-take-all, white-knuckle wedge over water from Raptor’s 10th tee to the 18th green.
“The best part of this weekend was going out there and having fun with my best friend I grew up playing golf with,” said Heidemann, half of the Cincinnati-based team. “This is our second year in this tournament, and we had another fantastic venue in Grayhawk… We had a blast,” added teammate Efkeman.
Best Ball Overall Winners
James Cataldo and Anthony Carra
Scramble Overall Winners
Brady Heidemann and Will Efkeman
This PGA of America Championship actually kicked off Friday, Sept. 6, with an optional 18-hole gross Stableford event at Troon North Golf Club’s Monument Course, which was captured by Chad Redfearn.
One of the world’s largest sports organizations, the PGA of America is composed of more than 30,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals who love the game, are expert coaches, operators and business leaders, and work daily to drive interest, inclusion and participation in the sport.
