VERONA, N.Y. — Rick Schuller has played in the PGA Professional Championship more than a dozen times dating back to the mid-1990s, so he knows many of the 312-player field that customarily compete in the biggest event offered for club and teaching professionals. This week, at the 49th PGA Professional Championship at Turning Stone Resort, he undoubtedly has passed a lot of them on the leaderboard, too.
Having settled into a tie for 131st place after the first round on Sunday, the 53-year-old Schuller, the head professional at Swaders Sports Park in Prince George, Va., has since climbed into the top 10 with one round left to play.