* History
* Event Photos
O'Rourke takes Warner Cup (Net)
HELLERTOWN, Pa. – John O’Rourke, a 23 handicap from McCall Golf & Country Club, logged a net 7-under-par 65 to win the Francis B. Warner Cup (Net) Tuesday at Silver Creek CC (par 72, 6,067 yards) by a stroke.
O’Rourke, 58, assessed two keys to his success on a cool and rainy day.
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| John O'Rourke |
“Recovery shots and I only had 29 putts today,” he said.
Prior to competing in the Warner Cup, O’Rourke, of Cherry Hill, N.J., paid a 5 a.m. visit to his home course.
“I played 15.5 holes to warm-up,” he said. “I would’ve played 18, but I was a little nervous about the ride, so I skipped two holes and hit a tee ball on the one hole. It gets me swinging. The guys that know me know that’s what I do.”
At first, O’Rourke, a GAP volunteer, didn’t feel that his early morning preparation paid off. He triple-bogeyed No. 1 (par 4, 333 yards).
“I absolutely flogged the first hole. I triple bogeyed,” he said. “After that, I calmed down a little bit. Things got better.”
Although he didn’t fire any net birdies, O’Rourke made five pars, including crucial saves on Nos. 8 (par 3, 148 yards) and 16 (par 3, 140 yards). On No. 8, he hit 6-iron off the tee and landed in the left bunker. O’Rourke then chipped out to about three-feet and made the following putt.
On No. 16, O’Rourke again found himself in the bunker after using an 8-iron off the tee. He chipped it up to about three-feet and made par.
“Those felt pretty good,” O’Rourke said off his bunker saves.
O’Rourke closed out his round by making net par on No. 18 (par 4, 364 yards). He hit driver off the tee, and at 138 yards from the pin, O’Rourke hit a 7-iron over 20 yards. He then hit 9-iron left over the green, but O’Rourke chipped it in for par.
“It was a great way to end the day,” he said.
Steady winds and intermittent rain didn’t affect O’Rourke’s play, but it did hamper his attire.
“The only thing is I like to play in short sleeves, so I started out in them,” he said. “When it started to rain, I put the windbreaker on. I took it off going into No. 10, and it was cold, and even though it wasn’t raining at that time, I had to put it back on again.”
Open to senior male golfers 55 years of age and over, the Warner Cup (Net) is an 18-hole individual net stroke-play event for players with a 7.1 or higher handicap index. Four overall low net prizes are awarded with net prizes in each of three handicap classes determined by course handicap.
Results: Overall Net Winners
1st: John O'Rourke
2nd: Raymond Lyons
T-3rd: Joseph McClane, Dan Gansz
1st Flight: Francis Sbandi
2nd Flight: Clinton Alexander
3rd Flight: Harold Matthews
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1st Flight (7-13 handicap)
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Name
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Club
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Net
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Francis Sbandi, Esq.
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Edgmont Country Club
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70
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Joseph McLane
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JC Melrose Country Club
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70
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Bob Abramski
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Talamore Country Club
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71
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Don Neill
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Lu Lu Country Club
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71
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Vincent Kraft, Jr.
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Lehigh Country Club
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71
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Bill Smith
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Sandy Run Country Club
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72
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Kevin Merlini
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Sandy Run Country Club
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72
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Jerry Barr
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Lehigh Country Club
|
73
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Joseph DeAngelis
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Jericho National Golf Club
|
73
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Steve Rathman
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Heidelberg Country Club
|
73
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Jay Kocher
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Wilmington Country Club
|
74
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Bill Smith
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Downingtown Golf Club
|
75
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R. Lamar Kilgore
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Stonewall
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75
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Thomas Brennan, Sr.
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Blue Bell Country Club
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75
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Todd Kennedy
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Five Ponds Golf Club
|
75
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Bruce Godick
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Rolling Green Golf Club
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77
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Lawrence Dolan
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Sandy Run Country Club
|
77
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James Wiley
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Lu Lu Country Club
|
78
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Rick Ames
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Philadelphia Publinks GA
|
78
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Ronald Hooven
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Talamore Country Club
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78
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William Greenway
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Sandy Run Country Club
|
78
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Donald Galbraith
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Stonewall
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79
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Joe Wolos
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JC Melrose Country Club
|
79
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Kenneth Prince
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DuPont Country Club
|
79
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Stanley Engle
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Philadelphia Country Club
|
79
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Thomas Kanyok
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Makefield Highlands Golf Club
|
80
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Robert Agran
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Wyncote Golf Club
|
83
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David Steele
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Lancaster Country Club
|
86
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Terry Radcliffe
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Lancaster Country Club
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WD
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2nd Flight (14-16 handicap)
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Name
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Club
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Net
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Clinton Alexander
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Downingtown Golf Club
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70
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Dan Gansz
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Sandy Run Country Club
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70
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Henry Kerth
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DuPont Country Club
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71
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Morris Rorer
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DuPont Country Club
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71
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Rick Coroniti
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Spring Ford Country Club
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71
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Robert Jenkins
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Spring Ford Country Club
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73
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Carmen Giannascoli
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Lehigh Country Club
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77
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Dale Smith
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Lehigh Country Club
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77
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Ed Rogers
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Concord Country Club
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77
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Mark Sokoloff
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Lu Lu Country Club
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77
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Mike Kyle
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Bala Golf Club
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77
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Stel Apsokardu
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Galen Hall Golf Club
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77
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Aaron Rosenzweig
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Five Ponds Golf Club
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79
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Francis Melvin
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Lu Lu Country Club
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79
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Joseph Funk
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The Bucks Club
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79
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Carmen Caruso
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Spring Ford Country Club
|
80
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Jay Scattergood
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Heidelberg Country Club
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80
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Robert Girvin
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Schuylkill Country Club
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80
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George Hilley
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McCall Golf & Country Club
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84
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Edward Godshall
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Heidelberg Country Club
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85
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John DeCarlo, M.D.
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Torresdale-Frankford Country Club
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DQ
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Kyran Connelly
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Makefield Highlands Golf Club
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WD
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3rd Flight (17-29 handicap)
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Name
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Club
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Net
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John O'Rourke
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McCall Golf & Country Club
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65
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Raymond Lyons
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Trenton Country Club
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66
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Harold Mathews
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Bala Golf Club
|
70
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Glenn Camp
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The Springhaven Club
|
71
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Gus Pedicone
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Sandy Run Country Club
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71
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Robert Murray
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McCall Golf & Country Club
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72
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Thomas Lee
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Sandy Run Country Club
|
75
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Edwin Boyd
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Downingtown Golf Club
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76
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James Baumbach
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Lu Lu Country Club
|
76
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Paul Visokey
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Trenton Country Club
|
76
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Robert Murphy
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Whitemarsh Valley Country Club
|
76
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George Harding
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DuPont Country Club
|
78
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James Leonard
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Chester Valley Golf Club
|
78
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John Bagger
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DuPont Country Club
|
80
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Tom Glynn
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Whitemarsh Valley Country Club
|
80
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James Katz
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Five Ponds Golf Club
|
81
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E. Gerald Hurst, Jr.
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Lookaway Golf Club
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84
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Alan Kovnot
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Yardley Country Club
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WD
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Jim Sheppard
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Makefield Highlands Golf Club
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WD
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John Connelly
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Sandy Run Country Club
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WD
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Joseph Hannigan
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Sandy Run Country Club
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WD
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WD - withdrawal; DQ - disqualification
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