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Phil Villari, Jr. (swinging), David Gall, Kevin Kramarski and Ben Litt won the Four-Man Team. |
Riverton quartet rallies to win Four-Man Team at Hersheyâs Mill
WEST CHESTER, Pa. â âLook good, play goodâ. That was the winning Four-Man Team motto for Riverton Country Clubâs David Gall, Kevin Kramarski, Ben Litt and Phil Villari, Jr. on Thursday at Hersheyâs Mill Golf Club (par 71, 6,316 yards).
| Scorecards | History |
Decked out in uniforms of white golf polos and belts combined with black shorts and socks, the Riverton quartet completed a late-round surge, propelled by five straight Kramarski birdies on the back nine, to finish with a 10-under-total of 132 in a two-best balls of four, stroke-play format.
Their winning score matched that of the group playing directly in front of them, which included a trio of Temple University golfers (Lu Lu Country Clubâs Mark Farley, RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserveâs Gary McCabe, Jr., and The ACE Clubâs Erik Reisner) and a last-minute addition (RiverCrestâs Duane Pinnock). The winning foursome took home the hardware thanks to a match of cards. Gall, Litt, Kramarski and Villari Jr., fired a gross back-nine score of 64 compared to the runner-up groupâs 67.
On the front, the uniformed winners jarred six birdies, but ultimately gave two back on the par-3, 193-yard 3rd hole. They made the turn at 4 under, but knew they had to turn their games up heading to the concluding nine.
âWe knew we had to start off the back strong,â said Villari, Jr., 26, of Cinnaminson, N.J. âI rolled in a 20 footer for birdie on No. 10 (par 4, 390 yards) to start us off strong. We kept an eye on the guys in front of us, because we knew they were also playing strong, so we knew we had to finish well.â
On No. 12 (par 5, 512 yards), Kramarski pumped his tee shot out of bounds and picked up his ball -- something he wouldnât even have to think about doing for the remainder of the round â and moved on. At the time he didnât know it, but Kramarski was about to help his team finish on the top of the leaderboard.
It began on the 13th (par 4, 356 yards), where Kramarski ended with a birdie tap-in after he stuck a wedge to within a foot of the cup. He wasnât done there. A 20-footer fell on No. 14 (par 3, 180 yards) for another birdie. A red figure for Kramarski again arrived on No. 15 (par 4, 362 yards) after a 75-yard wedge was placed to seven feet. Then a 12-foot birdie fell on No. 16 (par 4, 350 yards). Kramarski finished the jaw-dropping stretch of birdies with a 25-foot bomb on No. 17 (par 4, 413 yards). He finished the day with a gross total of five-under 66 and nine birdies â a personal record.
âAt one point during that run, I was literally just trying to get it around the hole. It was incredible â everything was just falling,â said Kramarski, who will be transferring out of Iona College where he picked up Rookie of the Year honors and the individual MAAC crown in 2015.
âIt was unbelievable to watch. He was just on fire,â said Gall, 19, of Cinnaminson, N.J.
Besides Kramarski, all three of the other team members finished with rounds in the low 70s. Even on the holes where someone was struggling, two players were there to steady the ship. They attribute that stand-out teamwork to building chemistry together while growing up in Rivertonâs strong junior golf program.
And their matching uniforms.
âWe figured black and white, we couldnât really mess up. Youâd think itâd be easy to get that combo together. But it wasnât. It was a three-day process,â said Gall.
âOne guy said he didnât have socks, one guy said he grew out of his black shorts,â said Kramarski, 19, of Palmyra, N.J. âThen [David] spilled Wawa all over his white shirt. Maybe that ended up being the magic touch.â
The quartet came together via a friendly group text. A message went out a while back from David, asking what everyone was doing on June 23.
âWe all said, âNothing,â Then [David] said to us, âThen weâre playing in the Four-Man Team at Hersheyâs Mill. Letâs do this.â We were all in,â said Villari, Jr.
All four of the players pair up regularly at Riverton. They know each otherâs style and game, so âit made just made senseâ. However, they arenât accustomed to playing with each other. Itâs usually versus one another.
âWeâre never not competing against each other. Weâre always playing little matches when weâre out there,â said Kramarski.
While those inter-club competitions wonât be going away anytime soon, todayâs title â and outfit choice â might be an indication that their team is headed for more GAP success in the future.
Golf Association of Philadelphia
Founded in 1897, the Golf Association of Philadelphia (GAP) is the oldest regional golf association in the United States and serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. Its 150 Member Clubs and 57,000 individual members are spread across parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. As Philadelphiaâs Most Trusted Source of Golf Information, the Golf Association of Philadelphiaâs mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.
Gross
|
Name,
club
|
Score
|
*David
Gall, Ben Litt, Kevin Kramarski
& Phillip Villari, Jr., Riverton Country Club
|
132
|
Mark
Farley, Lu Lu Country Club; Erik Reisner, The ACE Club; Duane Pinnock & Gary McCabe,
Jr., RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve
|
132
|
Larry
Benedetto, Doug Fedoryshyn, Joseph Jachetti & Cabot Williams, Concord Country Club
|
134
|
James
Chojnacki, Eric Galm,
Kevin Olson & Jim Shaw, Valleybrook Country
Club
|
135
|
Matt
Sembrot, Makefield
Highlands Golf Club; James Dorlando, Dave Marshall
& Rich Pearson, Trenton Country Club
|
137
|
Rob
Campitelli, Ed Kocher, Jim McCarthy & Nick
Ribeiro, LedgeRock Golf Club
|
137
|
Michael
Manci, Huntsville Golf Club; David Maddock, Michael Kerzetski
& Frank Petrillo, Glen Oak Country Club
|
138
|
Alex
Cecco, Kevin Conners,
Jr., Nicky Marrollo & Steve Marshalek,
Whitford Country Club
|
140
|
Thomas
Alestock, Running Deer Golf Club; John Willadsen, Sakima Country Club;
Alan Lazzarino & Robert Walters, DuPont Country
Club
|
141
|
Chris
Lilley, Yardley Country Club; Matt Kothe, Duane
Walker & Timothy Whartenby, Northampton Valley
Country Club
|
142
|
Gary
Baum, Carl Everett, Robert Harrington & J. Kirk Luntey,
Merion Golf Club
|
143
|
Joe
Dellicarpini, Philadelphia Cricket Club; David
West, Applecross Country Club; Matt Dietrich & John Marshalek,
Whitford Country Club
|
143
|
Chris
George, David Norcini, Francis Robinson & Jon Sobocinski, Hershey's Mill Golf Club
|
146
|
Paul
Baker, Huntingdon Valley Country Club; Tom Privette,
White Manor Country Club; John Rowe, Whitemarsh
Valley Country Club & Bruce Schneider, Whitford
Country Club
|
147
|
Gerald
Eckert, Barry Emich, William Reuter & Ronald Yarnell,
Bent Creek Country Club
|
147
|
David
Bogdan, The Springhaven Club; Kevin Maguire, Trump
National Golf Club - Philadelphia; Michael Salek,
Hershey's Mill Golf Club & Todd von Vital, Jericho National Golf Club
|
147
|
Christopher
Clauson, Lu Lu Country Club; Bruce Gladish, Wayne Morra &
Carlton Tolbert, Sandy Run Country Club
|
148
|
Ronald
Cusick, Sr., David Goldberg, Anthony Maglio, Jr.
& Oren Thomas, IV, Tavistock Country Club
|
150
|
Mike
Barton, Theodore Beringer, J. Peter Pierce &
Joseph Virdone, Philadelphia Country Club
|
151
|
David
Justin, David Myers, Thomas Schaible & Mike
Schuster, Chester Valley Golf Club
|
152
|
Richard
Coppola, Edward Ellis, Kenneth Silverwood & Joseph Vernace,
Chester Valley Golf Club
|
153
|
Dave
Bennett, Raven's Claw Golf Club; Robert Link, Kevin Merlini,
Sr. & Jamie Munro, North Hills Country Club
|
153
|
Rick
Marts, Mark McDermott, Peter Torras & Joseph Viscuso, Kennett Square Golf & Country Club
|
154
|
Joseph
Morrissey, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club; Eric Holt, Michael Holt
& Thomas Holt, Union League Golf Club at Torresdale
|
155
|
Robert
Dommel, Scott Gaul, Christopher Hey & Mike Macsisak, Brookside Country Club
|
156
|
Ed
Ciel, Anthony Dent, Thomas Gramlich
& Bill Watts, Medford Lakes Country Club
|
156
|
Jonathan
Chapnick, Craig Garretson, Ross Garretson &
Jerry Whitman, Commonwealth National Golf Club
|
157
|
Jim
Comstock, Karl Grentz, Jr., Roger Karr & Patrick
Owens, Hershey's Mill Golf Club
|
160
|
Sam
Belak, William Brooks, Mohamed Latib
& Larry Schmidt, Lu Lu Country Club
|
160
|
Jose
Bernardino, Dave Bresnahan, Thomas Hagner & William Schmidt, Riverton Country Club
|
163
|
Don
Hadley, Matt Hadley, Dave Morris & Richard Newstein,
Reading Country Club
|
164
|
Wayne
Diluigi, Jay McMenamin,
Tom Paul & Fred Spratt, Running Deer Golf Club
|
165
|
Donald
Fagnan, Michael Kyle, Hal Morris & David Spirt,
Talamore Country Club
|
166
|
Jack
Impriano, Jr., Applebrook
Golf Club; Butch Pizio, Hershey's Mill Golf Club; Bradley Impriano & Jack Impriano,
Penn Oaks Golf Club
|
169
|
|
Net
|
Name,
club
|
Score
|
Rob
Campitelli, Ed Kocher, Jim McCarthy & Nick
Ribeiro, LedgeRock Golf Club
|
114
|
Matt
Sembrot, Makefield Highlands
Golf Club; James Dorlando, Dave Marshall & Rich
Pearson, Trenton Country Club
|
122
|
Michael
Manci, Huntsville Golf Club; David Maddock, Michael Kerzetski
& Frank Petrillo, Glen Oak Country Club
|
125
|
Dave
Bennett, Raven's Claw Golf Club; Robert Link, Kevin Merlini,
Sr. & Jamie Munro, North Hills Country Club
|
125
|
Chris
George, David Norcini, Francis Robinson & Jon Sobocinski, Hershey's Mill Golf Club
|
126
|
Larry
Benedetto, Doug Fedoryshyn, Joseph Jachetti & Cabot Williams, Concord Country Club
|
127
|
Jim
Comstock, Karl Grentz, Jr., Roger Karr &
Patrick Owens, Hershey's Mill Golf Club
|
127
|
James
Chojnacki, Eric Galm,
Kevin Olson & Jim Shaw, Valleybrook Country
Club
|
128
|
Chris
Lilley, Yardley Country Club; Matt Kothe, Duane
Walker & Timothy Whartenby, Northampton Valley
Country Club
|
128
|
Ronald
Cusick, Sr., David Goldberg, Anthony Maglio, Jr.
& Oren Thomas, IV, Tavistock Country Club
|
130
|
David
Justin, David Myers, Thomas Schaible & Mike
Schuster, Chester Valley Golf Club
|
130
|
Mark
Farley, Lu Lu Country Club; Erik Reisner, The ACE Club; Duane Pinnock & Gary McCabe,
Jr., RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve
|
131
|
David
Gall, Ben Litt, Kevin Kramarski
& Phillip Villari, Jr., Riverton Country Club
|
132
|
Paul
Baker, Huntingdon Valley Country Club; Tom Privette,
White Manor Country Club; John Rowe, Whitemarsh
Valley Country Club & Bruce Schneider, Whitford
Country Club
|
132
|
David
Bogdan, The Springhaven Club; Kevin Maguire, Trump
National Golf Club - Philadelphia; Michael Salek,
Hershey's Mill Golf Club & Todd von Vital, Jericho National Golf Club
|
132
|
Ed
Ciel, Anthony Dent, Thomas Gramlich
& Bill Watts, Medford Lakes Country Club
|
132
|
Jose
Bernardino, Dave Bresnahan, Thomas Hagner & William Schmidt, Riverton Country Club
|
132
|
Alex
Cecco, Kevin Conners, Jr.,
Nicky Marrollo & Steve Marshalek,
Whitford Country Club
|
133
|
Gerald
Eckert, Barry Emich, William Reuter & Ronald Yarnell,
Bent Creek Country Club
|
133
|
Christopher
Clauson, Lu Lu Country Club; Bruce Gladish, Wayne Morra &
Carlton Tolbert, Sandy Run Country Club
|
133
|
Jack
Impriano, Jr., Applebrook
Golf Club; Butch Pizio, Hershey's Mill Golf Club; Bradley Impriano & Jack Impriano,
Penn Oaks Golf Club
|
133
|
Thomas
Alestock, Running Deer Golf Club; John Willadsen, Sakima Country Club;
Alan Lazzarino & Robert Walters, DuPont Country
Club
|
134
|
Joe
Dellicarpini, Philadelphia Cricket Club; David
West, Applecross Country Club; Matt Dietrich & John Marshalek,
Whitford Country Club
|
134
|
Rick
Marts, Mark McDermott, Peter Torras & Joseph Viscuso, Kennett Square Golf & Country Club
|
135
|
Jonathan
Chapnick, Craig Garretson, Ross Garretson &
Jerry Whitman, Commonwealth National Golf Club
|
135
|
Gary
Baum, Carl Everett, Robert Harrington & J. Kirk Luntey,
Merion Golf Club
|
136
|
Donald
Fagnan, Michael Kyle, Hal Morris & David Spirt,
Talamore Country Club
|
136
|
Mike
Barton, Theodore Beringer, J. Peter Pierce &
Joseph Virdone, Philadelphia Country Club
|
137
|
Sam
Belak, William Brooks, Mohamed Latib
& Larry Schmidt, Lu Lu Country Club
|
137
|
Joseph
Morrissey, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club; Eric Holt, Michael Holt
& Thomas Holt, Union League Golf Club at Torresdale
|
138
|
Robert
Dommel, Scott Gaul, Christopher Hey & Mike Macsisak, Brookside Country Club
|
138
|
Richard
Coppola, Edward Ellis, Kenneth Silverwood & Joseph Vernace,
Chester Valley Golf Club
|
140
|
Wayne
Diluigi, Jay McMenamin,
Tom Paul & Fred Spratt, Running Deer Golf Club
|
141
|
Don
Hadley, Matt Hadley, Dave Morris & Richard Newstein,
Reading Country Club
|
144
|
|
*-determined in playoff
|
|