Matthew Crescenzo eyes his approach on No. 18 (par 4, 401 yards).

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Philmont’s Crescenzo wins 57^th Tournament of Champions

  BLUE BELL, Pa. — Over the last three years, Matthew Crescenzo watched his Temple University brethren take the Golf Association of Philadelphia by storm. Fellow alum Andrew Mason won the Open Championship in 2011 and 2012. Junior Brandon Matthews followed suit last year en route to William Hyndman, III Player of the Year honors. Ditto for senior Matthew Teesdale in 2014.

  Crescenzo is no longer an Owl excellence observer. He secured his own piece of GAP hardware Friday, taking the 57th Tournament of Champions at a serene Cedarbrook Country Club (par 72, 6,867 yards). Crescenzo carded an even-par 72 to top the event’s Amateur Division.

  “It’s definitely nice to win one when I had a chance to. Watching those guys win all of the time is tough,” Crescenzo, 23, of Cheltenham, Pa., said. “It’d be nice to win one of the Majors, but I’ll take it. It’s awesome. It’s a good feeling.”

  Fitting that Crescenzo’s first title came at Cedarbrook; he carded a 6-under-par 66 to emerge as the 18-hole leader in the Patterson Cup a year ago at the venue. Crescenzo finished fifth, behind Matthews, the champion, and Teesdale, the runner-up.

  “I obviously like the golf course. I play well here,” Crescenzo said. “You have to work the ball both ways. Left-to-right is alright by me. Right-to-left is a little harder.”

  A bogey-free outward tour allowed Crescenzo to work his way to the top of the leaderboard. He lofted a 54-degree wedge 90 yards to six feet for a downhill 3 on No. 4 (par 4, 376 yards). That same wedge proved clutch on the par 4, 400-yard No. 8; Crescenzo knocked it 100 yards to 10 feet. His birdie snuck in the right edge. Crescenzo tamed Cedarbrook’s fairways and greens on the next five holes before trouble arose on the par 4, 443-yard 14th hole. Crescenzo snapped a drive into the water hazard and carded a bogey. His 8-iron on No. 16 (par 3, 148 yards) rolled down the false front, and Crescenzo went on to three-putt. The oil continued to leak on No. 17 (par 4, 400 yards). Crescenzo hit a 54-degree wedge 96 yards to 20 feet, ran the birdie try five feet past and missed the comebacker.

  The par 4, 401-yard 18th hole determined Crescenzo’s tournament fate. He hammered a drive into the left rough — 120 yards from a back right hole location. Standing on a mound with a friendly look at the flagstick, Crescenzo lifted a gap wedge to five feet and converted the birdie putt.

  “I’m happy that went in. It made 17 a bit easier to deal with,” he said.

  Post-college life is limiting Crescenzo’s time on the golf course. He works part-time in wealth management, with a full-time move expected in January.

  “It was nice to play in a tournament again and compete a little,” Crescenzo said. “It was a good summer for me. I gave myself good chances at winning in my last few events.”

Gary E. Daniels

Senior
  Applebrook Golf Club’s Gary E. Daniels and the Country Club of Scranton’s Michael Vassil filed even-par 72s to head the event’s Senior Division (par 72, 6,342 yards). Daniels seized victory as Vassil was unable to return for a sudden-death playoff.

  “It feels great,” Daniels, 60, of Berwyn, Pa., said. “I’ve been playing great this year. I drove the ball well today.”

  A birdie on No. 18 (par 4, 378 yards) put Daniels into a deadlock with Vassil, who played in the second group of the day. Daniels smacked a sand wedge 90 yards to 25 feet left of the hole. He holds 14 club championships at Applebrook (eight Amateur, six Senior). Daniels hopes to make it seven this weekend.

  Open to current Member Club amateur champions, senior amateur champions and previous winners, the Tournament of Champions began in 1962 in memory of Larry Malmed. The Golf Association of Philadelphia accepted the event in 1984 after Al Porter, the tournament’s coordinator, was forced to retire because of an illness. A Senior Division was added in 1992.

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 Philadelphia’s Most Trusted Source of Golf Information, the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.