Commonwealth’s Cocco crisp in Am. Qual. at Torresdale-FrankfordNORTHEAST PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Grieving through golf made Matt Cocco the player he is today. He made the sport an emotional outlet after his father’s death during his junior year of high school. The Commonwealth National Golf Club member played and practiced daily and earned a golf scholarship to Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Ga. Cocco showed how far he’s come — in both life and golf — Monday; he carded a 1-over-par 71 to earn medalist honors in a Golf Association of Philadelphia Amateur Championship Qualifier at Torresdale-Frankford Country Club (par 70, 6,249 yards). Cocco led a field of 71 players vying for one of 21 qualifying positions and ties available for the Championship proper, set for June 9-11 & 14 at White Manor Country Club. At the end of the day, the cut line held at 79. “He [my dad] was one of my biggest influences in golf,” Cocco, 22, of Churchville, Pa, said. “After he passed away, I used the game to kind of get away from everything. I’d go out on my own and practice every day. It kind of snowballed after that. I started getting good quick.” Cocco demonstrated just how good his game is right now through a creative yet conservative strategy at Torresdale-Frankford. “I was really comfortable from the fairway hitting into the greens,” he said. “If you’re in the rough here, you’re going to start thinking about your approach shot because if you’re going to land it short and have it bounce up, some of the greens are pretty heavy back to front, so you really don’t want to go long.” Cocco’s outward tour included three circles (birdies) and four squares (bogeys). He hit a 7-iron 163 yards to five feet for birdie on No. 2 (par 4, 375 yards). However, a poor drive on the next hole (par 4, 394 yards) put Cocco behind a tree, prompted a punch-out and produced a bogey. He also bogeyed No. 4 (par 3, 171 yards) after missing the green with a 5-iron. Cocco patched those wounds with a birdie on No. 5 (par 4, 317 yards), where he whacked a wedge 110 yards to nine feet. On the par 4, 416-yard No. 7, however, Cocco landed his approach short of the green. He played his uphill pitch at a check, but it didn’t respond accordingly. He missed the downhill comebacker to save par. Cocco cited the next hole (par 4, 440 yards) as a key point in the round. Facing a bad lie on a downslope behind the green, Cocco played out sideways, only to see his golf ball cling to the right fringe. He rammed in a 30-footer for a wild 4. “That par on No. 8 kept me even-keeled for the back nine because that could have went south really quickly,” he said. “That definitely kept me in it.” On the par 4, 330-yard 12th hole, Cocco nearly holed a 9-iron from 138 yards for eagle. He converted a kick-in birdie to move to even. Cocco also carded a birdie on No. 16 (par 5, 560 yards) after knocking a gap wedge 115 yards to six feet. He missed a four-footer for 2 on No. 17 (par 3, 207 yards) following a smooth 5-iron. Mental frustration led to mistake on the next hole (par 4, 395 yards). Cocco drove it out-of-bounds and finished with a double bogey. Cocco, a senior at Armstrong Atlantic State, usually can’t participate in qualifiers for the GAP Amateur Championship because of school obligations. By advancing into the Championship proper Monday, he is on the competitive radar and hoping to break out this summer. “I’d like to consider myself one of the better players in the area, even though I really haven’t the résumé to show that,” Cocco said. “I’m really excited to prove myself and get people to notice me a little bit.” 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.
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A Walk Through Time
GAP is the oldest state or regional golf association in the country. It started courtesy of a friendly competition – the Team Matches – and has grown into the preeminent golf association in the country. Along the way, golf history has been made.
