Sean McCauley, Jr. tracks his tee shot on No. 17 (par 4, 390 yards).

Galloway’s McCauley tops BMW Philly Am. Qual. at Mercer Oaks

  WEST WINDSOR, N.J. — Sean McCauley, Jr. passed on a chance to watch best friend and groomsman Ben Bishop, goaltender for the Tampa Bay Lightning, compete in Game One of the NHL Eastern Conference Finals.

  The Lightning lost, 2-1. McCauley won. The Galloway National Golf Club member carded a 3-under-par 69 to earn medalist honors in a BMW Philadelphia Amateur Qualifier at Mercer Oaks Golf Course (par 72, 6,967 yards) Saturday.

  “It was kind of hard. I was actually thinking of canceling today and going [to Madison Square Garden],” McCauley, 28, of Frisco, Texas, said. “I saw him play in Tampa a week ago and said, ‘I need to do this for myself.’ I’m glad I played well and made it.”

  McCauley led a field of 79 players hoping to earn one of 18 qualifying spots and ties for the Championship proper. The cut line stopped at 75 by day’s end.

  The 115th BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship will take place June 16-18 & 20 at Llanerch Country Club and Rolling Green Golf Club (qualifying site only).

  McCauley, who works in the surety bond industry, hails from Texas but returns to the area frequently to visit family in Spring Lake, N.J. He gained membership at Galloway National a year ago in an effort to broaden his golf horizons.

  “I just love competition,” McCauley said. “There are great events in Texas, but I wanted to expand it to see what I could do at an amateur level golf-wise. This is my first full-year of scheduled tournaments. I’m trying to fill it up and see what I can do.”

  A lot, if Saturday is any indication.

  McCauley totaled 26 putts on Mercer Oaks’ East Course. He dropped a 15-footer for a back slope birdie on No. 3 (par 4, 340 yards) following a soft 60-degree wedge from 43 yards. A choked-down 50-degree wedge on No. 9 (par 4, 400 yards) set up a 10-footer for 3. McCauley’s lone bogey heading out occurred on No. 2 (par 5, 580 yards), where he attempted to gauge a 4-iron out of the left fairway bunker, only to clip its lip.

  That 50-degree wedge, though, proved trustworthy on No. 11 (par 4, 395 yards), where he knocked it 130 yards to eight feet for birdie. An upwind 6-iron on the next hole (par 3, 180 yards) spearheaded another bogey, but McCauley quickly rebounded. On the reachable 14th hole (par 4, 304 yards), he drove it onto the fringe and dropped a 15-footer for a 3. McCauley closed with an unconventional birdie on No. 18 (par 5, 575 yards). He aimed his driver right — a seemingly advantageous strategy. In an effort to reach the green in two strokes, McCauley hit driver off the deck and found a bunker 105 yards from the flagstick. Cue the 50-degree wedge; he stopped it at 20 feet and converted a left-to-right breaker.

  McCauley played golf for St. Monica Catholic High School — Jordan Spieth’s alma mater. He decided to pursue hockey post graduation and latched onto the Junior A level for three years. He then attended the University of Oklahoma.

  Frequent flyer miles will favor McCauley this summer. He travels to Texas Sunday night, only to return two days later to compete in the GAP Middle-Amateur Championship at St. Davids Golf Club.

  “I’m looking forward to it. It’s a great golf course,” McCauley said. “I feel like the shorter courses here, with the history, play so much different than Texas. I’m used to flat and so much wind and here it’s hilly and shorter but plays a lot longer.”

  The BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship is the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s premier event. Participants must first advance through a one day, 36-hole stroke play qualifier to gain one of 32 available match play positions. Those who qualify for match play must advance through four matches in two days to reach the Amateur Final, which is typically held on the Saturday of Father’s Day weekend. The winner receives the J. Wood Platt Trophy; its namesake holds a record-seven Amateur Championship titles.

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 151 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.