Overbrook GC’s Kania heads Mid-Am Qualifier

  MARLTON, N.J.–Art Kania, Jr. of Overbrook GC survived brutally, windy afternoon conditions to card a 4-over-par 75 at Links GC (par 71, 6,536 yards) and earn medalist honors in the first of two Golf Association of Philadelphia Middle-Amateur Championship Qualifiers.

  Kania heads a group of 39 players from the Links GC to qualify for the Middle-Amateur Championship set for May 25-26 at Spring Mill CC. The second and final Middle-Amateur Championship Qualifier is scheduled for May 3 at Cavaliers CC.

ART KANIA JR.
  Kania registered three birdies, three bogeys and two double bogeys to pace the Links GC sect (103 players attempted to qualify). Conditions became increasingly more difficult for the afternoon portion of the qualifying field as gusty conditions came into the Marlton area around mid-morning.

  "I thought the scores would be high because of the way the wind was blowing," said Kania, a resident of Haverford, Pa. "I knew 76 was the medalist from the morning so I figured I had a chance to beat it."

  Kania started his round on the back nine with a double bogey after a wayward drive found the left woods. Another bogey on No. 13 (par 5, 575 yards) pushed him to 3 over. It was a bogey that actually turned his day around. Kania lost a ball to the right but salvaged the hole with a 20-foot bogey putt. He remained at 3 over par through the turn.

  On the front side, Kania birdied No. 3 (par 4, 377 yards) after hitting a gap wedge to three feet, but followed up with a bogey on No. 4 (par 3, 198 yards) when finding the left-hand bunker and a double bogey on No. 5 (par 4, 375 yards).

  Kania birdied No. 7 (par 3, 135 yards), a 9-iron to 2 ½ feet, but bogeyed No. 8 (par 4, 360 yards) when he missed an up-and-down opportunity. The 49-year-old Kania then finished strong with a birdie on No. 9 (par 5, 515 yards), an L-wedge to 20 feet.

  "With the wind it went from a demanding placement course to a frightening event of survival," said Kania. "I hit a lot of 3-irons off the tee to keep the ball in play."

  Kania is hoping for his first Middle-Amateur Championship. He fell in a three-way playoff with Roc Irey of Cedarbrook CC to John Elder, Jr. of Little Mill CC in 1992.

  Carlos Ochoa of Little Mill CC and Peter Moran of Edgmont CC tied for second place with 76s.

  "The course is a good test of golf," said Ochoa, 42, of Marlton, N.J. "On the back side, the wind started to pick up. It was a club to club-and-a-half wind. And you can’t get too defensive out there because then the trees and white stakes start to jump up and get you."

  Last year, Michael McDermott of Merion GC became a two-time winner of the Mid-Am when he birdied the 18th hole at Gulph Mills GC to edge Chris Lange of Overbrook GC by a shot.

Qualifiers

Name, club

Score

Arthur Kania, Jr., Overbrook GC

36-39=75

Carlos Ochoa, Little Mill CC

40-36=76

Peter Moran, Edgmont CC

36-40=76

Doug Domeshek, Heidelberg CC

38-39=77

Lee Cook, Laurel Creek CC

38-39=77

Leonard Pearson, Philmont CC

36-41=77

Michael LaGrasso, Burlington CC

40-37=77

Sean Leonard, Tavistock CC

38-39=77

Frank Balcavage, Bellewood GC

37-41=78

Joseph Russo, Running Deer GC

41-37=78

Peter Mimmo, North Hills CC

41-37=78

Charles Jones, Philadelphia Publinks GA

37-42=79

Eric Meyer, Whitford CC

39-40=79

Frank Filippo, Makefield Highlands GC

39-40=79

John Quirk, Overbrook GC

36-43=79

Joseph Costanzo, Blue Bell CC

38-41=79

Mark Kosko, Seaview Marriott Resort & Spa

39-40=79

Rick Custer, Spring Ford CC

40-39=79

James Arsenault, Little Mill CC

34-46=80

Mark Battista, Philadelphia Publinks GA

39-41=80

Wayne Bartolacci, Jericho National GC

36-44=80

Bryan McClaskey, Merchantville CC

41-40=81

Dino Volpi, III, Plymouth CC

40-41=81

Francis Downey, North Hills CC

41-40=81

Fred Giblin, Merchantville CC

45-36=81

Jeff Huntzinger, North Hills CC

42-39=81

Larry Silk, Greate Bay GC

43-38=81

Mark Shuman, Philadelphia CC

39-42=81

Mark Walker, Laurel Creek CC

43-38=81

Michael Nilon, Philadelphia CC

38-43=81

Ted Harris, Makefield Highlands GC

44-37=81

Tony Lepre, Galloway National GC

39-42=81

Eric Buck, Coatesville CC

42-40=82

Eugene Gordon, Lookaway GC

40-42=82

Jay Howson, Jr., St. Davids GC

39-43=82

Jim Gavaghan, Torresdale-Frankford CC

40-42=82

Patrick Dougherty, Talamore at Oak Terrace CC

40-42=82

Phillip DiGiacinto, Ballamor GC

38-44=82

Bill Milner, Running Deer GC

40-42=82

 :

Alternates (in order)

Anthony Kondracki, Fox Hill CC

41-41=82

Graham Desmond, GC at Glen Mills

39-43=82

Edward Kelly, Jr., Lu Lu CC

41-42=83

Robert Lodovici, Little Mill CC

38-45=83

Daniel Doyle, Edgmont CC

42-41=83

Bill Murray, Merchantville CC

42-41=83

Mark Wachter, Philadelphia Publinks GA

44-39=83

David Hoegel, Little Mill CC

38-45=83

Steve Pence, Little Mill CC

39-44=83

Jason Barkley, Berkleigh CC

42-42=84

 :

Failed to qualify

Brian Powell, Burlington CC

40-44=84

Byron Whitman, Golden Oaks GC

41-43=84

David Levine, Greenacres CC

38-46=84

James White, Philadelphia Cricket Club

42-42=84

Larry Paster, Philmont CC

43-41=84

Michael Metz, Fox Hill CC

45-39=84

Shawn Knechtel, Whitemarsh Valley CC

37-47=84

Christopher DeSana, Philadelphia Publinks GA

39-46=85

Peter Barron III, Stone Harbor GC

44-41=85

Thomas Hyland, Little Mill CC

43-42=85

Tom Cohen, Running Deer GC

40-45=85

Tom Hogan, Little Mill CC

40-45=85

Brian Dobisch, Talamore at Oak Terrace CC

40-46=86

Gary Gordon, Talamore at Oak Terrace CC

41-45=86

Glenn McClaskey, Philadelphia Publinks GA

43-43=86

Gregg Angelillo, Moselem Springs GC

44-42=86

John Cobb, Tavistock CC

41-45=86

Jon Mabry, Moorestown Field Club

40-46=86

Scott Kalan, Radnor Valley CC

41-45=86

Geoffrey Cooper, Ballamor GC

47-40=87

Kenneth Ralston, Huntsville GC

47-40=87

Tom Coyne, Edgmont CC

43-44=87

Paul Stewart, Pine Hill GC

41-47=88

Robert Mairone, Ballamor GC

48-40=88

Robert Tredinnick, Commonwealth National GC

45-43=88

Shane Gunning, Silver Creek CC

41-47=88

Thomas DiCinti, Little Mill CC

47-41=88

Thomas McCabe, Manufacturers Golf & CC

47-41=88

Andrew Lombard, The Springhaven Club

44-45=89

D. Drew Siok, Tavistock CC

45-44=89

Paul Hamilton, Ashbourne CC

41-48=89

Ryan Ade, Philadelphia Cricket Club

41-48=89

Ed Bernasky, The Ridge at Back Brook

44-46=90

Gordon Jamieson, Merion GC

48-42=90

Joe Olin, Little Mill CC

43-47=90

John Ward, Ballamor GC

40-50=90

Dylan Spadt, Silver Creek CC

42-49=91

Erik Githens, Links GC

44-47=91

Michael Lewers, St. Davids GC

45-46=91

Michael Walsh, III, Aronimink GC

50-41=91

A. Kent Weymouth, Jr., Lu Lu CC

47-45=92

Craig Burton, Commonwealth National GC

45-47=92

Tim Sindorf, Burlington CC

44-48=92

Peter Totten, Yardley CC

47-46=93

Stephen Conway, Burlington CC

50-43=93

Andrew Dietz, Laurel Creek CC

50-45=95

Christopher Scott, Bucks County CC

47-48=95

Michael Frisella, Deerwood CC

44-52=96

Brad Jankowski, Links GC

52-49=101

Charles Kraatz, Talamore at Oak Terrace CC

WD

Craig Larsen, Aronimink GC

WD

Robert Powelson, Kennett Square Golf & CC

WD

Timothy Burns, CC of Scranton

NS

Richard Bass, Commonwealth National GC

DQ

 :

WD-withdrawal; NS-no show; DQ-disqualification

[ Back ]