The Golf Association of Philadelphia

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 18^th 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

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