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Talamore Country Club âs Michael Fireman tees off No. 12 (par 3, 197 yards). |
Talamoreâs Fireman blazes Mid.-Am. Qualifier on home course
AMBLER, Pa. â Medalist honors followed by a pleasant dinner among family. Michael Fireman certainly celebrated his 51st birthday in style Thursday.
| Scorecards |
Photo gallery |
Playing on his home course of 20-plus years, Fireman carded a 2-under-par 69 to top a Golf Association of Philadelphia Middle-Amateur Championship Qualifier presented by Callaway Golf at Talamore Country Club (par 71, 6,162 yards). He led a field of 99 players hoping to earn one of 21 qualifying spots and ties for the Championship proper, set for May 23-24 at Llanerch Country Club.
The cut line stopped at 78 by dayâs end.
âWhen I woke up, my son Nathan asked me, âWhat do you want for your birthday?â I said, âThree birdies,ââ Fireman, of Ambler, Pa., said. âThat was my wish. Three birdies are good because I know there are a lot of double bogeys out here. I didnât make any of those.â
No double bogeys, and not three but five birdies on the day for Fireman. His pitching wedge set-up conversions of six and 12 feet, respectively, on Nos. 2 (par 4, 344 yards) and 5 (par 5, 541 yards). Fireman fired back-to-back birdies on Nos. 9 (par 4, 301 yards) and 10 (par 4, 382 yards). His âbest shot of the dayâ â a gap wedge from 80 yards â led to a three-footer on the first. On No. 10, he hit an 8-iron 140 yards to the back edge of the green and drained a 15-footer. Following a solid drive on the par 4, 307-yard 17th hole, Fireman bunted a gap wedge 80 yards to seven feet for his fifth birthday birdie.
Only three bogeys diluted Firemanâs scorecard Thursday. Deem an awkward stance in the left fairway bunker on No. 1 (par 4, 403 yards) as the culprit there. Fireman spun a pitching wedge off the No. 6 (par 4, 366 yards) green and missed a four-footer for par. He flew the 14th green (par 3, 157 yards) with a 5-iron and failed to get up-and-down.
Familiarity with his surroundings allowed Fireman, a five-time (2002, 2012-14, 2017) menâs champion at Talamore, to avoid major catastrophe.
âHome course knowledge is a big advantage here. I know where to miss it, and I miss it a lot,â he said.
With it being his birthday, one may assume that good vibes flowed from the beginning. That wasnât the case, but fortunately for Fireman, home course knowledge came to the rescue.
âIâve hit it awful the last two days. I was chunking it on the driving range this morning,â Fireman said. âI woke up all wrong. But I know that a bad warm-up can sometimes be a really good round. Iâve had that experience here before, so I wasnât worried about it. I was frustrated and I wasnât feeling it, but I found a couple of things and hit it well.â
Firemanâs only played in less than a handful of Middle-Amateur Championships. A performance of note came in 1998, when he tied for third at Talamore.
Itâs a clean slate come Llanerch.
âIâve never played Llanerch. I have no expectations,â Fireman, who is self-employed in the paper recycling business, said.
The next Middle-Amateur Championship Qualifier presented by Callaway Golf will take place Tuesday, May 1 at Moselem Springs Golf Club.
The Golf Association of Philadelphiaâs Middle-Amateur Championship started in 1984, three years after the USGA created the U.S. Mid-Amateur as a formal championship for post-college amateurs. The Association followed suit with the USGA in creating a Mid-Am, but initially differed in its administration of the tournament in a couple of respects.
The most obvious difference was the age requirement. Prior to 2001, the GAP Middle-Amateur was for players 30 years of age and older.
The Associationâs Executive Committee reviewed and revised that age requirement in 2001 to match the USGA's guidelines of 25 years of age or older for eligible players. Also at that point, the Committee changed the format of the event to a two-day stroke play tournament (instead of a one-day medal play event) with a cut to the low 70 players and ties after the first round. The field begins with 132 players.
Callaway Golf
Callaway Golf was founded in 1982 by the late Ely Callaway, a visionary entrepreneur who operated under a simple but profound business promise: Deliver Demonstrably Superior, Pleasingly Different products and services. That philosophy turned what was originally a boutique manufacturer of high-quality wedges and putters into the world's largest maker of premium, performance golf products. The Callaway mission and vision has remained the same; we passionately pursue advanced, innovative technologies that help golfers of all abilities find more enjoyment from the game. Under the Callaway and Odyssey brands, Callaway manufactures and sells golf clubs and golf balls, and sells golf apparel, footwear and accessories in more than 110 countries worldwide.
Golf Association of Philadelphia
Founded in 1897, the Golf Association of Philadelphia (GAP) is the oldest regional or state golf association in the United States. It serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. The Associationâs 200 Full Member Clubs and 70,000 individual members are spread across Eastern Pennsylvania and parts of New Jersey and Delaware. As Philadelphiaâs Most Trusted Source of Golf Information, the Golf Association of Philadelphiaâs mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.
Qualifiers
|
Name,
club
|
Score
|
Michael
Fireman, Talamore Country Club
|
69
|
Mike
Korcuba, Medford Village Country Club
|
71
|
Brian
Davis, DuPont Country Club
|
73
|
Philip
Mortell, III, Honeybrook
Golf Club
|
73
|
Ashley
Brasfield, Rolling Green Golf Club
|
75
|
Mark
Czerniakowski, Lu Lu
Country Club
|
75
|
Scott
Ehrlich, White Manor Country Club
|
75
|
Ari
Flaisher, McCall Golf & Country Club
|
75
|
Keith
Matt, Talamore Country Club
|
75
|
Tom
Grady, Radley Run Country Club
|
76
|
Will
Holt, Kennett Square Golf & Country Club
|
76
|
Daniel
Pinciotti, Jr., Huntingdon Valley Country Club
|
76
|
Chris
Wagner, Bluestone Country Club
|
76
|
P.
Chet Walsh, Philadelphia Country Club
|
76
|
Gregory
Buliga, Yardley Country Club
|
77
|
Daniel
Charen, Makefield
Highlands Golf Club
|
77
|
Jason
Kowalski, Downingtown Country Club
|
77
|
John
Murphy, II, Stone Harbor Golf Club
|
77
|
John
Samaha, Old York Road Country Club
|
77
|
Luis
Diaz, Rancocas Golf Club
|
78
|
Alex
Hargaden, Woodcrest Country Club
|
78
|
Edward
Kelly, Jr., Old York Road Country Club
|
78
|
Daniel
Rexon, Tavistock Country
Club
|
78
|
Daniel
Wu, Blue Bell Country Club
|
78
|
|
Failed
to qualify
|
Gregory
DaPron, Hartefeld
National
|
79
|
Joseph
Dulka, Bellewood Country
Club
|
79
|
Carlo
Fitti, Llanerch Country
Club
|
79
|
Kevin
Koch, Spring Ford Country Club
|
79
|
Nicholas
Anderson, White Manor Country Club
|
80
|
Kyle
Ginty, Talamore Country
Club
|
80
|
Patrick
Knott, Merion Golf Club
|
81
|
Steve
Lubin, Makefield
Highlands Golf Club
|
81
|
Johan
van Schalkwyk, Tavistock
Country Club
|
81
|
C.J.
Bell, McCall Golf & Country Club
|
82
|
Brendan
Borst, Philadelphia Cricket Club
|
82
|
Donald
Burgess, Lancaster Country Club
|
82
|
Matthew
Ciarmella, Hartefeld
National
|
82
|
Nick
Madden, Lu Lu Country Club
|
82
|
Billy
Reube, Huntingdon Valley Country Club
|
82
|
Bradley
Roberts, Little Mill Country Club
|
82
|
Peter
Sharkey, Jr., Philadelphia Country Club
|
82
|
Brad
Sokol, Green Valley Country Club
|
82
|
Chip
Studer, North Hills Country Club
|
82
|
Alex
Bilinski, Hershey's Mill Golf Club
|
83
|
Richard
Hendrickson, Aronimink Golf Club
|
83
|
Steve
Mroozian, Philmont Country Club
|
83
|
John
Mullins, Bellewood Country Club
|
83
|
Jeff
Nocella, Bala Golf Club
|
83
|
Marc
Pellicane, Mercer Oaks Golf Course
|
83
|
Gary
Schoeman, Gulph Mills Golf Club
|
83
|
Matt
Brainard, Loch Nairn Golf Club
|
84
|
Conner
Charlebois, Bala Golf Club
|
84
|
Ed
McCusker, Five Ponds Golf Club
|
84
|
Ryan
Rigby, Doylestown Country Club
|
84
|
Mark
Agnew, Hartefeld National
|
85
|
Patrick
Hennigan, Tavistock Country Club
|
85
|
William
Keane, Jr., Philadelphia Country Club
|
85
|
Kenneth
Matt, Talamore Country Club
|
85
|
Angus
Catterson, Llanerch
Country Club
|
86
|
Michael
Decker, Mercer Oaks Golf Course
|
86
|
Kevin
Delaney, Stonewall
|
86
|
Mark
Fuessinger, Llanerch
Country Club
|
86
|
Bennett
Meyer, Rolling Green Golf Club
|
86
|
Eric
Palumbo, Rolling Green Golf Club
|
86
|
Justin
Schorr, Talamore Country Club
|
86
|
Sean
Torpey, Commonwealth National Golf Club
|
86
|
Christopher
Ahlgrim, White Manor Country Club
|
87
|
Todd
Baron, Philadelphia Publinks GA
|
87
|
Tom
Coyne, Waynesborough Country Club
|
87
|
Greg
Dymek, Makefield
Highlands Golf Club
|
87
|
Matthew
Hilbush, Commonwealth National Golf Club
|
88
|
Michael
Johnson, Lu Lu Country Club
|
88
|
Nick
Ostash, The Bucks Club
|
88
|
Jh Park, Blue
Bell Country Club
|
88
|
Rob
Cook, DuPont Country Club
|
89
|
Mike
Kidd, Wedgwood Country Club
|
89
|
Chuck
Lynch, Jr., Whitemarsh Valley Country Club
|
89
|
Jack
Glacken, Bala Golf Club
|
90
|
Brett
Wallace, Kennett Square Golf & Country Club
|
90
|
Kevin
Dougher, Philadelphia Cricket Club
|
91
|
Thomas
Maguire, Makefield Highlands Golf Club
|
91
|
Andrew
Wong, Talamore Country Club
|
91
|
Tom
Corcimiglia, Applebrook
Golf Club
|
92
|
Brendan
McNamara, The ACE Club
|
93
|
Ed
Moyer, Talamore Country Club
|
93
|
John
O'Donnell, White Manor Country Club
|
93
|
Jeffrey
Angelucci, Union League Golf Club at Torresdale
|
95
|
John
VanDame, Jr., Talamore
Country Club
|
95
|
R.
John Burnes, Philadelphia Cricket Club
|
97
|
Kyle
Dolby, Waynesborough Country Club
|
98
|
Regan
Papariello, St. Davids
Golf Club
|
98
|
Patrick
Phillips, Spring Ford Country Club
|
100
|
Michael
Axelrod, Bluestone Country Club
|
NS
|
Noam
Roizman, Bluestone Country Club
|
NS
|
Edward
Benatti, Hartefeld
National
|
WD
|
Michael
Maxwell, Sakima Country Club
|
WD
|
Duane
Pinnock, Philadelphia Publinks GA
|
WD
|
Alan
Wagenschnur, Loch Nairn
Golf Club
|
WD
|
|
NS
â no show; WD â withdrawal
|
|