*Scoresheets

Tavistock CC takes third GAP Team Matches title

  The three-peat is complete. Tavistock Country Club captured its third consecutive GAP Team Matches title on Saturday outlasting Commonwealth National Golf Club, Huntingdon Valley Country Club and Yardley Country Club in the GAP Team Matches Playoff.

  Tavistock CC became the first team since Huntingdon Valley Country Club (1983-85) to take the four-way skirmish in three consecutive years. Tavistock CC scored 80.5 points compared to Yardley Country Club’s 69.25 points, Huntingdon Valley Country Club’s 61 points and Commonwealth National Golf Club’s 55 points.

  "Our club members take a lot of pride in this," said Ron Cusick of Tavistock CC, who scored a team-high 12Âľ points. "It was great to win for all of us, especially considering we don’t know what could happen next year. We may be all away."

  Tavistock CC is set to close later this year for renovations and is not scheduled to reopen before the GAP Team Matches. In that case, Tavistock CC would have to play its three weeks of matches on the road.

  But that’s next year.

  This year saw another dominant Playoff performances by the Haddonfield, N.J. club.

  Tavistock CC defended its home turf with Mike Tash, a former Philadelphia Amateur champion, Cusick and Doug Cusick, Ron’s son, scoring 23 ½ points. Ron Cusick defeated all three opponents on the Out, In and Total, and scored 3 Âľ bonus points. At Huntingdon Valley, Sean Leonard, Bill McGuinness and Phil Anzaldo accounted for 26 ÂĽ points. All scored six points or more with McGuinness leading the way at 10 ½ points. He was the club’s second leading point earner. At Yardley CC, Bob Arthur totaled 9 Âľ of the team’s 13 ½ points, third best on the club. And at CNGC, Jamie Slonis tallied eight of Tavistock’s 17 points.

  "You don’t want to let anyone down," said Arthur, 48, of Marlton, N.J., who joined Tavistock CC five years ago. "I think the challenge is actually our strongest point because we have a number of top players who are good with that format. It suits us well.

  "In our first time in the final four years ago, it was a learning curve. You have to know who should go where and we did not protect our home course. Now we know what to do."

  The last team to win four or more in a row was Huntingdon Valley CC when it won seven straight from 1970-76. If Tavistock CC manages another victory in 2007, it’ll be just the fourth club in history take the title four or more times in a row. Tavistock CC is the 10th team to win three or more consecutive times.

  The GAP Team Matches Playoff format is individual match play with 12 total players competing from each club. Three-man teams from each club play at the four sites with each individual match worth three points. An additional quarter point is awarded for margin of victory. The four final teams were decided in the round-robin portion of the GAP Team Matches in the three prior weeks.

  The GAP Team Matches were the foundation for the Association’s creation in 1897. Formerly known as the Suburban League Matches, the home and away series have been played every year since 1897, with the exception of 1943-45 (World War II) and 1994 (severe weather).

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