Golf Association of Philadelphia
Middle-Amateur Championship set

  The Middle-Amateur is for players 25 years of age and older.

  Chris Lange, 51, of Overbrook GC, a longtime Golf Association of Philadelphia standout, is the defending champion. Last year at Spring Mill CC, Lange completed a Golf Association of Philadelphia career Grand Slam with a Mid-Am victory. Lange battled difficult conditions to dust the field by four strokes and add the Mid-Am title to his three Amateur Championships, three Patterson Cup Championships and one Open Crown – the GAP Majors.

  In addition to Lange, top candidates for the Mid-Am include Brian Gillespie of St. Davids GC, the 2001 Amateur Champion; Tom Gramigna of Tavistock CC, a three-time New Jersey State Golf Association Mid-Am champion; Michael McDermott of Merion GC, the 2001 and 2004 Mid-Am champion; Oscar Mestre, Jr. of Overbrook GC, the 2002 Mid-Am champion; Bill McGuinness of Tavistock CC, the 2003 Mid-Am runner-up; John Robinson of Commonwealth National GC, the Marston Cup winner and a three-time club champion; Jamie Slonis of Tavistock CC, the 2001 Patterson Cup champion and current New Jersey State Golf Association Mid-Am runner-up; Glenn Smeraglio of Yardley CC, a two-time Silver Cross winner; and P. Chet Walsh of Philadelphia CC, a perennial championship contender.

  The GAP Middle-Amateur started in 1984, three years after the USGA created the U.S. Mid-Am 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 Mid-Am was for players 30 years of age and older. That 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. Players must have a GAP/USGA Handicap Index of 7.0 or lower.

  This is the first full scoring event toward the William Hyndman, III Player of the Year standings.

  Other past champions of the Mid-Am in the field include: Gene Maginnis, Jr. of Whitemarsh Valley CC (1984); Gary Daniels of Aronimink GC (1985); Chris Terebesi of Chester Valley GC (1990); Mark Douglas of Spring Ford CC (1991); Michael Rose of Philmont CC (1995); Chip Lutz of Berkshire CC (1998) and McDermott (2001, 2005).