Top 10 of 2006

  9. Electronic-measuring devices. The Golf Association of Philadelphia allowed them in all events. Said Dan Burton, Golf Association of Philadelphia President, at the time, "The governing bodies of the game have stamped their approval on this matter, so we feel there is no reason for the Association not to embrace it. In time, we feel more Associations will incorporate the Local Rule allowing distance-measuring devices. The Golf Association of Philadelphia has always led the way in issues important to the game and we feel this is just another opportunity for us to do so."

  8. Andy North, a two-time U.S. Open Champion and current ESPN/ABC-TV golf analyst, spoke to a crowd of about 250 Golf Association of Philadelphia members, special guests and press gathered for the Pro-Pres., Golf & Green event at Spring Ford CC. North addressed the crowd on behalf of The Bruce Edwards ALS Research Foundation, Inc., a charity in which he serves on the board. The Golf Association of Philadelphia raised more than $13,000 for the charity.

  7. The Golf Association of Philadelphia premiered retrospective videos from its Major Championships. Also, videos of all Golf Association of Philadelphia services are available on-line. A new, reconfigured Web site will debut in 2007 with a prominent video section.

  6. William Lawler of Fox Hill CC rode his first appearance in the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship to Senior Player of the Year honors. Lawler trailed reigning Senior POY David Brookreson by 68.75 points heading into the U.S. Senior Am. at Victoria National GC in Newburgh, Ind., and needed to make match play to earn 75 points and his first post-season honor. He did just that. Lawler was a model of consistency on the Senior Circuit in 2006, finishing third in the Senior Amateur Championship; tied for third in the Senior Silver Cross; tied for second in the Warner Cup and tied for fifth in the Chapman Cup.

  5. Tavistock CC continued its dominance in the GAP Team Matches, winning its third consecutive title. 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. A four-peat hasn’t been completed since Huntingdon Valley CC won seven straight titles from 1970-76.

  4. Buddy Marucci, a longtime Golf Association of Philadelphia champion and supporter, earned the nod as the 2007 Walker Cup captain set for Sept. 8-9 at Royal County Down in Newcastle, Ireland. Marucci, best know for his runner-up finish to Tiger Woods in the 1995 U.S. Amateur Championship, is a past GAP Amateur and Patterson Cup champion.

  3. The Golf Association of Philadelphia announced significant changes to the 2007 Open Championship, including an increase to the field size; an expansion to the exemption list for both Amateurs and Professionals and additional qualifying opportunities for all parties. For the Amateur golfer, the changes eliminated Open Championship qualifying occurring in conjunction with the first day of the Amateur Championship.

  2. Congratulations go out to Merion GC for being selected as the site of the 2013 U.S. Open Championship. The most recent Open held at Merion GC was in 1981. No other club has hosted more USGA Championships than Merion GC. The 2013 Open will be its 18th national championship. Merion hosted the U.S. Amateur in 2005 and is set to host the Walker Cup in 2009. It will also host the 2007 Golf Association of Philadelphia Open Championship.

  1. The emergence of Kyle Davis of Fieldstone GC. He secured his first Amateur Championship title with a convincing 5&3 victory over Paul Rogowicz of Yardley CC, tied for second in the Patterson Cup, placed third in the Open Championship, ended up fourth in the Silver Cross and made a sparkling run at the U.S. Amateur Championship. Davis, a sophomore at the University of Central Florida, advanced to the third round of the U.S. Am. before falling to eventual champion Richie Ramsey of Scotland. Davis recorded a remarkable 1,043 points in earning his first William Hyndman, III Player of the Year Award, the second highest total in the 17-year history of the award.

  Honorable Mention–The Honorary Teams of the Golf Association of Philadelphia regained and retained two titles, held on to another and almost shocked the professionals in this year’s competitions. Team Philadelphia regained the Compher Cup and retained the Mason-Dixon Matches trophies. GAP defeated the New Jersey State Golf Association, 11-7, at Philadelphia Cricket Club’s Wissahickon Course in May. In October, team GAP traveled to Robert Trent Jones GC in Lake Manassas, Va., and tied the Middle Atlantic Golf Association, 9-9, to retain the cup. The Senior Challenge Matches went to Team Philadelphia for a second consecutive season and the GAP representatives tied the Philadelphia Section of the PGA, 9-9, at Moselem Springs GC, in the Philadelphia Golf Magazine Challenge Matches. It was the second straight tie between the amateurs and professionals … Commonwealth National GC presented possibly the greatest Major venue challenge of the year when weather conditions turned the Horsham track into a treacherous setting for the Middle-Amateur Championship. Defending champion Chris Lange of Overbrook GC wasn’t intimidated and earned his second straight Mid-Am title by a stroke over longtime friend Chip Lutz of LedgeRock GC … Dave Quinn, the golf director at Links GC, survived a four-hole playoff with Mike Ladden, an assistant at Philadelphia CC to capture the Open Championship at a demanding Llanerch CC. Quinn and Ladden finished the 36-hole stroke play championship tied at 3-under-par 139 before settling the championship in a four-hole playoff … Stephen Arnold used an impressive beginning and clutch final-hole birdie to capture the Patterson Cup at Philmont CC. Arnold, who double-bogeyed No. 17 on Philmont CC’s North Course to let the field back into the mix, knocked his lob wedge from 50 yards out to four feet to seal his first Major victory … Rain forced the Junior Boys’ Championship to be completed more than a month after it started. Matt Raudenbush defeated Michael Kania, 2&1, for the title at Philadelphia CC … Robert Galbreath, Jr., of Huntingdon Valley CC netted a record 617.5 points to earn his second consecutive Junior Player of the Year Award. Galbreath scored points in 10 of 11 events … The Golf Association of Philadelphia created three new awards in 2006, the Volunteer of the Year (Will Carr of Merion GC); the Junior Sportsmanship Award (Chris Allan, Jr., of Penn Oaks GC) and the Distinguished Service Award (Victor Mauck, Jr., of St. Davids GC), to recognize individuals who have made a difference in the golfing community … the shot of the year goes to Brandon Detweiler of Lancaster CC in the Amateur Championship. Trailing reigning champion Clint Deibert, 1-down, on the final hole, Detweiler somehow punched a 5-iron from the right tree/fence line to four feet on Torresdale-Frankford CC’s 18^th hole to make birdie and keep his match alive. He would then drain a tricky right-to-left breaker on the first extra hole for the shocking win.