| RD.1 VIDEO
Penn Oaks GC’s Gallagher stands alone atop Mid-Am. leaderboard
ELVERSON, Pa. – Chris Gallagher of Penn Oaks GC carded a 1-under-par 69 to grab the opening-round lead in the 24th Middle-Amateur Championship on Wednesday at Stonewall (par 70, 6,694 yards, North Course). Sunny but breezy conditions were the order of the day.
 |
Chip Lutz of LedgeRock GC
stares at his par putt on No. 7. |
Gallagher, 25, of West Chester, Pa., might have posted the only under-par round of the day but a herd of players, 21 to be exact, are within four shots of the lead at the site of a former dairy farm.
A field of 124 players started with the cut line falling at 78 (8-over-par). A total 74 players advanced. The second and final round begins at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow. The leaders start their day at 11:30 a.m.
The Mid-Am is the first of four GAP Majors.
Gallagher, the 2003 Patterson Cup Champion competing in his first Mid-Am., labeled his round "boring."
 |
Alex Maguire, Jr. of Philadelphia
Cricket Club joins Chris
Gallagher and Chip Lutz
in the final grouping. |
"It was nothing flashy," said Gallagher, whose game is in top shape. He advanced to the second stage of U.S. Open qualifying on Monday at DuPont CC. "I kept it out of trouble for the most part. I tried to hit fairways and greens and leave myself in good spots on the green. You have to pay close attention to the hole locations."
Gallagher posted nine-hole scores of 34 and 35.
On No. 3 (par 5, 498 yards), he knocked a 6-iron from 195 yards onto the green and two putted for birdie. A three-putt bogey on No. 7 (par 4, 450 yards) dropped him back to even, but Gallagher responded by lofting a sand wedge from 105 yards to eight feet on No. 8 (par 5, 555 yards) to make the turn at 1-under par.
A 3-iron short of the green on the difficult 13th (par 3, 220 yards), statistically the hardest hole on the course at 3.894 strokes on Wednesday, resulted in a bogey, but Gallagher made a smooth 12-foot birdie on the uphill 15th (par 4, 449 yards) to counter. He bogeyed No. 17 (par 3, 209 yards) when he failed to get up-and-down from the left bunker but ended the round with a birdie, two putting from the back edge of the green (par 5, 522 yards), some 40 feet away, after smashing a rescue club on from 225 yards.
"I left a couple of shots out there but I made a couple of nice par saves to keep things going," said Gallagher, highlighting six-foot par conversions on Nos. 1 and 2 and a 12-footer on No. 9. "Tomorrow, I’ll try to do the same thing."
Chip Lutz of LedgeRock GC, playing in the same group as Gallagher, is a stroke back after recording an even-par 70. He made a birdie and bogey on the front side and two birdies and a double bogey on the back.
"I actually am a little surprised I’m as close as I am at this point," said Lutz, who finished second in the Mid-Am. by a stroke a year ago. "I thought someone might go deep. It was the kind of day someone could score well. I’m happy to be in the position I’m in."
Lutz, 52, of Reading, Pa., just missed his 30-foot eagle chance on No. 3, before walking away with a birdie. A bogey on No. 7 dropped Lutz back to even par before a nice eight-foot birdie on No. 12 (par 4, 355 yards) put him at 1 under. However, the 13th hole struck again, and Lutz pulled his drive with a rescue club long and left of the bunker. When it was over he had made double-bogey five. Not to be deterred, Lutz immediately answered with a birdie on No. 14 (par 4, 419 yards) when he knocked his 9-iron from 143 yards to 12 feet left of the hole and made the putt.
Lange of Overbrook GC, the two-time defending champion, stands at 3-over par, four shots back. Michael McDermott of Merion GC, a two-time Mid-Am. Champion, heads a group of six players at 1-over par.
The Middle-Amateur is for players 25 years of age and older.
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.
|
Name |
Club |
Front 9 |
Back 9 |
Total |
|
Chris Gallagher |
Penn Oaks Golf Club |
34 |
35 |
69 |
|
Chip Lutz |
LedgeRock Golf Club |
35 |
35 |
70 |
|
Alexander Maguire, Jr. |
Philadelphia Cricket Club |
34 |
37 |
71 |
|
Brian Rothaus |
Philmont Country Club |
36 |
35 |
71 |
|
Drew Panebianco |
Talamore at Oak Terrace Country Club |
34 |
37 |
71 |
|
Jamie Slonis |
Tavistock Country Club |
34 |
37 |
71 |
|
Michael McDermott |
Merion Golf Club |
35 |
36 |
71 |
|
William Lawler |
Fox Hill Country Club |
35 |
36 |
71 |
|
G. Patrick Dougherty |
Talamore at Oak Terrace Country Club |
36 |
36 |
72 |
|
Michael Moffat |
Commonwealth National Golf Club |
36 |
36 |
72 |
|
Thomas Gramigna |
Tavistock Country Club |
33 |
39 |
72 |
|
Christopher Lange |
Overbrook Golf Club |
36 |
37 |
73 |
|
Gregg Angelillo |
Moselem Springs Golf Club |
36 |
37 |
73 |
|
James Sullivan, Jr. |
Huntingdon Valley Country Club |
37 |
36 |
73 |
|
Jeffrey Huntzinger |
North Hills Country Club |
33 |
40 |
73 |
|
John Brennan |
Spring Ford Country Club |
37 |
36 |
73 |
|
Robert de Rojas |
RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve |
37 |
36 |
73 |
|
Ryan Gelrod |
Commonwealth National Golf Club |
37 |
36 |
73 |
|
Scott Klee |
Indian Valley Country Club |
39 |
34 |
73 |
|
Thomas Bartolacci, Jr. |
Saucon Valley Country Club |
34 |
39 |
73 |
|
Tom Borsello |
DuPont Country Club |
36 |
37 |
73 |
|
Michael Domenick |
Phoenixville Country Club |
38 |
36 |
74 |
|
Thomas Finn |
Cavaliers Country Club |
38 |
36 |
74 |
|
Bobby Kershner |
Spring Ford Country Club |
38 |
37 |
75 |
|
Dan Pinciotti Jr. |
Huntingdon Valley Country Club |
35 |
40 |
75 |
|
Daniel Delaney |
Concord Country Club |
37 |
38 |
75 |
|
David Smith |
Doylestown Country Club |
38 |
37 |
75 |
|
Geoffrey M. Cooper |
Laurel Creek Country Club |
35 |
40 |
75 |
|
Jim Kelleher |
Links Golf Club |
38 |
37 |
75 |
|
Matthew Finger |
Running Deer Golf Club |
37 |
38 |
75 |
|
Rand Mendez |
Fieldstone Golf Club |
36 |
39 |
75 |
|
Rich Pruchnik |
West Chester Golf & Country Club |
37 |
38 |
75 |
|
Robert Bechtold |
Fieldstone Golf Club |
38 |
37 |
75 |
|
Robin McCool |
Saucon Valley Country Club |
39 |
36 |
75 |
|
Brian Gillespie |
St. Davids Golf Club |
39 |
37 |
76 |
|
David Liotta |
Whitemarsh Valley Country Club |
40 |
36 |
76 |
|
Eric Buck |
Lancaster Country Club |
41 |
35 |
76 |
|
James Donnelly |
Philadelphia Cricket Club |
35 |
41 |
76 |
|
Jeff DellaFranco |
Concord Country Club |
38 |
38 |
76 |
|
Kevin McDermott |
Llanerch Country Club |
38 |
38 |
76 |
|
Mark Peterson |
Philadelphia Cricket Club |
39 |
37 |
76 |
|
Matt Jasudowich |
Whitemarsh Valley Country Club |
36 |
40 |
76 |
|
Oscar L. Mestre, Jr. |
Overbrook Golf Club |
41 |
35 |
76 |
|
Richard Umani |
Golf Course at Glen Mills |
38 |
38 |
76 |
|
Robert G Dziak |
Spring Ford Country Club |
37 |
39 |
76 |
|
Thomas Hyland |
Little Mill Country Club |
37 |
39 |
76 |
|
Warren Smith |
Cavaliers Country Club |
39 |
37 |
76 |
|
Andy Achenbach |
RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve |
38 |
39 |
77 |
|
Bill Murray |
Merchantville Country Club |
39 |
38 |
77 |
|
David Shields |
Philadelphia Publinks GA |
37 |
40 |
77 |
|
David West |
Whitford Country Club |
34 |
43 |
77 |
|
Douglas Zelner |
Coatesville Country Club |
37 |
40 |
77 |
|
John E. Simone |
Blue Bell Country Club |
41 |
36 |
77 |
|
Mike Owsik |
Plymouth Country Club |
39 |
38 |
77 |
|
P. Chet Walsh |
Philadelphia Country Club |
41 |
36 |
77 |
|
Paul Rogowicz |
Yardley Country Club |
38 |
39 |
77 |
|
Scott Chesna |
Cavaliers Country Club |
38 |
39 |
77 |
|
Scott Harrington |
Moselem Springs Golf Club |
38 |
39 |
77 |
|
Sean Leonard |
Tavistock Country Club |
36 |
41 |
77 |
|
Rick Custer |
Spring Ford Country Club |
39 |
38 |
77 |
| |
|
Failed to qualify |
|
Bill Boyle |
Metedeconk National Golf Club |
41 |
37 |
78 |
|
Chris Anderson |
Wilmington Country Club |
40 |
38 |
78 |
|
Chris Esbenshade |
Meadia Heights Golf Club |
40 |
38 |
78 |
|
Douglas D Schroer |
St. Davids Golf Club |
39 |
39 |
78 |
|
Eric Fonner |
Huntingdon Valley Country Club |
39 |
39 |
78 |
|
Glenn Smeraglio |
Yardley Country Club |
41 |
37 |
78 |
|
James Macallister |
Manufacturers Golf & Country Club |
39 |
39 |
78 |
|
Kenneth R. Matt |
Commonwealth National Golf Club |
38 |
40 |
78 |
|
Larry Silk |
Greate Bay Country Club |
39 |
39 |
78 |
|
Matt Mangold |
Talamore at Oak Terrace Country Club |
40 |
38 |
78 |
|
Michael LaGrasso |
Burlington Country Club |
39 |
39 |
78 |
|
Pat Curiale |
Medford Village Country Club |
38 |
40 |
78 |
|
Rich Thon |
The Springhaven Club |
37 |
41 |
78 |
|
Robert Billings |
Rolling Green Golf Club |
37 |
41 |
78 |
|
Brad Sokol |
Green Valley Country Club |
40 |
39 |
79 |
|
Brian T. Corbett |
Huntsville Golf Club |
40 |
39 |
79 |
|
Douglas Gregor |
Huntingdon Valley Country Club |
41 |
38 |
79 |
|
Edward Kelly, Jr. |
Lu Lu Country Club |
43 |
36 |
79 |
|
Francis McFadden |
Overbrook Golf Club |
42 |
37 |
79 |
|
James Kieserman |
Talamore at Oak Terrace Country Club |
42 |
37 |
79 |
|
Jay Desjardins |
Waynesborough Country Club |
39 |
40 |
79 |
|
John Mullins |
Spring Ford Country Club |
40 |
39 |
79 |
|
John W. Robinson |
Commonwealth National Golf Club |
41 |
38 |
79 |
|
Mark Quigley |
Lu Lu Country Club |
42 |
37 |
79 |
|
Michael Decapua |
Northampton Country Club |
41 |
38 |
79 |
|
Pete Widdoes |
Inniscrone Golf Club |
40 |
39 |
79 |
|
Charles Jones |
Philadelphia Publinks GA |
42 |
38 |
80 |
|
Gil Moniz Jr. |
Woodbury Country Club |
41 |
39 |
80 |
|
Jeffrey Wuerstle |
Indian Valley Country Club |
41 |
39 |
80 |
|
Joseph M. Roeder |
Links Golf Club |
40 |
40 |
80 |
|
Ken Sim |
Commonwealth National Golf Club |
41 |
39 |
80 |
|
Michael Evangelista |
Concord Country Club |
38 |
42 |
80 |
|
Michael O'Hara |
Riverton Country Club |
42 |
38 |
80 |
|
Neil McDermott |
Llanerch Country Club |
41 |
39 |
80 |
|
Steven Walczak |
Wilmington Country Club |
41 |
39 |
80 |
|
John Aloisio |
Little Mill Country Club |
41 |
40 |
81 |
|
Keith Matt |
Lu Lu Country Club |
39 |
42 |
81 |
|
Michael Quinn |
Edgmont Country Club |
41 |
40 |
81 |
|
Peter Moran |
Edgmont Country Club |
38 |
43 |
81 |
|
Thomas DiCinti |
Little Mill Country Club |
38 |
43 |
81 |
|
Gary Daniels |
Applebrook Golf Club |
39 |
43 |
82 |
|
John Ward |
Ballamor Golf Club |
39 |
43 |
82 |
|
Robert Majczan |
Lookaway Golf Club |
39 |
43 |
82 |
|
Ted Harris |
Mercer Oaks Golf Course |
40 |
42 |
82 |
|
Chris Terebesi |
Chester Valley Golf Club |
38 |
45 |
83 |
|
Paul Liebezeit |
Aronimink Golf Club |
43 |
40 |
83 |
|
Ari Flaisher |
Downingtown Golf Club |
46 |
38 |
84 |
|
Frank S. Corrado, Jr. |
Jericho National Golf Club |
41 |
43 |
84 |
|
Mark J Coassolo |
Berkleigh Country Club |
43 |
41 |
84 |
|
Mike Brunswick |
Moorestown Field Club |
42 |
42 |
84 |
|
Roc Irey |
Cedarbrook Country Club |
42 |
42 |
84 |
|
Scott McIntosh |
Jericho National Golf Club |
41 |
43 |
84 |
|
John Giori |
Mercer Oaks Golf Course |
42 |
43 |
85 |
|
Michael Tash |
Tavistock Country Club |
42 |
43 |
85 |
|
Peter Williamson |
Manufacturers Golf & Country Club |
42 |
43 |
85 |
|
Donald Ashley |
Philadelphia Country Club |
41 |
45 |
86 |
|
Glenn McClaskey |
Wedgwood Country Club |
44 |
42 |
86 |
|
Michael DiGiandomenico |
Honeybrook Golf Club |
44 |
42 |
86 |
|
Sean Ryan |
Huntingdon Valley Country Club |
44 |
42 |
86 |
|
Mark Walkush |
Manufacturers Golf & Country Club |
45 |
43 |
88 |
|
Ryan R. Morrissey |
Hartefeld National |
51 |
43 |
94 |
|
Luis Diaz |
Philadelphia Publinks GA |
50 |
46 |
96 |
|
David Heaney |
Fieldstone Golf Club |
WD |
WD |
WD |
|
Mark Hodgson |
Links Golf Club |
WD |
WD |
WD |
| |
|
WD-withdrawal |
|
