| **DAY 1-VIDEO COVERAGE
Two-time champion McDermott atop Middle-Amateur leaderboard
GREENVILLE, Del.–Michael McDermott of Merion Golf Club carded the lone under-par score of the 25th Middle-Amateur Championship’s first round, firing a 2-under-par 69 at a wet and, at times, windy, Fieldstone Golf Club (par 71, 6,532 yards) on Wednesday. He holds a two-shot lead heading into the second and final day.
William Lawler of Fox Hill Country Club, 60, a former Senior Player of the Year who walked and carried his own bag on the hilly trek, posted an impressive even-par 71 and stands alone in second place. Michael Domenick, 53, of Phoenixville Country Club and Chip Lutz, 53, of LedgeRock Golf Club, finished at 72 and are tied for third. Lutz is the defending champion.
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Michael Domenick of Phoenixville CC finds
himself tied in third place. |
A field of 127 players started with the cut line falling at 80 (9-over-par). A total of 77 players advanced. The second and final round begins at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow. The leaders start their day at 12:20 a.m.
The Mid-Am. is the first of four GAP Majors.
McDermott, the reigning William Hyndman, III Player of the Year and a two-time Mid-Am. champion, finished with a flurry to grab the top spot, posting three birdies on his final three holes.
Completing his round on the front nine, McDermott put a sand wedge from 110 yards to three feet on No. 7 (par 4, 340 yards); launched an 8-iron to 15 feet and rolled in the right to left breaker on No. 8 (par 3, 180 yards) and knocked a pitching wedge from 145 yards, with the hole playing straight downwind, to a foot on No. 9 (par 4, 439 yards).
"I didn’t think I’d be in the lead standing on the seventh tee," said McDermott, 33, of Bryn Mawr, Pa. "There are a lot of good players within a few shots so it’s nice to have a little cushion. I know I’ll have to play well in order to beat them."
McDermott opened his round with two bogeys in his first four holes, but responded with a birdie on No. 15 (par 4, 437 yards) when he knocked a sand wedge to four feet from 120 yards. A three-putt bogey on 16 (par 3, 130 yards) followed but McDermott responded with a nice up-and-down from the left rough for a birdie on No. 18 (par 5, 526 yards) and made the turn at 1-over par.
Another birdie-bogey exchange on Nos. 4 (par 4, 354 yards) and 5 (par 5, 525 yards) preceded the sterling McDermott finish.
"It’s a good position to be in," said McDermott. "To be in the hunt in any Major is a great thing."
Lawler, a top senior player in Golf Association of Philadelphia circles, turned in maybe the most impressive performance of the day considering he carried his own bag. His round included four birdies and four bogeys.
"It’s a nice surprise," said Lawler, a resident of West Wyoming, Pa. "I’m thrilled. Anytime you play in these events and play the best players and play well, it’s great."
Lawler, starting on the back nine, opened with a bogey on No. 10 (par 5, 550 yards) when he failed to get up-and-down from around the green, but made an eight-foot birdie on No. 11 (par 4, 304 yards) to get back to square. Another birdie-bogey exchange on Nos. 14 (par 4, 457 yards) and 15 allowed Lawler to make the turn in even par.
Bogeys on Nos. 1 (par 4, 440 yards) and 6 (par 3, 182 yards) mingled with a 15-foot birdie on No. 5 (par 5, 525 yards) and another under-par score with a 9-iron to eight feet on No. 7 (par 4, 340 yards).
This is only the second time Lawler has competed in the Golf Association of Philadelphia Middle-Amateur Championship.
Lurking in third place is Lutz. Lutz is a two-time Middle-Amateur Champion and the reigning titleholder. He took his first title in 1998.
Domenick, too, is no stranger to the top of the Mid-Am. leaderboard. In 1993, he fell to Carl Everett of Merion GC in a playoff for the crown.
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. Playerss must have a GAP/USGA Handicap Index of 7.0 or lower.
|
Name |
Club |
Front 9 |
Back 9 |
Total |
|
Michael McDermott |
Merion Golf Club |
32 |
37 |
69 |
|
William Lawler |
Fox Hill Country Club |
35 |
36 |
71 |
|
Chip Lutz |
LedgeRock Golf Club |
37 |
35 |
72 |
|
Michael Domenick |
Phoenixville Country Club |
35 |
37 |
72 |
|
Chris Esbenshade |
Five Ponds Golf Club |
34 |
39 |
73 |
|
Raymond Thompson |
Overbrook Golf Club |
33 |
40 |
73 |
|
Robert Wurtz, Jr. |
Philadelphia Cricket Club |
33 |
40 |
73 |
|
Andy Achenbach |
RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve |
37 |
37 |
74 |
|
Gary Daniels |
Applebrook Golf Club |
39 |
35 |
74 |
|
Jeff DellaFranco |
Concord Country Club |
38 |
36 |
74 |
|
Mike Owsik |
Plymouth Country Club |
36 |
38 |
74 |
|
Robert Bechtold |
Fieldstone Golf Club |
37 |
37 |
74 |
|
William Jeremiah |
Philadelphia Publinks GA |
38 |
36 |
74 |
|
Douglas Schroer |
Aronimink Golf Club |
35 |
40 |
75 |
|
G. Patrick Dougherty |
Talamore Country Club |
35 |
40 |
75 |
|
John Robinson |
Commonwealth National Golf Club |
37 |
38 |
75 |
|
Oscar Mestre, Jr. |
Overbrook Golf Club |
36 |
39 |
75 |
|
Paul Rogowicz |
Yardley Country Club |
36 |
39 |
75 |
|
Peter Barron, III |
Stone Harbor Golf Club |
36 |
39 |
75 |
|
Rand Mendez |
Fieldstone Golf Club |
38 |
37 |
75 |
|
Rich Pruchnik |
West Chester Golf & Country Club |
39 |
36 |
75 |
|
Robert Gill |
Fox Hill Country Club |
37 |
38 |
75 |
|
Thomas Gramigna |
Tavistock Country Club |
38 |
37 |
75 |
|
Buddy Reed |
Cavaliers Country Club |
37 |
39 |
76 |
|
Charles Jones |
Philadelphia Publinks GA |
38 |
38 |
76 |
|
Jeffrey Huntzinger |
North Hills Country Club |
41 |
35 |
76 |
|
Jim Simmons |
Stonewall |
38 |
38 |
76 |
|
Jim Yenser |
Honeybrook Golf Club |
34 |
42 |
76 |
|
Ken Sim |
Commonwealth National Golf Club |
39 |
37 |
76 |
|
Matt Dolinsky |
Honeybrook Golf Club |
39 |
37 |
76 |
|
Matthew Finger |
Running Deer Golf Club |
37 |
39 |
76 |
|
Michael Brown |
Philadelphia Publinks GA |
36 |
40 |
76 |
|
Michael Tash |
Tavistock Country Club |
38 |
38 |
76 |
|
P. Chet Walsh |
Philadelphia Country Club |
39 |
37 |
76 |
|
Roc Irey |
Cedarbrook Country Club |
39 |
37 |
76 |
|
Tom Borsello |
Fieldstone Golf Club |
35 |
41 |
76 |
|
Warren Smith |
Cavaliers Country Club |
38 |
38 |
76 |
|
William Bello |
Metedeconk National Golf Club |
37 |
39 |
76 |
|
Chris Anderson |
Wilmington Country Club |
37 |
40 |
77 |
|
David Liotta |
Whitemarsh Valley Country Club |
37 |
40 |
77 |
|
Geoffrey Cooper |
Laurel Creek Country Club |
40 |
37 |
77 |
|
John Cobb |
Tavistock Country Club |
40 |
37 |
77 |
|
Mark E. Peterson |
Philadelphia Cricket Club |
37 |
40 |
77 |
|
Matt Kohn |
Hartefeld National |
38 |
39 |
77 |
|
Richard Umani |
Philadelphia Publinks GA |
38 |
39 |
77 |
|
Stephen Seiden |
Concord Country Club |
35 |
42 |
77 |
|
Thomas DiCinti |
Links Golf Club |
39 |
38 |
77 |
|
Christopher Lange |
Overbrook Golf Club |
38 |
40 |
78 |
|
Darrell Clayton |
Cavaliers Country Club |
38 |
40 |
78 |
|
Frank Corrado, Jr. |
Jericho National Golf Club |
37 |
41 |
78 |
|
John Brennan |
Spring Ford Country Club |
38 |
40 |
78 |
|
Michael Moffat |
Commonwealth National Golf Club |
41 |
37 |
78 |
|
Robert Harrington |
Merion Golf Club |
39 |
39 |
78 |
|
Robert Loftus |
Overbrook Golf Club |
36 |
42 |
78 |
|
Scott Klee |
Indian Valley Country Club |
41 |
37 |
78 |
|
Thomas Hyland |
Little Mill Country Club |
38 |
40 |
78 |
|
Bill Boyle |
Metedeconk National Golf Club |
42 |
37 |
79 |
|
Brad Sokol |
Green Valley Country Club |
40 |
39 |
79 |
|
Brian Gillespie |
St. Davids Golf Club |
38 |
41 |
79 |
|
Byron Whitman |
Golden Oaks Golf Club |
37 |
42 |
79 |
|
Drew Panebianco |
Talamore Country Club |
40 |
39 |
79 |
|
Glenn Smeraglio |
Yardley Country Club |
41 |
38 |
79 |
|
Jhoon Chang |
Philadelphia Cricket Club |
39 |
40 |
79 |
|
John LeBoeuf |
Philadelphia Country Club |
38 |
41 |
79 |
|
Joseph Russo |
Running Deer Golf Club |
37 |
42 |
79 |
|
Peter Moran |
Edgmont Country Club |
36 |
43 |
79 |
|
Robert Dziak |
Spring Ford Country Club |
38 |
41 |
79 |
|
Sean Leonard |
Tavistock Country Club |
39 |
40 |
79 |
|
Sean McMonagle |
Sand Barrens Golf Club |
44 |
35 |
79 |
|
Andrew Dietz |
Laurel Creek Country Club |
36 |
43 |
79 |
|
David Shields |
Philadelphia Publinks GA |
39 |
41 |
80 |
|
Keitih Evans |
Running Deer Golf Club |
39 |
41 |
80 |
|
Ken Matt |
Talamore Country Club |
40 |
40 |
80 |
|
Paul Liebezeit |
Aronimink Golf Club |
38 |
42 |
80 |
|
Ryan Gelrod |
Commonwealth National Golf Club |
36 |
44 |
80 |
|
Santo Lafoca |
Huntsville Golf Club |
40 |
40 |
80 |
|
Thomas Bartolacci, Jr. |
Saucon Valley Country Club |
41 |
39 |
80 |
| |
|
Failed to qualify |
|
Brian Corbett |
Huntsville Golf Club |
40 |
41 |
81 |
|
David West |
Whitford Country Club |
43 |
38 |
81 |
|
Joseph Roeder |
Links Golf Club |
38 |
43 |
81 |
|
Mark Czerniakowski |
Blue Bell Country Club |
40 |
41 |
81 |
|
Mike Danner |
Lu Lu Country Club |
40 |
41 |
81 |
|
Thomas Finn |
Cavaliers Country Club |
42 |
39 |
81 |
|
William Naylor |
Applebrook Golf Club |
41 |
40 |
81 |
|
Cory Reighard |
Commonwealth National Golf Club |
39 |
43 |
82 |
|
Douglas Zelner |
Spring Ford Country Club |
40 |
42 |
82 |
|
Francis McFadden |
Overbrook Golf Club |
38 |
44 |
82 |
|
Gerry Baldachino |
Olde York Country Club |
44 |
38 |
82 |
|
James Kieserman |
Talamore Country Club |
36 |
46 |
82 |
|
John Campanelli |
Woodbury Country Club |
41 |
41 |
82 |
|
Joshua Isler |
Chester Valley Golf Club |
42 |
40 |
82 |
|
Peter Williamson |
Manufacturers Golf & Country Club |
41 |
41 |
82 |
|
Rich Thon |
The Springhaven Club |
40 |
42 |
82 |
|
Bill Murray |
Merchantville Country Club |
38 |
45 |
83 |
|
Jeffrey Prickitt |
Manufacturers Golf & Country Club |
41 |
42 |
83 |
|
Michael Stanley |
St. Davids Golf Club |
42 |
41 |
83 |
|
Stephen McIntyre |
Honeybrook Golf Club |
42 |
41 |
83 |
|
Steven Walczak |
Wilmington Country Club |
41 |
42 |
83 |
|
Dan Pinciotti, Jr. |
Huntingdon Valley Country Club |
43 |
41 |
84 |
|
George Steinmetz |
Spring Ford Country Club |
43 |
41 |
84 |
|
James Donnelly |
Merion Golf Club |
43 |
41 |
84 |
|
Scott Chesna |
Cavaliers Country Club |
40 |
44 |
84 |
|
Charles Bernard |
RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve |
43 |
42 |
85 |
|
Chris Comer |
Ballamor Golf Club |
42 |
43 |
85 |
|
Douglas Cusick |
Tavistock Country Club |
48 |
37 |
85 |
|
Eric Buck |
Lancaster Country Club |
40 |
45 |
85 |
|
Gregory Sheva |
North Hills Country Club |
41 |
44 |
85 |
|
Jamie Slonis |
Tavistock Country Club |
47 |
38 |
85 |
|
Jonathan Shevlin |
North Hills Country Club |
41 |
44 |
85 |
|
Steve Lubin |
Five Ponds Golf Club |
44 |
41 |
85 |
|
Bob Majczan |
Lookaway Golf Club |
42 |
44 |
86 |
|
Damon Barbacci |
Huntsville Golf Club |
40 |
46 |
86 |
|
Gary Gordon |
Talamore Country Club |
47 |
39 |
86 |
|
Ed Chylinski |
Chester Valley Golf Club |
43 |
44 |
87 |
|
Jon Thomas |
White Clay Creek Country Club |
48 |
39 |
87 |
|
Mark Coassolo |
Brookside C.C. of Allentown |
40 |
47 |
87 |
|
David Hoegel |
Little Mill Country Club |
42 |
46 |
88 |
|
Jason Barkley |
Huntsville Golf Club |
43 |
46 |
89 |
|
Ryan Morrissey |
Hartefeld National |
43 |
46 |
89 |
|
Travis Shaffer |
Talamore Country Club |
48 |
41 |
89 |
|
Charles Meadows |
RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve |
41 |
49 |
90 |
|
Charles Scalzott |
Talamore Country Club |
47 |
43 |
90 |
|
Mike Haney |
Llanerch Country Club |
47 |
47 |
94 |
|
Aaron Bracy |
Philadelphia Publinks GA |
46 |
49 |
95 |
|
Chris Hynoski |
Mercer Oaks Golf Course |
DQ |
DQ |
DQ |
|
Gavin Grimes |
Chester Valley Golf Club |
WD |
WD |
WD |
|
John Simone |
Philmont Country Club |
WD |
WD |
WD |
|
Lance Oberparleiter |
Wedgwood Country Club |
WD |
WD |
WD |
| |
|
DQ-disqualification; WD-withdrawal |
|
