William Hyndman, III POY: James Kania, Jr., Overbrook GC

JAMES KANIA, JR.

  “Winning the GAP Player of the Year is quite an honor,” said Kania, 20, a junior at the University of Kentucky. “My whole life I have idolized the “stars” of the GAP. To be considered as the best in the GAP for 2009 is very surreal. I guess I don’t quite consider myself worthy of being mentioned with the McDermotts, Langes, Gillespies, etc. Hopefully, as I continue to improve and get better, my resume will start to compare to theirs. For now, I’m a “one-year wonder’ until I come back next summer and prove myself again. That’s what makes all those guys special, the year-in, year-out consistency.”

  He began the year by advancing out of U.S. Open Local Qualifying with a 71 at Idle Hour CC in Lexington, Ken., before playing well, but missing the Championship proper by five shots at Sectionals.

  “After Sectionals and having a real good chance to make it to Bethpage, I started to realize that my game was a lot better compared to what I had previously thought,” said Kania. “I always felt that the Amateur was a perfect tournament for me and my game.”

  In the Amateur at Stonewall, Kania easily qualified for match play with a 143 total and a No. 11 seed. He won his first match by daylight before recording three straight tight victories to advance to the final against Conrad Von Borsig of Concord CC. In the final, Kania found himself 6-down after nine holes in a steady rain, but the weather subsided and he got as close as 4-down before eventually falling.

  “This year was my fourth straight appearance in match play but my first out of the first round,” said Kania. “In previous years I had the game to do well but it just never came to fruition. When I got into match play this year, I just did what I always do and things went my way the first four matches.”

  He subsequently qualified for the Open Championship at Bent Creek CC but never threatened before turning in a career effort in the Patterson Cup at Llanerch CC a few weeks later.

  At Llanerch CC, Kania stated his intentions early with a spectacular first-round, 5-under 66 and a four-shot lead after Day One. The Patterson Cup changed formats and moved to two days this year so Kania slept on the lead. In Round 2, Kania opened slowly and carded five bogeys and one birdie in his first nine holes for a front-side 40 as a host of competitors, including McDermott, moved closer. A bogey on No. 14 cut his lead to one shot before Kania dug deep and birdied the ensuing two holes to, in essence, clinch the title.

  Two pars and a hug from brother and caddie Michael later, and Kania made history.

  He joined father James, Sr. as the first father-son duo to each win the Patterson Cup. They also became the first father-son to secure a Silver Cross Award.

  “To be able to share the Patterson Cup and Silver Cross with my Dad was one of the most special moments in my life,” said Kania. “He's my best friend. He's never put too much pressure on me in the game of golf and I think that's why it means even more. I decided to follow in his footsteps just out of pure admiration for him, not because he forced me. He was never the Dad to make me practice and I'm thankful for that. You see a lot of dads get a little psycho with their kids with golf. With Dad and me, it was never like that, so when I won them both, I think he was more flattered that I have been striving my whole life to be like him.”