| *Week 1 Score Sheets *Week 1 Standings
Eight teams seek to remain unbeaten, take lead in GTM Week 2Section supremacy is at stake next week as eight undefeated squads prepare for battle in Division AA of the Golf Association of Philadelphia Team Matches. Defending champions Commonwealth National GC, as well as Glenmaura National GC, Hartefeld National, Huntingdon Valley CC, Mercer Oaks GC, Merion GC, Tavistock CC and Yardley CC each posted Week 1 victories. And as fate would have it, each of those teams is scheduled to play its respective Section foe in Week 2. In Section 1, Huntingdon Valley CC and Yardley CC will battle for the top spot. Huntingdon Valley defeated Overbrook GC, 43.75-27.25, while Yardley narrowly edged Rolling Green GC by 1.25 points. The former rode a strong performance by its home team to victory. Huntingdon Valley accumulated 31.75 points on its turf. Meanwhile, the club’s away team struggled against an experienced and proficient Overbrook squad, falling 24-12. “Our home team played very, very well and overcame the away team,” HVCC captain Douglas Gregor said. “It was difficult conditions. They had a great team at home and they just played better. They deserved it.” Huntingdon Valley’s Charles Scalzott and James Sullivan, Sr. led the home team with five points apiece. Now, the club will seek more balance as it prepares to face Yardley. “It should hopefully be a good match,” Gregor said. “They’re a strong team, and they have been for a number of years. Hopefully, we can be competitive and play well.” For Yardley, having an opportunity to play for the Section lead is a sigh of relief. The club escaped Week 1 with a 32.75-31.50 triumph over Rolling Green. “A win is a win,” Christopher Ault, who serves as the Yardley captain, said. “Of course we were hoping to not have it be by such a narrow margin.” Nearly half of Yardley’s AA team features players under the age of 20. But Ault believes its youth propelled the squad to victory. Pierce Dever, 19, earned 4.5 points on the road, and Daniel Hayes, III posted 1.5 in a hard-fought match against Rolling Green’s Patrick Buckley. “That was big for us,” Ault said. “With young players, you never really know what you’re going to get and obviously, the weather this winter put us behind the 8-ball.” The upcoming match against Huntingdon Valley will be a “huge test” for Yardley, according to Ault. “Huntingdon Valley is a very good team. They have a lot of experience,” he said. “We’re certainly at a disadvantage experience-wise, but we definitely have enough talent and grit to hopefully get us over the hump.” In Section 2, the new (Mercer Oaks GC) and old (Tavistock CC) emerged as Week 1 victors. Mercer Oaks overcame a tough Philadelphia Cricket Club, 43.75-24.75. “We went in confident,” Mercer captain Jim Schulz, Jr. said. “We have depth and balance, and the guys performed well on a tough day. Our competition is very solid.” At home, Mercer Oaks battled heavy winds on its Links course but managed to register 19.25 points. Raymond Andrusiewicz and Chris Hynoski turned in critical wins, Schulz said. Both players earned 2.25 and 4.75 points, respectively, as well as 4.25 points in the better-ball portion. Furthermore, Andrusiewicz did so as a last-minute addition. He replaced Schulz, who suffered a lower back injury last week. “He (Andrusiewicz) was down making the turn, but came back,” Schulz said. “He showed a lot of heart and tenacity against a formidable opponent.” Collectively, Mercer Oaks will need a full supply of heart and tenacity as it faces four-time champion Tavistock. “Clearly, they’re one of the great teams in the GAP,” Schulz said. “They’ve proven themselves in the Team Matches. We’re excited about that though. We think we pair well with them. The guys are excited about it.” “We really want to put the peg in the ground. Everybody wants Sunday to come quickly.” Farther down Interstate 295, Tavistock defeated Blue Bell, 48-20, in Week 1. The team turned in a balanced performance, according to Tavistock captain Thomas Gramigna. “Bill McGuinness played terrific at home,” he added. “On the road, Bob Turner was sort of our 12th guy. He filled in for Len Fox and really stepped up. Anytime you can win on the road, that’s huge.” The upcoming match against Mercer Oaks is “do-or-die,” as Gramigna sees it. “If we lose this match, I don’t see how we’re going to win the division. We’re pretty much toast,” he said. “This is a critical match. Hopefully, we’ll play well and come out on top.” In Section 3, reigning champion Commonwealth National GC opened its title defense with an efficient 47-18 victory over Philadelphia CC. Every player in Commonwealth’s lineup registered at least half a point. Dr. Grant Liu sparkled for the traveling CNGC squad, registering 4.75 points individually and, as a partner with captain Brett Diakon, 2.25 in the better-ball portion. At home, it was Blayze DiPasquale (4.5 singles), Michael Anderson (4.25 singles), and Scott McLaughlin (3.75 singles) who guided Commonwealth to a dominating 27.25-7.25 victory. Liu was the high earner for the away squad, which pulled down a 19.34-10.34 decision at PCC. Commonwealth’s opponent for Week 2 will be Glenmaura National GC, who stopped Llanerch CC, 39-28.75. It was the first ever Division AA victory for Glenmaura, who is making just its second appearance in the GTM’s top group. “It was a good start to the year,” said an elated Glenmaura captain Matt Dougherty. “Two years ago, we lost to Llanerch, 55-13. It was our first time in Division AA and I think we were a little shell-shocked. We just wanted to go out and at least make a good showing win or lose and we were certainly able to do that.” In a format in which every quarter point matters, Steve Scarpetta exemplified sticking with it. Trailing 7-down at one point in his contest against a strong player in Sean Coyle at Llanerch CC, Scarpetta rallied all the way back to split the match. “When we came in to this year, we knew it was a tough division with three storied clubs,” said Dougherty. “We definitely will have to play very, very well this week. Hopefully, with our home course being as challenging as it is, we can hold the fort down here and keep it close at Commonwealth, which is a very challenging task. I don’t know if anyone on the team has even ever seen Commonwealth.” Individual wise, it was Chas Hudacek at home and Christian Davis away who led the way with four points each. Additionally, Hudacek and partner John Emiliani scored 4.25 points in the better-ball competition. In Section 4, both Merion GC and Hartefeld National cruised to easy victories. Merion GC defeated Olde York CC, 53-15.25, while Hartefeld National stopped Moselem Springs GC, 58.5-15.25. A dominant home performance propelled Merion GC, who is in search of its first playoff appearance since a 2003 championship. Merion GC outdistanced Moslem Springs GC, 36-2. Merion GC scored at least three points in each singles and better-ball match. “It’s early in the year so the GAP Team Matches are a little bit of a mystery for everybody,” said Michael McDermott, Merion GC’s captain. “The conditions at Merion GC were very tough and Olde York CC is a tough course, but our away team hung in there. “It seems [that Week 2 could determine the playoff representative] because both teams won by such large margins. It definitely makes it a little more interesting.” Hartefeld National, like Glenmaura National GC, recorded its first-ever Division AA victory. “It was a good win for us. We are hoping to be competitive. This is our first year at AA and I don’t think anyone expected us to win by as large a margin as we did,” said Hartefeld captain Eric Asel. “I don’t think we really had any expectations. We are happy where we are at. We expect Merion to be a tough match, so I don’t think it changes our overall strategy [with a playoff spot potentially on the line]. We’ll just go out and have fun and try to be competitive. That would be a good win for us if able to do that. I expect it to be pretty close one way or another.” Chris Smedley recorded a whopping six points at home with teammates Ryan Barba and John Dickinson, Sr., notching 4.25. On the road Dan Missar led the way with four points.
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A Walk Through Time
GAP is the oldest state or regional golf association in the country. It started courtesy of a friendly competition – the Team Matches – and has grown into the preeminent golf association in the country. Along the way, golf history has been made.
