Upstart Mercer Oaks, three others eye Playoff spot entering GTM Week 3

  Four teams remain undefeated in Division AA of the Golf Association of Philadelphia Team Matches and now look to secure a spot in the Playoff/Challenges set for May 8.

  Glenmaura National GC, Huntingdon Valley CC, Mercer Oaks GC and Merion GC each posted Week 2 victories to claim the top spot in their respective Sections. However, three of those four teams hold slim leads in terms of points entering Week 3.

No. 16, Glenmaura National GC

  Glenmaura National is the exception to the point-logjam. Even though the club edged Commonwealth National GC (1-1), 36.75-29, it still trails the defending Team Matches Champion by .25 points. Needless to say, next week’s contest against Philadelphia CC (0-2) is critical.

  “Just because we won two matches, it doesn’t mean anything,” Glenmaura captain Matt Dougherty said. “We know we have to go out and win next week. We saw that they (Philadelphia CC) gave Llanerch a pretty good match yesterday. Anything can happen out there.”

  Glenmaura National’s performance on the road proved to be the difference in its match against Commonwealth National. Its visiting team triumphed by 7.75 points while its home squad wrestled to a 16-16 tie.

  “I don’t know that the home team struggled. I think it’s more of a tribute to Commonwealth’s team,” Dougherty said. “They were good and there were a lot of hard-fought battles. Our away team certainly deserves all of the credit. It’s a tremendous effort on their part.”

  On the road, Glenmaura National received an adrenaline shot from Nicholas Reach, an AJGA All-American and semifinalist in last year’s U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. Reach registered 3.75 individual points and, alongside Edward Cimoch, 4.25 points in the better-ball portion.

  “Having Nick available is a tremendous asset,” Dougherty said. “He’s a difference-maker. His record speaks for itself.”

  Aside from Reach, Glenmaura National’s visiting team obtained strong performances from Christian Davis and Stephen Hudacek, III. Davis earned 2.5 individual points and, alongside partner Charles Dennis, 3.25 points in the better-ball portion. Furthermore, Davis is averaging more than three points per match.

  “He’s been able to beat excellent players on their courses,” Dougherty said. “It really sets the tone.”

  Hudacek, meanwhile, earned 3.75 individual points in his Week 2 match. He and his brother Chas Hudacek lead Glenmaura National in points with 7.5, respectively.

  “They’re both tremendous players,” Dougherty said. “Chas is the model of consistency for us, and Steve likes the challenge of going on the road.”

  Like Glenmaura National, Mercer Oaks GC rode a strong performance by its visiting team to a decisive 49.25-17.50 triumph over Tavistock CC (1-1).

  “We were fortunate enough to get it going the right way,” Jim Schulz, Jr., Mercer Oaks captain, said. “We have the utmost respect for Tavistock. We had been looking forward to this match as soon as the schedule came out. We were really anxious to play Tavistock and to have the opportunity to test our metal against the greats. We were thrilled to come away with a victory.”

  Mercer Oaks’ home and away teams each earned more than 24 points in Week 2. Schulz attributed Sunday’s win to solid better-ball scores and spectacular efforts by Mark Kosko and Robert Riley at Tavistock.

  “For them to come out victorious was a great lift for us,” Schulz said. “I felt our matches could be won and lost there.”

  The road has been a friend to Mercer Oaks. Its visiting team is averaging more than 24.5 points per match. Thomas Bartolacci, Jr., Edward Erickson, Ted Harris and Glenn Smeraglio each have earned more than six individual points in the first two weeks. Furthermore, Erickson leads Mercer Oaks with nine points, averaging 4.5 per match.

  “We’re fortunate to have guys who can travel,” Schulz said. “Ted and Edward have been very formidable. Glenn and Tom are two of the finest players in our Section, and we’re fortunate to have them on our team.”

  With the win, Mercer Oaks holds a 22.5 point advantage over Tavistock. It can close the Playoff door on its Section rivals with a victory over Blue Bell (0-2) next week.

  “We are focused. We want to play again, and we can’t wait to get back out there and compete,” Schulz said.

  In Section 1, Huntingdon Valley CC turned in a complete team effort to overtake Yardley CC (1-1), 43-20.

  “We put together a good balance,” Huntingdon Valley captain Douglas Gregor said. “Yardley is a very strong team. We were fortunate to pull away a victory.”

  Newcomers Mike Lambert and Sean Ryan contributed 2.25 and 3.75 individual points, respectively, on the road. Meanwhile, veterans Craig Scott and Wally Swiger earned four better-ball points as well as four and 3.5 individual points, respectively.

  “All of our guys got points except the captain, and I drove the van,” Gregor said jokingly.

  Although Huntingdon Valley’s victory proved decisive, the club only leads Overbrook GC (1-1) by 3.75 points heading into Week 3. Overbrook surged with a commanding 55.25-16.25 over Rolling Green GC (0-2), Huntingdon Valley’s next opponent.

  “It’s going to be tough again,” Gregor said. “Hopefully, we can get one more win.”

  One more win is what Merion GC needs to seize the Section 4 title. The team, playing without two of its best players, overcame a feisty Hartefeld National, 40-30.25.

  “Without (Merion captain) Michael (McDermott) and Jim Donnelly, we were a little worried about the home situation,” Merion’s Carl Everett said. “It was a tough day. It took a grinder.”

  And grind, Merion did. The club posted a key 15.5 points on the road to Hartefeld National’s 16.75. At home, it prevailed with a 24.5-point effort. John Castleman led Merion with six points. He and partner David Patterson registered five in the better-ball portion.

  However, despite the victory, Merion only holds a 4.25 point-edge over Hartefeld National (1-1), and it now prepares to face Moselem Springs GC (1-1), who is coming off a convincing 50-20.75 win over Olde York CC (0-2).

  “We’ve got to take this match very seriously and not coast,” Everett said. “We can’t look past this next match. We’ve got to bear down and not expect Moselem to roll over and play dead.”

Notes
Concord 1 defeated Huntingdon Valley 3 by 66.50 points, the largest margin of victory in Week 2. Conversely, Northampton 1 scored the smallest margin as it nipped Heidelberg 1 by .75 points … Jim Neumann of Doylestown 3 and Pat Purchell of Running Deer 1 each earned a week-high 7.5 individual points … Kyle Davis of Fieldstone 1, the 2006 Amateur Champion, posted five individual points in his match against James Kelly of Stone Harbor 1 … Northampton Valley 1 has amassed 206.75 points through two weeks of competition … A few Week 3 match-ups will determine Section victors in Division B. They include Sakima 1 v. Burlington 1, Penn Oaks 1 v. Wyoming Valley 1, Links 1 v. Running Deer 1, Concord 1 v. Lu Lu 1, and Fieldstone 1 v. Wildwood 1 … Eleven clubs remain undefeated entering Week 3. They include Bensalem Township CC, The Bucks Club, Glenmaura National GC, Laurel Creek CC, LedgeRock GC, Mercer Oaks GC, Raven’s Claw GC, Running Deer GC, Sakima CC and Wyoming Valley CC.