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| Northampton Country Club’s Eric Ostrosky hammers a drive on No. 4. |
*Scorecards
*Photo Gallery
Northampton’s Ostrosky heads Amateur Qualifier at Yardley
YARDLEY, Pa. — Three weeks ago, Northampton Country Club’s Eric Ostrosky accepted friend Chris Lilley’s invitation to play Yardley Country Club, his home course. The practice session assured Ostrosky that he could reach a few of the venue’s par 4s with aggressive yet calculated drives. He implemented that assertive strategy Wednesday during a Golf Association of Philadelphia Amateur Championship Qualifier at a rainy Yardley (par 72, 6,378 yards). It worked like a charm as Ostrosky carded a 1-under-par 71 to earn medalist honors.
“There are no lay-ups here,” the Bethlehem, Pa. resident said. “I just hit it the way he (Lilley) told me to hit it. I wasn’t wild about having to qualify here because I like to hit it farther and spray it a hair. This was a day that fit into my schedule.”
Ostrosky, 41, led a field of 128 players attempting to grab one of 29 qualifying positions and ties available for the event’s 113th edition, set for June 18-20 & 22 at Aronimink Golf Club. Amid intermittent rainfall throughout the day, he deposited seven birdies to overcome four holes played in a combined 6 over.
Starting on No. 10 (par 5, 564 yards), he watched his drive ricochet off a tree and crinkle into the lip of a fairway bunker. A difficult lie led to a double bogey. Following a birdie on the par 5, 495-yard 13th hole, Ostrosky, who operates a medical billing company, encountered trouble on No. 14 (par 4, 436 yards), filing a 6 after his 9-iron from 154 yards splashed into the water hazard. To cap a crazy outward tour, Ostrosky birdied two his last three holes. He stopped an 8-iron at five feet on No. 15 (par 3, 149 yards). On the downhill par 4, 305-yard 18th hole, Ostrosky eased a chip to four feet after landing his drive in the right fringe.
“You survive the back nine because there are opportunities on the front,” Ostrosky said.
Ostrosky posted a 33 coming in to secure red on the scorecard. Feeling confident in his ball-striking, Ostrosky navigated the dogleg right No. 1 (par 4, 324 yards) with a towering drive that settled 10 feet from the jar; he then two-putted. He smacked a sand wedge 90 yards to 15 feet on No. 3 (par 4, 388 yards). Ostrosky fired back-to-back birdies on Nos. 5 (par 4, 376 yards) and 6 (par 4, 320 yards). He hit a sand wedge 121 yards to five feet below the hole on the first, and nearly holed a 20-yard wedge shot for eagle on the latter. Ostrosky ended his qualifying bid with an ultimately irrelevant 4 on the par 3, 155-yard No. 9. A 71, though, is certainly a solid score for a GAP newcomer; Wednesday marked Ostrosky’s first event, aside from the annual Team Matches.
“It’s always a scheduling thing for me,” he said. “This was just a good opportunity. It’s a time of year that I play a little more golf than usual. I feel very good about it, and thank God for my wife because she’s a saint. My game is a good as it is right now.”
Ostrosky plans to be primed for the Championship proper. He’ll compete in Northampton’s three-day Member-Guest during the first week of June. The following week, he heads to Saucon Valley Country Club to participate in its Member0Guest alongside his father.
“I’ll be about as golfed in as I can be at that point,” Ostrosky said. “I don’t ever expect to lose to anyone, anywhere for any reason, but it happens. I’m not going there to lose. I’ll put it that way.”
The cut line stopped at 77 by day’s end.
Wednesday’s qualifier was the first of three used to determine who will play in the Championship proper. The next will be held Saturday, May 18 at Broad Run Golfer’s Club.
Founded in 1897, the Golf Association of Philadelphia (GAP) is the oldest regional golf association in the United States and serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. Its 143 Member Clubs and 57,000 individual members are spread across parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. As Philadelphia’s Most Trusted Source of Golf Information, the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.
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Qualifiers
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Name, club
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Scores
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Eric Ostrosky, Northampton Country Club
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71
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David West, Whitford Country Club
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72
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Mark Czerniakowski, Blue Bell Country Club
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72
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Eamon Marone,
Northampton Country Club
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73
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Matthew Gaffney, Little Mill Country Club
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73
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Rand Mendez, Fieldstone Golf Club
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74
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John Alterman, Commonwealth National Golf
Club
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74
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Joseph Gunerman, Jericho National Golf Club
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74
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Zachary Herr, Jericho National Golf Club
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74
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Todd Vonderheid, Huntsville Golf Club
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74
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James Bea, Spring Mill Country Club
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74
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Peter Moran, Edgmont Country Club
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74
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Stewart Rickenbach, Talamore
Country Club
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75
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Sean Torpey, Commonwealth National Golf
Club
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75
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Christopher Crawford, Spring Mill Country Club
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75
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Stephen Hudacek, III, Glenmaura
National Golf Club
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75
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James Braunsberg, Blue Bell Country Club
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76
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Peter Barron, III, Stone Harbor Golf Club
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76
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Andrew Jaskel, Torresdale-Frankford
Country Club
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76
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Michael Moffat, Commonwealth National Golf Club
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76
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Jim Rattigan, Schuylkill Country Club
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76
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Phillip Villari, Jr., Riverton Country Club
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76
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Russell Hill, Old York CC at Chesterfield
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76
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Bobby Svigals, Radnor Valley Country Club
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76
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Brock Kovach, Berkshire Country Club
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76
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Rodney James, Golden Oaks Golf Club
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76
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Pat Pasquariello, Philadelphia Country Club
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77
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Kevin Delaney, Downingtown Country Club
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77
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Steve Oh, Philadelphia Cricket Club
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77
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Brian Kenny, Greate Bay Country Club
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77
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Sean Seese, Huntingdon Valley Country Club
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77
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T.J. Summers, Commonwealth National Golf Club
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77
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Michael Beran, RiverCrest
Golf Club & Preserve
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77
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Failed to qualify
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Tom Spano, Llanerch
Country Club
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78
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Daniel Furman, Commonwealth National Golf Club
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78
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Ted Harris, Makefield Highlands Golf Club
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78
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Andrew Wickersham, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
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78
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Zachary Melnick, Plymouth Country Club
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78
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Mike Hartsough, Edgmont
Country Club
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78
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Scott McLaughlin, Commonwealth National Golf Club
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78
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Matt Krass, Radley
Run Country Club
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78
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Beau Guarino, Burlington Country Club
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78
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Drew Guarino, Burlington Country Club
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78
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Brett Cybulski, Merchantville Country Club
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79
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Daniel Mahoney, Lu Lu Country Club
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79
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Damon Zappariello, Five Ponds Golf Club
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79
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Jamie Slonis, Tavistock
Country Club
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79
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James Austin, Five Ponds Golf Club
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79
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Scott Storck, Philadelphia Cricket Club
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79
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Richard Marabella, Whitemarsh
Valley Country Club
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79
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Trevor Loeb, Cherry Valley Country Club
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79
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Craig Maurer, Reading Country Club
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79
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Bradley Roberts, Little Mill Country Club
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80
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Johan van Schalkwyk, Merchantville Country
Club
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80
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Oscar Mestre, Overbrook Golf Club
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80
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Nicholas Lukow, Woodstone
Country Club
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80
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James Gillespie, Wedgwood Country Club
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80
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Robert Loftus, Overbrook Golf Club
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80
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Kevin Haag, Makefield Highlands Golf Club
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80
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David Sim, Applecross
Country Club
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80
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Ryan Gelrod, Philadelphia Cricket Club
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81
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David Shields, Philadelphia Publinks GA
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81
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Paul Liebezeit, Aronimink
Golf Club
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81
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William Bello, Metedeconk National Golf
Club
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81
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Alex Bauman, The Ridge at Back Brook
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81
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Richard Sinopoli, Jr., Galloway National
Golf Club
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81
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Billy Reube, Merchantville Country Club
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81
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David O'Malley, Commonwealth National Golf Club
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81
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Will Flood, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
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81
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Charles Scalzott, Hidden Creek Golf Club
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81
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Tim Pici, Chester Valley Golf Club
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81
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Lance Oberparleiter, Laurel Creek Country
Club
|
82
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Matt Petrozelli, Saucon
Valley Country Club
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82
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Kenneth Croney, Jr., Overbrook Golf Club
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82
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Mike Krantz, Middletown Country Club
|
82
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Philip Formica, Makefield Highlands Golf
Club
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82
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Alex Willey, Burlington Country Club
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82
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Mac Ryan, Overbrook Golf Club
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82
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Andrew Sterge, Stonewall
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83
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L.J. Georgetti, Wildwood Golf & Country
Club
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83
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Benjamin Kotler, Bala
Golf Club
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83
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Charles Bernard, Aronimink Golf Club
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83
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Kevin Frost, Philadelphia Cricket Club
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83
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Brendan Papariello, White Manor Country
Club
|
83
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Chris Binet, Whitemarsh
Valley Country Club
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83
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Alec Kissell, Huntingdon Valley Country
Club
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83
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Mike Lam, Yardley Country Club
|
84
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Eric Chipin, Philmont
Country Club
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84
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Jimmy Johnston, Merion Golf Club
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84
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David Waxman, Little Mill Country Club
|
84
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Scott McKean, Chester Valley Golf Club
|
84
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Brian Dempster, Mercer Oaks Golf Course
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84
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Jason Barkley, Huntsville Golf Club
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84
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Russell Hartung, Doylestown Country Club
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84
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Kenneth Matt, Commonwealth National Golf Club
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85
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William Breskman, Rolling Green Golf Club
|
85
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Michael Boden, Aronimink
Golf Club
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85
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Andrew Bauer, Burlington Country Club
|
85
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Connor Sharp, Torresdale-Frankford Country
Club
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85
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Patrick Conroy, Llanerch Country Club
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85
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David Blair, Ravens Claw Golf Club
|
86
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Sam Gallen, Berkshire Country Club
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86
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Dan Clark, Five Ponds Golf Club
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86
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Ed Kahn, Little Mill Country Club
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86
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Patrick Phillips, Philadelphia Publinks GA
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87
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Sean Ebert, Commonwealth National Golf Club
|
87
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Michael Fagan, Whitemarsh Valley Country
Club
|
87
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Evan Galbreath, Philmont
Country Club
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87
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Hank Kaufmann, Yardley Country Club
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87
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Timothy Anderson, Philadelphia Publinks GA
|
87
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James Barr, Makefield Highlands Golf Club
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87
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Taylor Stansberry, Jericho National Golf
Club
|
88
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Jack Quirk, Huntingdon Valley Country Club
|
90
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Duane Pinnock, RiverCrest
Golf Club & Preserve
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90
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James Kaiser, Tavistock Country Club
|
91
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Chris Michael, Merchantville Country Club
|
92
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Daniel Kilpatrick, Medford Village Country Club
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93
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Daniel Brooks, Commonwealth National Golf Club
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97
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Ted Hill, Merion Golf Club
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99
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Joseph Greenwald, RiverCrest Golf Club
& Preserve
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WD
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Bill Lippman, Jericho National Golf Club
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WD
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Michael Rogers, Llanerch Country Club
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WD
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Bill Albertus, Penn Oaks Golf Club
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WD
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John Robinson, Commonwealth National Golf Club
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WD
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Brian Sokolowski, Greate
Bay Country Club
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WD
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Joseph Costanzo, Five Ponds Golf Club
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NS
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Daniel Heller, Mercer Oaks Golf Course
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WD
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Scott MacDonald, White Clay Creek Country Club
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WD
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WD - withdrawal; NS - no show
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