Tavistock Country Club’s Jamie Slonis carded a 7-over-par 77 to share medalist honors.

*Scorecards

Trio heads Middle-Amateur Qualifier at Greate Bay

  SOMERS POINT, N.J. — Three players shared medalist honors in a Golf Association of Philadelphia Middle-Amateur Championship Qualifier at a windy and cool Greate Bay Country Club (par 70, 6,544 yards) Thursday. Running Deer Golf Club’s John Campanelli, Philmont Country Club’s John Simone and Tavistock Country Club’s Jamie Slonis survived with 7-over-par 77s to seize three of 20 qualifying spots and ties for the Championship proper, set for May 22-23 at Fieldstone Golf Club.

  Difficult conditions contributed to a field scoring average of 84. The cutline stopped at 81 by day’s end. “Survive and advance” became a mantra for the 70-player field.

  “Basically all I really wanted to do was just try to stay patient and try to make some putts,” Campanelli said. “The greens were rolling fantastic. I was really impressed with the quality. The course conditions were really great for this time of year down the shore.”

  A 1 over inward tour allowed Campanelli to hop onto the medalist stage. The Woodbury, N.J. resident carded birdies on Nos. 11 (par 4, 402 yards) and 14 (par 4, 374 yards) thanks to smooth 8-iron set-ups. He hit it 130 yards to four feet on the first, and 140 yards to seven feet on the latter. Campanelli also inked red on Nos. 3 (par 3, 121 yards) and 6 (par 5, 537 yards). He canned a straightway 30-footer following a 9-iron on No. 3, and a seven-footer after a 100-yard wedge shot on No. 6.

  Campanelli, 51, last qualified for the Middle-Amateur Championship in 2008, when Fieldstone was the host.

  “I just want to continue to go out and try to play within myself. I want to keep doing what I’m doing,” he said.

  Like Campanelli, Simone stayed patient throughout the round.

  “It was just a matter of keeping my head afloat,” Simone, 41, of Dresher, Pa., said. “The wind was tough. I was trying to hit fairways and the middle of the greens. I felt like I just had to manage big mistakes.”

  Simone settled in with a par on his first hole, and then proceeded to card two birdies against six bogeys. He knocked an 8-iron to five feet for a red figure on the par 4, 396-yard No. 4. Simone smashed a 7-iron 155 yards to 35 feet and converted a right-to-left breaker for birdie on No. 8 (par 4, 406 yards). Following back-to-back double bogeys on Nos. 13 (par 3, 170 yards) and 14 (par 4, 374 yards), frustration began to seep in. Simone squashed it with an eagle on the par 5, 548-yard 15th hole. He powered a 3-wood 245 yards to six feet.

  Nearly four years removed from back surgery, Simone is regaining confidence in his ability to compete.

  “I got some new clubs and I’m starting to feel a little bit better,” he said. “My putting has improved a lot and my driving consistency is getting better.”

  Slonis not only shared the medalist platform with Campanelli and Simone, but he also followed a similiar approach at a windswept Greate Bay.

  “I was trying to make as many pars as possible,” Slonis, 44, of Sewell, N.J., said. “It was tough to judge the wind. The greens were in great shape. They were quick.”

  Slonis never used the red marker, posting five bogeys and a double bogey on the day. He overshot the No. 14 (par 4, 374 yards) green with a sand wedge from 90 yards and failed to save bogey.   “My iron play is what hurt my score. It was a little off today,” he said.

  Slonis will now head to a venue where he’s found success. He captured the 2001 Joseph H. Patterson Cup there. Slonis will also represent Tavistock’s first team in a GAP Team Match at Fieldstone this Sunday.

  “This year, my game seems better, for whatever reason,” he said. “I’ve been trying to work on some things thru the fall and winter. I like Fieldstone. I’m comfortable on that golf course. I’m looking forward to it.”

  The final Middle-Amateur Championship Qualifier will be held May 6 at French Creek Golf Club.

  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.

  The Association’s Executive 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. The field begins with 144 players, an increase of 12 from years past. Players must have a GAP/USGA Handicap Index of 7.0 or lower.