 |
| Joe April of Philadelphia Cricket Club watches his drive on No. 17 (par 4, 412 yards). |
*Scorecards
Former Burlington members April, Wallace top Open Qualifier
MT. HOLLY, N.J.–The top of the 109th Open Championship Qualifier leaderboard turned into a Burlington Country Club reunion. Joe April and Jack Wallace, former Burlington members and club champions who now play out of Philadelphia Cricket Club, finished 1-2 atop Thursday’s 98-player field at Burlington (par 70, 6,725 yards).
April earned medalist honors with a 4-under-par 66. Wallace, who had April in his sights for most of the round, finished at 3 under. The pair earned two of the available 21 spots for the Open Championship on July 17 at Waynesborough Country Club. The cut line for the field fell at 72 with a seven-player-for-six-spot playoff.
April holds the Burlington competitive course record of 63. He set that in 2006, as a non-member, ironically playing with Wallace.
“I always feel great playing here. It’s a course I’m very comfortable with,” said April, who held Burlington membership status from 2008-11. “I love the set up of it and really know these greens well. It showed today.”
April totaled 25 putts include only 10 on the front side.
Playing in the first group of the day, April used an early-round surge to flash atop the leaderboard. He holed a 20-yard bunker shot on No. 2 (par 3, 217 yards) for birdie before sinking a 60-foot eagle putt on No. 4 (par 5, 505 yards).
“That really jumped started the round,” said April of his eagle. “I was just trying to get it to lag range and had the perfect line and perfect speed. It’s one of those you don’t expect but always take.”
April completed a 4-under front side on No. 9 (par 4, 440 yards) when he knocked a 6-iron from 185 yards to 15 feet and made the putt.
“I was feeling great,” said April, 28, of Philadelphia, Pa., who won the Cricket club championship a few weeks ago. “I knew I had to keep it going.”
April dropped a 100-yard sand wedge on No. 11 (par 4, 348 yards) to six inches for another 3, to move to 5 under but followed with a couple of poor swings and back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 12 and 13. April responded with a birdie on his next hole, No. 14 (par 5, 561 yards), with a 95-yard sand wedge to three feet for a final birdie. He finished with four straight pars.
“I saw where the qualifiers were and knew where I had to be,” said April. “I still love this golf course but living in Center City and working in the suburbs made it more appealing to join a club over there.”
Wallace, too, made the turn at 4 under and with the course record in sight. He birdied Nos. 1 (par 4, 422 yards), 3 (par 4, 402 yards), 4 (par 5, 505 yards) and 8 (par 4, 417 yards). Wallace had a 9-iron and three wedges in hand for his approach shots on those holes and was within 20 feet on each.
He also missed three other makeable birdie tries.
“Yes [I was thinking about it]. I actually played with Joe the day he shot the course record,” said Wallace, a Burlington member from 1994-2011. “I had four birdies on the front and it could easily been six or seven.”
Wallace moved to 5 under after sticking a 9-iron from 142 yards to inches. However, three poor chips on No. 12 (par 3, 194 yards) after missing the green right and another on No. 14 (par 5, 561 yards) dropped his score to 1 under. Wallace finished with birdies on Nos. 16 (par 4, 449 yards) and 17 (par 4, 412 yards). He knocked a 9-iron from 142 yards to 10 feet on 16 and dropped an 8-iron from 160 yards to eight feet.
“I actually shot a 63 of my own,” said Wallace, 29, of Plymouth Meeting, Pa. “but it was front a tee set further forward.”
Wallace’s father David is still a Burlington member.
NOTES –There was a 50-minute weather delayed beginning at 4:07 p.m.
|
Qualifiers
|
|
Name,
club
|
Score
|
|
(a) Joe
April, Philadelphia Cricket Club
|
66
|
|
(a) Jack
Wallace, Philadelphia Cricket Club
|
67
|
|
David
Taraschi, Merchantville Country Club
|
69
|
|
(a) Zach
Arsenault, Little Mill Country Club
|
70
|
|
William
Sautter, Philadelphia Cricket Club
|
70
|
|
(a) Matthew
Finger, Wedgwood Country Club
|
70
|
|
(a) Peter
Barron, III, Stone Harbor Golf Club
|
70
|
|
(a) Zach
Allinson, Lehigh Country Club
|
71
|
|
John
Lynch, The Peninsula Golf and Country Club
|
71
|
|
Jeffrey
Bonicky, Sea Oaks Golf Club
|
71
|
|
(a) Oliver
White, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
|
71
|
|
(a) Conrad
Von Borsig, White Manor Country Club
|
71
|
|
(a) Johan
van Schalkwyk, Merchantville Country Club
|
71
|
|
(a) Alexander
Hicks, Wildwood Golf & Country Club
|
71
|
|
Ryan
Carfara, Golf Galaxy - Oxford Valley
|
71
|
|
(a) *John
Brennan, Philadelphia Cricket Club
|
72
|
|
(a) *James
Braunsberg, Blue Bell Country Club
|
72
|
|
(a) *Benjamin
Cooley, Huntingdon Valley Country Club
|
72
|
|
(a) *Michael
Tash, Tavistock Country
Club
|
72
|
|
(a) *Tom
DiCinti, Little Mill Country Club
|
72
|
|
(a) *Zachary
Falone, Rolling Green Golf Club
|
72
|
| |
|
Alternates
(in order)
|
|
*John
Cooper, Jr., Green Valley Country Club
|
72
|
|
(a) *Brandon
Dalinka, The Ridge at Back Brook
|
73
|
|
(a) *Chris
Lange, Jr., Overbrook Golf Club
|
73
|
|
(a) *Evan
Galbreath, Philmont Country
Club
|
73
|
| |
|
Failed
to qualify
|
|
(a) *Thomas
Gramigna, Tavistock
Country Club
|
73
|
|
(a) *Christopher
Crawford, Spring Mill Country Club
|
73
|
|
*Bertus Wessels, Green Valley
Country Club
|
73
|
|
(a) Ben
Feld, Green Valley Country Club
|
74
|
|
(a) Joseph
Gunerman, Jericho National Golf Club
|
74
|
|
Robert
Hennefer, Links Golf Club
|
75
|
|
(a) Gerald
Newell, Jr., DuPont Country Club
|
75
|
|
(a) Paul
Bizzaro, Makefield
Highlands Golf Club
|
76
|
|
(a) Sean
Semenetz, Philadelphia Cricket Club
|
76
|
|
(a) Andrew
Dietz, Laurel Creek Country Club
|
76
|
|
(a) Vincent
Budny, Metedeconk
National Golf Club
|
76
|
|
Joshua
Deal, Woodloch Springs Country Club
|
76
|
|
(a) Rich
Thon, The Springhaven Club
|
77
|
|
Joey
Pohle, Indian Valley Country Club
|
77
|
|
Andy
Watters, Inniscrone Golf Club
|
77
|
|
(a) Louis
Kelly, Jr., Philmont Country Club
|
77
|
|
(a) Sean
Fahey, Overbrook Golf Club
|
77
|
|
Dean
Halterman, Galloway National Golf Club
|
77
|
|
Graham
Dendler, Trenton Country Club
|
77
|
|
(a) Michael
Hodges, The Springhaven Club
|
77
|
|
(a) Pat
Pasquariello, Philadelphia Country Club
|
78
|
|
(a) Ryan
Richardson, Burlington Country Club
|
78
|
|
(a) Vincent
Anagnos, Merchantville Country Club
|
78
|
|
(a) Rob
Singer, Little Mill Country Club
|
78
|
|
Thomas
Michaels, Waynesborough Country Club
|
78
|
|
(a) L.J.
Georgetti, Wildwood Golf & Country Club
|
79
|
|
(a) Bobby
Ranken, Burlington Country Club
|
79
|
|
(a) Steve
Oh, Philadelphia Cricket Club
|
79
|
|
(a) Trey
Croney, Overbrook Golf Club
|
79
|
|
(a) Connor
Eichman, Llanerch Country
Club
|
79
|
|
Michael
Wheeler, Waynesborough Country Club
|
79
|
|
(a) Joseph
Costanzo, Five Ponds Golf Club
|
79
|
|
George
Frake, II, Little Mill Country Club
|
79
|
|
(a) James
Chojnacki, Little Mill Country Club
|
79
|
|
(a) David
Krausse, Jericho National Golf Club
|
80
|
|
(a) Michael
Santerian, Wedgwood Country Club
|
80
|
|
(a) Liam
Fahey, Overbrook Golf Club
|
80
|
|
Nicholas
Lamberti, Philadelphia Cricket Club
|
80
|
|
(a) Robert
Galbreath, Jr., Philmont
Country Club
|
80
|
|
(a) Peter
Moran, Edgmont Country Club
|
80
|
|
(a) Scott
Jones, Rancocas Golf Club
|
81
|
|
(a) Zachary
Melnick, Plymouth Country Club
|
81
|
|
(a) John
Samaha, Old York Road Country Club
|
81
|
|
(a) Phil
Cillo, Little Mill Country Club
|
81
|
|
(a) Kevin
Haag, Makefield Highlands Golf Club
|
81
|
|
(a) Mike
Hartsough, Edgmont Country
Club
|
82
|
|
(a) Mark
Wachter, DuPont Country Club
|
82
|
|
(a) James
Bea, Spring Mill Country Club
|
82
|
|
(a) Alec
Kissell, Huntingdon Valley Country Club
|
82
|
|
Brad
Skupaka, GolfTEC
Philadelphia
|
83
|
|
(a) Brian
Powell, Burlington Country Club
|
84
|
|
(a) Matt
Cocco, Commonwealth National Golf Club
|
84
|
|
(a) Philip
Formica, Makefield Highlands Golf Club
|
84
|
|
Stephen
Sieracki, Burlington Country Club
|
85
|
|
(a) Brett
Cybulski, Merchantville Country Club
|
85
|
|
(a) Brian
Dobisch, Talamore Country
Club
|
85
|
|
(a) James
Austin, Five Ponds Golf Club
|
85
|
|
(a) David
Sim, Applecross Country
Club
|
86
|
|
(a) Scott
Forrester, JC Melrose Country Club
|
86
|
|
(a) Joseph
Hughes, Little Mill Country Club
|
86
|
|
(a) Matt
McGovern, Makefield Highlands Golf Club
|
87
|
|
(a) Rob
Beaver, Makefield Highlands Golf Club
|
87
|
|
(a) Miguel
Biamon, Whitemarsh Valley
Country Club
|
88
|
|
(a) Robert
Cummings, Riverton Country Club
|
89
|
|
(a) Ted
Hill, Merion Golf Club
|
WD
|
|
(a) Eric
Spiller, Burlington Country Club
|
WD
|
|
(a) Elias
Chua, Fieldstone Golf Club
|
WD
|
|
(a) Andy
Achenbach, Huntingdon Valley Country Club
|
NS
|
|
(a) Mark
Kosko, Sea Oaks Golf Club
|
WD
|
|
(a) Chris
Michael, Merchantville Country Club
|
WD
|
|
(a) Patrick
O'Brien, North Hills Country Club
|
WD
|
|
(a) Todd
Gunerman, Jericho National Golf Club
|
WD
|
|
(a) George
Petrellis, Blue Bell Country Club
|
WD
|
|
(a) Stephen
Kidron, Old York Road Country Club
|
WD
|
|
(a) Daniel
Heller, Mercer Oaks Golf Course
|
WD
|
|
(a) Garrett
Conway, Burlington Country Club
|
WD
|
|
(a) Alex
Kane, Radley Run Country Club
|
WD
|
| |
|
(a)-denotes amateur
|
|
NS-no
show; WD-withdrawal
|
|
*determined
in playoff
|
|
