Waynesborough Country Club hosts Open ChampionshipIf any doubt exists regarding Waynesborough Country Club as a championship venue in 2013, then take a look at May 9. The Paoli, Pa. track hosted a U.S. Open Local Qualifier that day, and none of the seven players who advanced broke par. The golf course yielded a field scoring average of 80, proving its ability to test the region’s best amateurs and professionals alike.Waynesborough will again look to demonstrate its demands when it welcomes the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s 109th Open Championship. The field features 78 players — 48 amateurs and 30 professionals — competing over 36 holes of stroke play. It is a walking only event, with temperatures forecasted to be in the low-to-mid 90s. Merion Golf Club’s Michael McDermott enters the Open with a full head of steam, having won the Middle-Amateur and Amateur Championships, respectively. “I feel pretty good about my game, but everything in the past is in the past,” McDermott, 38, of Bryn Mawr, Pa., said. “The Open is a great tournament. We all start at even par on the first. Waynesborough is a hard course. It’s going to test everybody. I’m sure will be in great shape.” McDermott feels excited about his pairing as well. He will be joined by Glenmaura National Golf Club’s Brandon Matthews, the reigning Joseph H. Patterson Cup Champion, and Mark Sheftic, Merion’s teaching professional and current Drexel Morgan & Co. Player of the Year leader in the Philadelphia Section PGA. Sheftic, 38, of Blue Bell, Pa., recently earned an exemption into 95th PGA Championship courtesy of a Top 10 finish PGA Professional National Championship last month. This marks Waynesborough’s fourth time hosting the Association’s third oldest championship and first since 1999, when the club’s then head professional Rick Osberg captured the title. Philadelphia golf legend William Hyndman, III won the 1968 affair at Waynesborough. Longtime professional James Masserio, Sr. earned the title 20 years later on the George Fazio design. Two-time reigning champion Andrew Mason is not defending his title this year. The 2011 William Hyndman, III, Player of the Year and former amateur out of Huntingdon Valley Country Club turned professional earlier this year and relocated to Florida. Previous Open titleholders in this year’s field include Stu Ingraham of M Golf Driving Range (1994), David Quinn of Links Golf Club (2006) and Rich Steinmetz of Spring Ford Country Club (2009). Among the amateurs vying for the 2013 Open crown are McDermott, a five-time William Hyndman, III Player of the Year; Philadelphia Publinks GA’s Michael Brown, the 2010 Open Champion; Overbrook Golf Club’s James Kania, Jr., the 2009 William Hyndman, III POY and LedgeRock Golf Club’s Chip Lutz, the three-time reigning Senior POY. The Golf Association of Philadelphia serves as the sole administrator of the Open Championship. It increased the field size from 72 to 78 players this year. Fifty-five players secured a spot in the field by qualifying at either Burlington Country Club or Penn Oaks Golf Club. The remaining 23 earned exemptions based on previous results. Participants include professionals who are members in good standing of the Philadelphia Section PGA, head professionals of GAP Member Clubs and amateurs who are members of member clubs and carry a handicap index of 7.0 or less. As always, the public and media are welcome to attend. Waynesborough is located at 440 Darby-Paoli Road in Paoli, Pa.
|
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.
