Martinson, White top U.S. Open Local Qual. at WaynesboroughPAOLI, Pa. — The road to Merion officially opened in the Delaware Valley Thursday as the Golf Association of Philadelphia administered a U.S. Open Local Qualifier at Waynesborough Country Club (par 71, 7,035 yards). Mikel Martinson, a competitor on the eGolf Professional Tour, and Oliver White, an amateur out of Manufacturers Golf & Country Club, shared driver duties in the pace car, carding respective even-par 71s to top a field of 122 players vying for one of seven qualifying positions. Also continuing down that road to Merion Golf Club, site of the 113th U.S. Open, are amateurs Jeff Osberg of Manayunk, Pa. and Braden Shattuck of Aston, Pa. as well as professionals Chris Gallagher of Huntersville, N.C., Travis Howe of Charlotte, N.C. and Mark Summerville of Jupiter, Fla., an assistant at Philadelphia Country Club. Gallagher made a 10-footer for birdie on No. 10 (par 4, 458 yards), the first playoff hole, to best six others for the final qualifying spot. All seven players must pass through Sectional qualifying (one day, 36 holes) to earn a place in the U.S. Open, set for June 13-16. “I got off to a really solid start,” Martinson, 28, of Charlotte, N.C., said. “I hit it inside 15 feet on the first seven holes. I just had putts that kept burning the edge. Overall, I was very pleased with how I hit the golf ball. I’ve been starting to swing at the ball really good, and I just trusted myself today.” Martinson fired back-to-back birdies on Nos. 6 (par 3, 219 yards) and 7 (par 5, 547 yards) to move into red figures early. On the first, he stopped a 4-iron at four feet. Martinson reached the No. 7 green in regulation with a routine wedge shot and tapped-in for birdie. After making a key sand save on No. 9 (par 4, 450 yards), he missed a five-footer to save par on No. 10 (par 4, 458 yards), which threatened to derail his effort. “I got a little bit off momentum-wise,” he said. Martinson reclaimed that momentum with a birdie on No. 14 (par 3, 175 yards), smashing an 8-iron to 15 feet and sinking a left-to-right breaker. Missteps on his final two holes bumped Martinson into the blue. On the demanding 17th hole (par 3, 250 yards), he landed a 3-wood hybrid in front of the right greenside bunker. Martinson cleared that hazard with a wedge shot that stopped four feet from the jar, but he missed the ensuing par putt. He caught the left greenside bunker on No. 18 (par 5, 575 yards) with an aggressive 3-wood from 285 yards and failed to get up-and-down. So far this year, Martinson’s made five out of six cuts on the eGolf Professional Tour. He previously spent time on the Adams Golf Pro Tour Series. Martinson will now head to Sectional qualifying in Columbus, Ohio at Brookside Golf & Country Club and Lakes Golf & Country Club June 3. Martinson, a Lubbock, Texas native, first saw Waynesborough yesterday for a practice round. He chose it as his local qualifying site because he is attending his roommate’s bachelor party in Atlantic City, N.J. this weekend. White isn’t sure where he’s traveling for Sectional qualifying; he’s just thrilled and humbled to be a part of it. “I’m a very in-the-moment kind of person,” the Lower Gwynedd, Pa. resident said. “I played well here in a U.S. Amateur Qualifier last year, and I wanted to play here again. It’s very exciting to qualify.” After making the turn at 3 over, the Allegheny College senior “kind of caught fire” and posted four birdies heading home to advance. White hit a 6-iron 175 yards to 10 feet on No. 10 (par 4, 458 yards). He nestled a wedge 50 yards to five feet on the par 4, 339-yard 12th hole. After converting a 15-footer for birdie on No. 13 (par 4, 438 yards), White nearly reached the No. 15 (par 5, 536 yards) green in two strokes with a 3-wood from 260 yards that landed flag-high right of the green. His ensuing pitch rode the slope and stopped two feet from the jar. “It was a bit of a nerve-wracking end,” White said. “You know you’re right around there. I was trying not to pay attention to the scores. I was a little bit nervous, but I tried to push it aside and just play. I tried to accept where I was at and hit the shots I wanted to hit.”
“It’s a comfort level I have here,” he said. “I enjoy the course. I love the layout. It always plays difficult. When I looked at where the U.S. Open [local qualifying] sites where going to be this year, I was excited to see it here. I knew it was going to be a challenging course for everybody.” And a challenge it proved to be for Osberg, who is now six months removed from back surgery. “It’s really been the last few weeks that I started to hit it again,” he said. “I spent a lot of time in the rough today. I struggled putting. I wasn’t in trouble a whole lot, though. I was very pleased with how I hit it today.” Osberg opened with a birdie on No. 1 (par 4, 362 yards), hitting a gap wedge 118 yards to three feet. He carded consecutive bogeys on Nos. 4 (par 3, 185 yards) and 5 (par 4, 422 yards), thanks to a three-putt on the first and an approach from the left fairway bunker on the latter. Osberg also bogeyed the par 4, 458-yard 10th hole. He knocked an 8-iron 168 yards to 15 feet and three-putted. “It was tough to start the back nine like that,” he said. “I had some momentum on the front. Even though I was missing putts, I was still hitting the ball pretty well.” Osberg shook off the cobwebs by nearly driving the No. 12 (par 4, 339 yards) green. He eased a chip to four feet and cleaned up the birdie putt. A well-executed flop shot from the front of the No. 15 (par 5, 536 yards) put Osberg four feet above the hole for birdie. Osberg clung onto even-par until the 17th hole (par 3, 250 yards). He came up short of the green with an upwind 2-iron, delivered a chip to four feet but missed a downhill slider to save par. Osberg will head to Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md. for Sectional qualifying on June 3. He smiles at the notion of setting foot on Merion for the Championship proper. “It would be unbelievable,” Osberg said. “I love the golf course, but it would be nice because you have family and friends [rooting for you] as the hometown person.” 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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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.
