Amateur Cory Siegfried advanced in a playoff.

*Scorecards
*Photo Gallery

Pro Lynch tops U.S. Open Local Qualifier at Applebrook

  MALVERN, Pa. — It’s been a decade of frustration when it comes U.S. Open qualifying for John Lynch. No, not the famous hard-hitting safety with an accomplished NFL career. The teaching professional at Peninsula Golf & Country Club with a longstanding desire to take golf’s toughest test.

  Lynch finally shattered that torment to move one step closer to grabbing a No. 2 pencil. He carded a 1-under-par 70 to earn medalist honors in a U.S. Open Local Qualifier at Applebrook Golf Club (par 71, 6,810 yards) Thursday. Lynch led a field of 132 players trying to grab one of eight available qualifying positions.

  Also advancing to the Sectional stage are fellow professionals Brandon Knaub, David Sanders and Michael Tobiason, Jr., who punched their tickets in regulation. Pros Joey Bonargo of Mechanicsville, Pa., Zak Drescher of Landisville, Pa. and Chad Wilfong of Charlotte, N.C., as well as amateur Cory Siegfried of Villanova, Pa., survived an eight-for-four sudden-death playoff to secure the remaining qualifying spots.

  The 113th U.S. Open is set for June 13-16 at Merion Golf Club.

   “I managed my game well,” Lynch, 37, of Selbyville, Del., said. “I made some nice putts and got a couple of lucky breaks. I made some really important up-an-downs, too.”

  One of those breaks occurred on the reachable par 4, 310-yard No. 3. An aggressive drive placed Lynch in the face of tall fescue. He then executed a delicate chip that tracked into the bottom of the jar for eagle. Lady Luck also stood by Lynch on No. 9 (par 3, 149 yards). He came up short of a front hole location with a pitching wedge. After taking relief from a sprinkler head, he sent a putt that navigated the upslope and dropped in for birdie. Lynch moved to 3 under after hitting a knockdown 8-iron 140 yards to 10 feet for birdie on No. 12 (par 4, 370 yards).

  As he strolled down the 18th (par 4, 454 yards) fairway with red figures intact, Lynch nearly lost his qualifying status. He blocked a 5-iron into the front right bunker and couldn’t escape a tough lie. Lynch found the green on his fourth stroke and two-putted for a safe 6.

   “I don’t know if the pressure got to me or what,” Lynch said of the approach. “I don’t really like that second shot. Back right pin, right-to-left wind, uphill — it’s a very challenging golf shot. I just didn’t pull it off.”

   Lynch will travel to Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md. for Sectionals. Knaub, a teaching professional at Hillendale Country Club in Maryland, Sanders, who competes Mini Tour events and Monday qualifiers, and Tobiason, a teaching pro at Applecross Country Club, will join Lynch there. They carded respective even-par 71s to advance Thursday.

   “I played great golf today from tee to green,” Knaub, 31, of York, Pa., said. “I bombed some drives and hit a lot of fairways.”

  The only two bogeys Knaub carded, oddly enough, were products of poor approaches from the middle of the fairway. On No. 2 (par 4, 366 yards), Knaub hit a wedge 65 yards and came up yards short of a front hole location. He made a similar error on the par 5, 573-yard 10th hole, this time nuking a 77-yard wedge shot over the green. Knaub washed away those bogeys with a pair of birdies. He drove the No. 3 (par 4, 310 yards) green and two-putted from 40 feet. On No. 13 (par 4, 453 yards), Knaub drilled a 9-iron 155 yards to four feet.

  Prior to Hillendale, Knaub spent time among the professional tour circuit, competing in eGolf, Gateway and Mini Tour events. He played in the 2010 Pennsylvania Golf Association’s Open Championship at Applebrook.

   “This was a close enough drive,” Knaub said. “I knew what I was getting into with the course. Every time I’ve been here, it’s been in phenomenal shape.”

  Knaub estimates that he’s advanced to Sectional qualifying “four or five” times in his career. He hopes to break through that barrier in Sectionals. Sanders will be there with the same mindset. The Mount Laurel, N.J. resident is now six for eight when it comes to U.S. Open Local qualifiers, but has never advanced past Sectionals.

   “I was actually going for medalist today, but fell a little short of that,” the 22-year-old said. “I casually hit every green on the front. I think I only had one up-and-down.”

  A birdie-birdie start eased Sanders into the round. He converted a 15-footer on No. 1 (par 5, 521 yards) and a 10-footer on No. 2 (par 4, 366 yards). Seven pars later, Sanders birdied the par 5, 573-yard 10th hole following a routine wedge to 10 feet. He stumbled a bit coming in to fall out of red figures. Sanders left an 8-iron from 150 yards short of the No. 16 (par 5, 578 yards) green, chipped on and failed to convert a 15-footer for par. He flew the No. 17 (par 3, 178 yards) green with a 6-iron, and a gnarly lie led to a 5. Sanders executed a clutch 15-foot double-breaker to save par on No. 18 (par 4, 454 yards) and to avoid a playoff.

  Tobiason, too, is in the midst of quite a U.S. Open qualifying streak. He’s advanced thru the local stage three straight years, including an appearance in the Championship proper in 2011 at Congressional Country Club.

   “I didn’t make any major mistakes,” Tobiason, 29, of Wilmington, Del., said. “I hit the ball really well today. I put myself in good positions to make some birdies. I didn’t have a lot of putts fall. I just managed my game real well.”

   “I expect to be playing at Merion,” he said. “I really have no excuses. I’ve been playing really well. My game’s there.”

  Siegfried, 23, a graduate student at Villanova University, is thrilled to advance to Sectionals. He qualified for the U.S. Amateur last year at Applebrook.

  ”It’s pretty nice,” he said. “It feels good to move on, especially because I’ve never done it. It’ll be interesting to see what the second stage is like. I can imagine it’s a lot harder.”

  The Golf Association of Philadelphia of Philadelphia administered a pair of U.S. Open Local Qualifiers prior to Thursday. Mikel Martinson, a professional on the eGolf tour, and Oliver White, an amateur out of Manufacturers Golf & Country Club, shared medalist honors in a qualifier at Waynesborough Country Club last week. Philadelphia Publinks GA’s Michael R. Brown, the 2010 William Hyndman, III Player of the Year, topped an event held Monday at Whitford Country 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.