Skurla, Socaris share medalist spot in Amateur Qual. at Running DeerPITTSGROVE, N.J. — White Manor Country Club’s Steve Skurla and Broad Run Golf Club’s Jon-Michael Socaris carded respective 2-under-par 70s to share medalist honors in a Golf Association of Philadelphia Amateur Championship Qualifier at a pleasant Running Deer Golf Club (par 72, 6,682 yards) Saturday. The two led a field of 73 players hoping to grab one of 21 qualifying positions and ties available for the Championship proper, set for June 9-11 & 14 at White Manor. The cut line stopped at 77 by day’s end. Greens in regulation marked a theme among the medalists; Skurla hit 15, Socaris 16. That isn’t where the similarities end either. Both Skurla and Socaris played Running Deer for the first time Saturday. Both birdied their second holes in the shotgun format. Both bogeyed a par 3 thanks to a missed green. And both are transplants looking to make a mark on the GAP circuit.
Skurla, who started on No. 10, carried the water hazard on No. 11 (par 4, 357 yards) with a monstrous drive, nudged a wedge 60 yards and canned a downhill 35-footer for birdie. He reached the par 5, 535-yard 14th hole in two strokes with a screaming 6-iron from 198 yards. Skurla eased a 40-footer from the fringe into tap-in territory. He missed the par 3, 170-yard No. 7 left with a 6-iron with a 6-iron and failed to get up-and-down. A birdie on the par 5, 518-yard No. 9 overshadowed the error. Skurla caught the left greenside bunker in two strokes with a 5-iron from 209 yards, but splashed out to 10 feet and executed the subpar putt. “This was my first time playing in a GAP event, so I was very excited to get out here and play well,” Skurla, 22, of Villanova, Pa., said. Skurla is a Chicago, Ill. native and Villanova University graduate. During two of his four years as a Wildcat, he was roommates with Brian Colbert, the 2012 GAP Amateur Champion and a former White Manor member. “He was the reason I came to Villanova. He was a year ahead of me and we’re friends from Chicago,” Skurla, who works in sales, said. ““He was very influential in improving my golf game, so I owe him a lot of credit.” Skurla, who qualified for the 2010 U.S. Amateur, looks forward to competing at White Manor for the Championship proper. “I’ve had three years of experience on the course. I’m very comfortable there,” he said. Starting on No. 3, Socaris poured in a wild 80-footer on his next hole (par 5, 520 yards) for birdie. He powered a 4-hybrid from 200 yards onto the back of the large green complex before a bit of magic ensued. “There is a big mound, so I had to put it up and down, and then just let it trickle down,” Socaris, 28, of Chadds Ford, Pa., said. “It just broke to the right at the end, caught the right lip and circled in.” That 4-hybrid didn’t serve Socaris well on the par 3, 200-yard 13th hole, where he missed the green right, ran a chip 15 feet past the flagstick and missed the comebacker for par. Socaris recovered with a birdie on No. 15 (par 4, 333 yards) after knocking a 60-degree wedge 80 yards to 12 feet. Another rowdy red figure came on the par 4, 435-yard 18th hole. Socaris hit a 6-iron 180 yards to 25 feet and rolled a putt that negotiated slopes accordingly. His golf ball crashed into the back of the jar, popped up and plummeted in. Socaris is originally from upstate New York. He started playing in GAP events two years ago and hopes Saturday’s subpar performance is a sign of subpar scores to come. “Today, it all came together from tee to green, so I wants to continue with rounds like this,” Socaris, an auditor for the IRS, said. “I’m striking the ball well. I wasn’t in trouble once at all, which is key here because there are a couple of holes on the back nine where you can put yourselves in bad spots and make a big number. It’s kind of a tight course. You just have to keep it in play.” Socaris advanced into match play in the 2005 U.S. Amateur at Merion Golf Club. He also competed in the British Amateur in 2006. Saturday’s qualifier was the second of three used to determine who will compete in the Championship proper. The last will be held Monday, May 19 at Torresdale-Frankford 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 150 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.
