Hartefeld members headline Mid.-Am. Qualifier at White Clay CreekWILMINGTON, Del. — A pair of Hartefeld National members shared the spotlight in a Middle-Amateur Championship Qualifier, presented by Callaway Golf, at White Clay Creek Country Club (par 72, 6,527 yards). Tom Borsello and Ronald Jamarowicz carded respective 2-over-par 74s to top the 55-player field Saturday. They grabbed two of 15 qualifying spots and ties available for the Championship proper, presented by Callaway Golf. It will take place May 21-22 at Gulph Mills Golf Club. At the end of the day, the cut line fell to 78. Experience benefited the medalists from Delaware. Borsello, of Wilmington, Del., belonged to White Clay Creek for two years. Jamarowicz, of Newark, Del., previously played the course on five occasions. “You just have to know where to miss it to give yourself an up-and-down,” Borsello, the 2010 Warner Cup (Gross) Champion, said. “It’s a course that requires knowledge to play it well.” “The course was in great shape,” Jamarowicz, 47, added. “The greens were beautiful. I hit the ball well today.”
Both Borsello and Jamarowicz fired two birdies apiece on the day. The former drilled an 8-iron 142 yards to 12 feet on No. 2 (356 yards) and converted a right-to-left breaker. On No. 18 (322 yards), Borsello, 60, lofted a wedge 67 yards to five feet. “I hit it just perfect, right on that hump where it had to kick right,” he said of the approach. “If I hit over that hump it’s gone. I knew that.” Three-putts on Nos. 3 (par 5, 554 yards), 14 (par 4, 370 yards) and 17 (par 3, 150 yards) resulted in bogeys for Borsello. On No. 6 (par 4, 425 yards), he pulled an upwind 2-hybrid from 204 yards into the left bunker, splashed out and missed a 12-footer for par. In November 2012, Borsello fractured his vertebrae during a dirt bike race. The injury shelved competitive golf for the majority of the 2013 tournament season. Borsello returned to championship form by capturing the Delaware State Golf Association’s Senior Amateur in late August. “My outlook now is I’m thankful to be walking,” he said. “This is all bonus golf for me. I’m blessed. I’m looking forward to competing again. I’m playing better now than I have in the last five or six years. I feel like I want to play again. I’ve got some desire.” A desire for competitive golf is apparent with Jamarowicz. He spent 45 minutes on the practice green before teeing off at White Clay Creek. “I didn’t know what to expect. I wanted to get a feel for how they were rolling here,” he said. The preparation paid off. Back-to-back birdies moved Jamarowicz into red figures early. He hit a 5-iron to 20 feet on the par 3, 183-yard No. 7. On No. 8 (par 5, 490 yards), Jamarowicz just missed the green with a 3-iron from 207 yards. A delicate flop shot led to a manageable six-footer. The next par 5 spoiled Jamarowicz’s subpar score, though. His 3-iron from 205 yards on No. 10 (par 5, 549 yards) caught a hillside and bounced into the hazard, which ultimately resulted in a double bogey. Jamarowicz is excited to experience Gulph Mills. “I never played the course before. I hear it’s a beautiful track,” he said. The Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Middle-Amateur Championship started in 1984, three years after the USGA created the U.S. Mid-Am as a formal championship for post-college amateurs. The Association followed suit with the USGA in creating a Mid-Am, but initially differed in its administration of the tournament in a couple of respects. The most obvious difference was the age requirement. Prior to 2001, the GAP Mid-Am was for players 30 years of age and older. The Association’s Executive Committee reviewed and revised that age requirement in 2001 to match the USGA's guidelines of 25 years of age or older for eligible players. Also at that point, the Committee changed the format of the event to a two-day stroke play tournament (instead of a one-day medal play event) with a cut to the low 70 players and ties after the first round. Callaway Golf was founded in 1982 by the late Ely Callaway, a visionary entrepreneur who operated under a simple but profound business promise: Deliver Demonstrably Superior, Pleasingly Different products and services. That philosophy turned what was originally a boutique manufacturer of high-quality wedges and putters into the world's largest maker of premium, performance golf products. The Callaway mission and vision has remained the same; we passionately pursue advanced, innovative technologies that help golfers of all abilities find more enjoyment from the game. Under the Callaway and Odyssey brands, Callaway manufactures and sells golf clubs and golf balls, and sells golf apparel, footwear and accessories in more than 110 countries worldwide. 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.
