Frank Petrash, IV watches his drive on No. 12 tee (par 4, 452 yards).

NOTEBOOK: Philly Cricket fields 12 players in Mid.-Am.;
Ten make Day One cut

  WAYNE, Pa.-The club championship at Philadelphia Cricket Club isn’t until mid-June, but spectators at St. Davids Golf Club (par 70, 6,545 yards) on Wednesday might have been led to believe differently. Twelve players in the field donned the Philly Cricket logo with pride on Day One of the 32nd GAP Middle Amateur Championship presented by Callaway Golf.

  “I didn’t even realize it until I was following everybody online, and I started favoriting our players on the leaderboard,” said Robert Savarese, Jr., 49, Lafayette Hill, Pa., who carded a 7-over 77 and captained Philly Cricket’s first team to a BMW Team Matches Division AA title this spring. “I think it’s a testament to how many good players we have at Cricket. And the fact of the matter is, I don’t know how many guys tried to qualify, but we could probably have had more.”

  For comparison’s sake, Llanerch Country Club and Overbrook Golf Club both fielded six players each this week, the next closest number to Philly Cricket’s trophy hunters.

  “Having 12 guys out here, there’s always that competition, and it really makes it easier because every weekend you’re playing against a good amount of guys who are near the top of the leaderboard today,” Frank Petrash, IV, 28, of Washington, D.C., who carded a 9-over 79, said. “Our club championship is like a mini-GAP event in itself, and there’s a lot of talk between us about coming out here and who is going to play well. Its one thing to come out here and compete against the field, but it’s another thing to come out here and compete against all of the guys in your club.“

  Ryan Gelrod, 43, of Ambler, Pa., is still relatively new to the Philly Cricket Club, having been a member of four years, but he has already dealt with his fair share of inter-club competition. He says at the end of the day, it’s more of a friendly rivalry than anything.

  “It’s been tremendously fun and it forces you to try to get better. Certainly you want to beat your buddies,” said Gelrod, who will play in the final grouping on Thursday after turning in a 2-over 72. “When a guy does something, when one of our guys does well, we all go out and celebrate with him. We spend a lot of time together and we revel in each other’s success. [I] just hope I can be the next one.”

  Ten members of Philly Cricket made the Day One cut, and will make up 14.3 percent of the field for the final round on Thursday.

Defending champ Barron battles St. Davids for 6-over 76

  Defending champion Peter Barron, III arrived at St. Davids this morning as the reigning champion of the GAP Middle-Amateur Championship. He left this afternoon with a 6-over 76 on his Day One scorecard, eight shots off Scott McNeil’s lead.

  “My putting was pretty poor today. I think I had three 3-putts, and they were all because of hitting poor irons and having 50 or 60 feet to the hole. All about distance control and leaving putts eight or 12 feet short,” said Barron, a member at Stone Harbor Golf Club.

  Barron, of Mays Landing, N.J., carded a 1-over 36 on the front nine, but a triple bogey on No. 17 (par 3, 184 yards) was a major contributor to a 5-over 40 on the back. He finished 6 over on St. Davids’ par 3s for the day.

  In 2013, Barron finished as the runner-up in the Middle-Amateur Championship at Fieldstone Golf Club. Last year at Gulph Mills Golf Club, he fired 69 on Day One and 68 on Day Two to capture his first GAP Major title.

  “[Gulph Mills] and this are similar,” said the 39-year-old. “I think this was a little firmer. Wedges took one hop and released a little bit. But if you struck it well with your irons, they pretty much stopped.”

  While he’ll need to card more than a handful of red numbers on Thursday, anything can happen on the final day of a GAP Major, especially when rain is in the forecast.

  “To get to the top, I probably have to go 6 or 7 under. Scott [McNeil, the leader has] been playing really well,” Barron said. “I’m pretty good in the rain, I don’t know if it’s 6 or 7 good, but I can get it around in the rain. Every bit of weather helps.”

12-time club champ takes in GAP Major experience at home course

  Brian Gillespie is rather familiar with St. Davids Golf Club. As a member the past 16 years, Gillespie has won the club championship 12 times, including five consecutively, at the site of the 32nd Middle-Amateur Championship. Despite his prolonged success at the course, Gillespie was put in some precarious situations on Day One throughout his round of 9-over 79.

  “The course obviously played difficult today. It’s a wind that’s not familiar with this golf course, so on a couple of holes, I think I counted six or seven places that I had never been before,” said the 39 year old.

  Gillespie also spoke proudly about the first GAP Major of the year being held at his beloved home course.

  “I think the best part about having this event at your home course is hearing what the guys have to say afterwards about the course. Obviously, we’re hearing a lot of good things,” said the 2001 BMW Philadelphia Amateur champion. “It’s really cool to have all your friends and have all the best players in the section play your golf course.”

  After making the Round Two cut, the Newtown Square, Pa. resident predicts there will be more red numbers on Thursday.

  “I think guys that have played here before might have a hard time adjusting to these greens being firm. Even as a member here for awhile, these greens are usually soft,” said Gillespie. “To have them firm, a lot of adjustments will be made, and I think they will be made tomorrow which will lower the scores.”

NOTES -- McNeil’s approach shot to the No. 18 green hit the flagstick and landed 10 feet from the hole. His birdie putt missed on the right edge ... This is the 15th year the Middle-Amateur Championship has utilized a two-day, 36-hole format ... There were 13 defending champions in the field on Day One. Oscar Mestre (2002) and Glenn Smeraglio (2011) both finished at 4-over 74 to lead the group of past winners.

  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.

Golf Association of Philadelphia

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 151 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.