Metropolitan Golf Association wins Williamson Cup; Bélanger medalsBETHLEHEM, Pa.–The Metropolitan Golf Association captured its record 11th Fred E. Williamson Cup on Wednesday at Saucon Valley Country Club’s Weyhill Course (par 72, 6,811 yards). Team MGA powered to a victory with solid and steady play, posting a 5-over-par 437 total for the 36 holes of the competition. The Washington Metropolitan Golf Association, who led by five strokes after Round 1, placed second at 7 over. Host Golf Association of Philadelphia tied the Pennsylvania Golf Association for third.
| Champions | History | Video recap | Charles-Éric Bélanger of Golf Québec took individual medalist honors at 4 under. Bélanger carded rounds of 71-69 for a 140 total. The Williamson Cup is regarded as one of the nation’s most prestigious Junior golf events. It is a 36-hole stroke play competition among teams from 10 state and regional golf associations. The low three scores of each four-man team in each round count toward the team total. Team MGA members were Ryan Davis, John Felitto, Brent Ito and Ethan Ng. Davis was the low MGA finisher, placing third in the individual portion with rounds of 73-71 (144 total). Felitto tied for fourth at 146 (74-72) and Ito seventh at 147 (72-75). Ng carded a pair of 76s (152 total), a 12th-place showing. Washington Metropolitan also placed three players in the Top 10 – Chris Navarro (2), Luke Schaap (8) and Tyler Koch (T9). Schaap was the 2014 Williamson Cup medalist. “The guys played great today. To make up six shots on the front side in the afternoon was fantastic,” said Lou Cutolo, the MGA captain. “We definitely thought we would be competitive. The guys on our team play well both locally and nationally. They are very consistent players.” Davis secured victory in spectacular style. On No. 18 (par 5, 536 yard), he knocked a 7-iron from 150 yards to 15 feet and made the sliding birdie putt. He needed a two-putt for the win. It was a bit of redemption for Davis. The 17-year-old from Berkley Heights, N.J., narrowly missed out on qualifying for the U.S. Junior Amateur, finishing as the first alternate, and recently placed mid-pack at the Carter Cup, the MGA’s Junior Stroke Play Championship. “My teammates wouldn’t tell me what the putt on the final hole meant, but luckily I made it,” said a jubilant Davis. “[To win] meant a lot. We knew we had a really good shot. After the first round we were down but we knew if we hung in there it would definitely be possible.” The MGA’s last Williamson triumph came in 2012. Other title years were 1965, 1972, 1985-86, 1986, 1995-96, 2004 and 2011. Bélanger, 16, of Québec City, Québec, was tied for second in the individual standings after an opening 1-under 71. The aforementioned Navarro of Washington opened with a 5-under 67. However, Navarro wasn’t as crisp in Round 2 and Bélanger made the turn on his second 18 at 2 under, one back at the time. With Navarro, bound for the University of Maryland in the fall still fighting his swing, Bélanger registered two more red figures to secure medalist honors. Bélanger was a member of the 2014 Québec team that won the Williamson Cup. He entered this year’s edition just days removed from a victory in the 77th Canadian Junior Boys Championship at Summerlea Golf & Country Club in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Québec. “We won [the Williamson Cup] last year. I play for the team,” said Bélanger. “I just try to make every shot the best I could. I wish to play great every time I go on the golf course. I just focus on my process, hitting fairways and greens.” Bélanger’s recipe for success on Wednesday, he hit 15 first-round greens and 16 in Round 2. He is the third medalist to represent Golf Québec joining Dan McNeeley (1992) and Nicolas Archambau (2005). Fred E. Williamson, the event’s namesake, was one of the founders of the famed Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y. He was junior golf advocate and firm promoter of the game's rules, disciplines and traditions. In 1964, teams from the four original cities — New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and Buffalo — met at Winged Foot to institute the Williamson Cup. Washington, D.C., won the competition — founded by Williamson’s son A. Fred Williamson. The Syracuse District Golf Association hosts the 2016 Williamson Cup.
Golf Association of Philadelphia
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.
