Stephen Hudacek, III jarred six birdies at Fox Hill.

Trio shares medalist honors in #BMWPhillyAm Qual. at Fox Hill

  EXETER, Pa. — It's official: the field destined for Merion Golf Club and the 116th playing of the BMW Philadelphia Amateur is set.

  Glenmaura National Golf Club’s John Barone and Stephen Hudacek, III, along with Huntsville Golf Club’s Todd Vonderheid separated themselves with even-par rounds of 71 at Fox Hill Country Club (par 71, 6,503 yards) and earned qualifying-medalist honors on their way to Merion - this year's host site for Philadelphia's premier event.

  The competitive, crowded leaderboard of 88 players saw the day’s cut line drop to 74 in the final of four Qualifiers. A weather delay was also thrown into the mix, beginning at 1:46 p.m. and ending at 3:20 p.m.

  The 116th BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship will take place June 13-15 & 18 at Merion's famed East Course. Philadelphia Country Clun will be used for qualifying only.

  Hudacek, equipped with a plethora of Fox Hill knowledge thanks to growing up in the area, dropped his first of many birdies on No. 4 (par 4, 363 yards) where he placed a sand wedge to five feet for the tap-in. After a “bad” bogey on No. 9 (par 4, 396 yards), Hudacek bounced back with his wedge once again, placing his ball to a few feet of the cup for a short-birdie look. His most impressive wedge of the day, though, came on the par-4, 362-yard 16th where he put one within a few inches of the golf ball’s home. He finished the round with six birdies, six pars, and six bogies.

  “My whole goal today was to set up [fairway] woods and wedges, and I hit the ball well, so the gameplan turned out perfect,” said Hudacek, 28, of Scranton, Pa. “Growing up, I played here a bunch as a kid so I’m familiar with the course. It’s always nice to have a Qualifier up here, and I’m happy to have played well today.”

  Hudacek last played in the Amateur in 2011, where he fell in the Final to Little Mill Country Club’s Michael Hyland on the 36th hole at Manufacturers Golf & Country Club.

  “That was an absolute blur for me, but it was fun. I’ve been dying to get back ever since, and now that I am, I get to play on two of the best courses in Philly,” he said. “I bet 80 percent of the field was at the 2013 [U.S. Open at Merion]. They saw the big guys play it, so it’ll be fun to see how we stack up against the best.”

  Barone, fresh off his redshirt-freshman season at Temple University, rolled in four birdies on the day. His first dropped on No. 3 (par 3, 197 yards) after he placed a 6-iron to 20 feet and sunk it. On the par-5 6th (par 5, 483 yards), he barely missed on a pin-high eagle attempt, but tapped in for an easy birdie. The same sequence came again on No. 14 (par 5, 519 yards), where he found the fringe with his approach shot, lipped out for eagle, and again carded an easy red number.

  The 20-year-old from Dunmore, Pa. will be making his BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship debut thanks to his share of medalist honors today.

  “I watched my teammates play Merion in the Princeton Invitational last year, but I haven’t played it. I also haven’t gotten on [Philadelphia Country], but people have told me it is just as good. Right now, I’m just really excited about it.”

  Huntsville’s Vonderheid, who says he has played Fox Hill “thousands of times,” started his round off exactly as planned. After an ideal drive on No. 1 (par 4, 403 yards), he punched a 9-iron to five feet right of the flagstick and jarred it. But then a few holes later, lightning arrived. Vonderheid and the rest of the field was forced to the clubhouse by Mother Nature.

  After the hour and a half rain delay, Vonderheid replaced his ball on the 8th (par 4, 392 yards) green, stepped up, and banged it in. Another clutch birdie came down the finishing stretch when Vonderheid two-bounced a chip into the middle of the hole on No. 17 (par 4, 384 yards). If that birdie – his fifth of the day – didn’t find the bottom of the cup, it was “likely destined for a dangerous bunker behind the green.”

  “I really stopped playing golf for the most part, but I made the [Philadelphia Amateur] cut once when it was at Philly Cricket,” said Vonderheid, 47, of Lewisburg, Pa. “I’m looking forward to getting back to Merion and playing there. It’s been a long time since I’ve been on campus. It’s going to be a fun one.”

  It doesn’t get more fun than a combination of championship golf and Merion.

  When Merion’s East Course last welcomed the BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship 62 years ago, GAP Hall of Famer John Dyniewski defeated N. Harper Steward of Manufacturers Golf & Country Club, 4&3. The Golf Association of Philadelphia Magazine highlighted the event’s history at Merion in its recent Spring 2016 issue.

  In the Championship Proper, participants must first advance through a one day, 36-hole stroke play qualifier to gain one of 32 available match play positions. Those who qualify for match play must advance through four matches in two days to reach the Amateur Final, which is typically held on the Saturday of Father’s Day weekend. The winner receives the J. Wood Platt Trophy; its namesake holds a record-seven Amateur Championship titles.

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.