GAP heads to Syracuse for 53rd Williamson CupHome cooking didn’t’ taste so sweet for the Golf Association of Philadelphia in the Williamson Cup a year ago. Perhaps a four-hour road trip north will cleanse the pallet.
The Association will compete in the 53rd Williamson Cup Aug. 7-8 at Bellevue Country Club in Syracuse, N.Y. It served as the host organization in 2015, tying for third at Saucon Valley Country Club’s Weyhill Course. One of the nation’s most prestigious Junior golf events, the Williamson Cup 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. If there is a playoff, all four players’ scores will count. A medalist plaque is awarded to the player with the lowest overall score. Practice rounds take place on Day One. A reception and barbeque follows the competition on Day Two. The following players will represent the Golf Association of Philadelphia in the Williamson Cup: Billy Civitella, Radnor Valley Country Club; David Colleran, Jr., Overbrook Golf Club; Jacob Hanzel, Running Deer Golf Club; Ron Robinson, Talamore Country Club. “I made it one of my goals this year to qualify [for the team],” Hanzel, 17, of Washington Township, N.J., said. “It’s going to be a fun experience — representing Philadelphia and being a part of a team with good guys. It’s great competition against teams from the Northeast. I didn’t want to miss out.” GAP holds seven Williamson Cup titles overall. Its last victory came in 2000 at Bridgewater Country Club in Fort Erie, Ontario. Reid Benditt, Chris Binder, Tug Maude and John Sawin represented the GAP team. Furthermore, the organization’s fielded four individual medalists: Greg Feiger (1987), Eric Dollenberg (1988) Aaron Friedman (1993) and Christopher Cope (1997). The Williamson Cup delineates from usual Junior competitions because of its family fabric. Players are houseguests of host club members. Accordingly, those hosts chaperone social activities away from the club. Family activities are designed to be the core of the Williamson Cup experience for all contestants. 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.
Golf Association of Philadelphia
2016 Williamson Cup roster
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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.
