Whitford's Nicky Marrollo (left) and Bruce Cowgill won the Junior title.

Whitford's Cowgill, Marrollo win The Deeg Sezna at Blue Bell

  BLUE BELL, Pa. — Two steady days of rain couldn’t wash away a win for Whitford Country Club members Bruce Cowgill and Nicky Marrollo at Blue Bell Country Club (par 71, 6,319 yards).

  After the original Aug. 7 date was rained out, Cowgill and Marrollo knew they would be there for today’s make-up round considering they’ve been waiting roughly four years to compete together.

  “Once the first date got rained out, I told [Bruce], ‘You better take off next Tuesday. We need to be there.’ He said he would, and I’m glad it worked out today,” said Marrollo, 19, of Exton, Pa.

  Precipitation arrived yet again, but the twosome’s game proved to be just as consistent as the rainfall despite challenging conditions. They fired an even-par round of 71 to finish first.

  Their round started with a statement on No. 1 (par 4, 331 yards). With the event being a selective drive/alternate shot format, the pair picked Marrollo’s drive which stopped just 40 yards short of the green. Cowgill chipped up to 14 feet, giving his partner a decent look from 14 feet. Marrollo stepped up and hit the bottom of the cup for their first red number.

  The eventual champions picked up another birdie on No. 9 (par 5, 518 yards), where Cowgill’s drive was utilized follow by a Marrollo 5-iron that left the team with 100 yards in. Cowgill hit a perfect wedge from that distance to two feet, leading to a tap-in birdie.

  Despite a double bogey on No. 11 (par 4, 390 yards) due to trouble off the tee, the partners rallied with another red number on No. 17 (par 5, 494 yards). Marrollo blasted a drive, leaving Cowgill with a 175-yard approach shot that he found the right greenside bunker with. His teammate was there to pick him up. Marrollo safely escaped the sand, sticking their third shot to two feet, leading to the winning birdie.

  After a par on Blue Bell’s finisher (par 4, 354 yards), the Whitford winners would finish atop a field of 13 teams.

  Cowgill, who has been at Whitford for 12 years, currently serves as the club’s golf chairman. Being a big supporter of junior golf, he says the duo decided to team up when Cowgill took notice of Marrollo’s talents on the range, and eventually, during weekend rounds.

  “I love to watch the juniors play back at the club. It makes me better. I really enjoy it, and I try to get them to come out and play with the older guys to get them experience. I think that’s important,” said Cowgill, 49, of Malvern, Pa.

  "This is a great event that really serves a purpose. I’m happy that Nicky and I got the chance to finally compete in this together today.”

  “Some of the guys at [Whitford] refer to him as my ‘country club Dad’, so it’ll be fun to bring this trophy back with us,” said Marrollo.

Kevin Kelly & Luke Marvin

Junior-Junior
  Although the Junior-Junior Flight consisted of only two squads on the rescheduled date, Philadelphia Cricket Club's Kevin Kelly and Old York Road Country Club’s Luke Marvin did more than enough to earn their piece of hardware.

  The duo fired a 2-over 73 to take the title.

  The team came together in result of a 40-year friendship, dating back to high school, between Kelly and Luke’s father, Glenn. Kelly, who captained Cricket to the BMW GAP Team Matches title this spring, was more than happy to join up with the younger Marvin.

   “Luke is just starting to pick up the competitive game, and this is the perfect event to get him more familiar with it,” said Kelly, 51, of Horsham, Pa . “It’s a fun format. Both players have to play well.”

   “I just started playing competitively this year. I’d say I played okay and Kevin played great. I definitely putted well today, though,” said Luke, 13, who jarred a 10-foot birdie on the par-3, 158-yard 16th.

  In Marvin's last year of Junior-Junior eligibility, the team was proud they could get the job done before competing at the next level.

   “Next year, I told him we get to play with the big boys,” said Kelly. “It was great to get a trophy today.”

  In the Mixed flight, Coatesville Country Club's Owen and Kelly Brown took home the hardware with a 5-over 76, bettering a field of four teams.

  The Deeg Sezna celebrates the mentorship of the older generation for its younger counterparts. It is named in honor of Davis "Deeg" Sezna, Jr. of Hartefeld National, who lost his life on Sept. 11, 2001 in the attack on the World Trade Center in New York City.

  Deeg, an avid golfer long a mentor to his younger brothers Teddy and Willy, and a recent graduate of Vanderbilt University with a degree in economics, was in his sixth day of work on the 104th floor of the South Tower when the terrorists struck.

  To memorialize his name, the Golf Association of Philadelphia and his father, Davis Sezna, Sr., established the Deeg Sezna, pairing a junior player and an older amateur in a better ball competition, with a minimum age difference of 10 years and the stipulation that the younger player be 21 or younger. The goal is to give experienced golfers quality time with the next generation, and vice versa.

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.