Trio prevails in #PatCup Qualifier at YardleyYARDLEY, Pa. — Three players in red numbers walked away from an on-and-off rainy day at Yardley Country Club (par 72, 6,399 yards) with something besides wet golf bags and grips.
Home-club hopeful John Buliga, Greate Bay Country Club’s Eric DeKarski and Spring Ford Country Club’s J.T. Spina prevailed with matching 2-under 70s to earn medalist honors in a Joseph H. Patterson Cup Qualifier Wednesday. Despite an hour delay to begin the day due to wet course conditions, followed by torrential rain at the end of play, the trio topped a field of 94 players. The day’s cut line fell at 4-over 76. The 116th #PatCup will be played Aug. 8-9 at Gulph Mills Golf Club. Buliga, who says he’s played Yardley upwards of 200 times, jarred three birdies on his home track to grab a share of the top spot. One of those red highlights in particular stood out. On No. 8 (par 4, 349 yards), his second-to-last hole of the day and played in the torrential downpour, Buliga chipped in from the back of a greenside bunker. “I could barely grip the club,” said Buliga, 21, of Langhorne, Pa. “I was just able to get it over the fringe, and it rolled out, which gave me a share of the medal. Once it started raining all I wanted to do was get my round in. It’s just the qualifying round, so I just worried about finishing.” Buliga just finished up a successful two-year career at Bucks County Community College, where he was a standout player for the Centurions. He’s got his eyes set on a transfer in the near future. “I’m going to take a semester off then see where golf takes me,” said Buliga. “I’ve been talking to schools so we’ll see.” Fresh off a tied-for-25th finish in the GAP Open Championship at St. Davids Golf Club, Buliga will head to Gulph Mills in the right frame of mind – birdie-seeking with confidence. “My game has been coming around at the right time,” he said. “I’m looking forward to getting to [Gulph Mills]. I haven’t played it, but I’ve caddied there three times, so it’ll be fun.” DeKarski, a rising junior at Florida Atlantic University, jarred five birdies during his medal-earning round. The 2-under 70 was a result that meant more than just the low honor. It meant the commitment to an intense rehab program has been working. “I’m so happy, honestly, to have played well today. It’s been a tough stretch for me,” said DeKarski, 20, of Egg Harbor Township, N.J. “I tore my shoulder last August and it was really difficult for me.” After a successful high school career at Egg Harbor Township High School, where he won the Atlantic City Press’ High School Golfer of the Year as a senior, DeKarski committed to Florida Atlantic. He caught a bad break his first season when he was cut from the team after the injury. He took a break from golf for over six months, and is now finally getting back into the groove of the game. “I’m trying to show my golf coach, with results like these, that I’ve recovered and that my game is in good shape. That makes today even more important, honestly,” says DeKarski, who will have three years of eligibility remaining. If today’s subpar round was any indication, DeKarski’s injury is behind him. A Patterson Cup appearance awaits ahead of him. “It feels great knowing I’ll be there. It’s the next step of the process of posting scores and getting back into it,” said DeKarski. Joining the others in the medalist seat was Spina, an incoming Saint Joseph’s University freshman. It was four birdies matched with just two bogeys that got the job done for the 18-year-old. “I’ve got to be happy with the way I played today,” said Spina, of Schwenksville, Pa. “I had two three putts, but other than that, it was good golf.” Spina, a frequent competitor on the GAP Junior circuit, has appeared in one Major thus far in his young career – the 2016 #PatCup at Huntingdon Valley. He used that week as a test of his game. Now, he says he’s ready to compete for the Patterson title. “This time around, I’ve got my eyes on the trophy,” he said. The second oldest Championship in the Golf Association of Philadelphia, the Joseph H. Patterson Cup memorializes a man who fostered the game in its infancy. Joseph Henry Patterson, a Philadelphia Cricket Club member, competed in the first out-of-town match played by a team of Philadelphians. Friends of Patterson donated the Cup, designed by J.E. Caldwell & Co., to the Association in 1900. NOTES: Blaine Lafferty of Little Mill Country Club spun a 9-iron back on No. 15 (par 3, 154 yards) for his first career ace... Tee times were pushed back one hour due to wet course conditions.
Golf Association of Philadelphia
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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.
