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| Oscar Mestre and Raymond Thompson carded a 7-under-par 64 to prevail. |
Overbrook’s Mestre, Thompson defend Senior Four-Ball Stroke Play title
WEST CHESTER, Pa. — As the golf balls belonging to Oscar Mestre and Raymond Thompson glistened on the 18th green, Edward Erickson marveled at his playing partners, verbally acknowledging — sarcastically, sincerely, perhaps a bit of both — their winning formula.
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“He finally said to us, ‘So this is the concept. You both want to be on the green. I have to remember that,’” Mestre, 58, of Berwyn, Pa., said. “We both had a lot of birdie looks. That was the concept of the day: two guys having shots at birdie. It’s tough to execute, but it frees you up. Whoever’s turn it was to execute, executed. Ray hit some fabulous shots.”
“I played well on the back nine. Oscar played well on the front,” Thompson, 66, of Drexel Hill, Pa., said. “It was a good ham-and-egg show."
The longtime Overbrook Golf Club duo successfully defended its title in the 59th Senior Four-Ball Stroke Play Thursday. Mestre and Thompson carded a sizzling 7-under-par 64 at Penn Oaks Golf Club (par 71, 6,260 yards). Wilmington Country Club’s Randy Mitchell and Steve Walczak finished two shots back.
Cohesion, consistency and coaching made the Overbrook tandem a leaderboard threat from the outset. Thompson logged the team’s first birdie on No. 3 (par 5, 468 yards) after splashing a bunker shot into gimme range. Mestre reached the green in two with a 9-iron from 152 yards, but missed a slippery 10-footer for eagle on the low side. That 9-iron, though, proved to be his weapon of choice on this day. He hit it 151 yards to 25 feet on No. 5 (par 4, 400 yards) and buried the right-to-left breaker. Mestre and Thompson made the turn in 3 under after respective birdies on the par 5, 480-yard No. 9. Thompson’s swift chip from the right greenside rough gave the reigning Brewer Cup champion a kick-in. Mestre again reached the green in two, this time with a hybrid, and two-putted.
A downhill Thompson chip on another par 5 (No. 13, 510 yards) also resulted in a birdie. Furthermore, he drained a right-to-left breaking 20-footer on the dogleg right 11th hole (par 4, 328 yards) following a three-quarter wedge from 100 yards.
The team’s lone error occurred on No. 14 (par 4, 441 yards) because of poor tee positioning.
“We both thought that if we cleared that tree on the right, we were gaining a lot on the hole. There was no way you should hit it right,” Mestre, the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Vice President, said. “We hit bad shots, but we didn’t know the hole. You could play out of the left rough all day long.”
The coaching element in the Overbrook duo’s formula became prevalent on the No. 15 (par 3, 152 yards) tee-box. Mestre made Thompson's four-footer for birdie possible with his advice.
“Ray was thinking 8-iron. I hit 9-iron and it was the right distance,” Mestre said. “I said to him, ‘It’s a 9-iron left of the hole.’”
“I wasn’t going to hit 9-iron. He hit first and we thought he was reasonably close,” Thompson said. “A 9-iron was the perfect club.”
Mestre also talked Thompson into a 9-iron on No. 17 (par 4, 428 yards). He subsequently hit a hook-draw from 155 yards, letting it land on the top of the hill and chase to four feet. Mestre capped the team’s title defense with a 3 on No. 18 (par 4, 352 yards). The sequence, as expected, went like this: 9-iron from 155 yards to six feet.
Mestre and Thompson are three days removed from failing to qualify for the U.S. Senior Amateur. Both missed the cut at Tavistock Country Club. That day affected their respective mindsets entering Penn Oaks.
“You always want to get out and prove that was an anomaly rather than the norm,” Mestre said. “Ray shot 78 and I shot 77. I don’t think that’s our normal score [at Tavistock]. You want to wipe out that memory as soon as possible. At least I do.”
“I didn’t have much going at Tavistock until my tee shot on the 12th hole. I felt that was the swing I needed to make,” Thompson said. “I hit it pretty well coming in from there. Whatever I came up with there, I tried today, and the feeling is good.”
Still good.
Thursday’s victory adds to an already-impressive season for the Overbrook dynamos. Thompson is currently ranked first in the Senior Player of the Year standings. Mestre, who captured the Frank H. Chapman Memorial Cup (Gross) in June, trails his good friend (and frequent passenger) by 76.25 points.
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| James Prendergast & Steve Tagert |
Super-Senior Division
James Prendergast and Steve Tagert met last year during a sudden-death playoff for the Super-Senior title in the Frank H. Chapman Memorial Cup (Gross). Tagert won with a birdie on the first playoff hole. Prendergast took note.
The two became friends and golfing acquaintances when Prendergast joined Spring Ford Country Club earlier this year. That friendship, for the first time, turned into a partnership Thursday at Penn Oaks (par 71, 5,761 yards). Prendergast and Tagert carded a 4-under-par 68 to grab the Super-Senior crown in the Senior Four-Ball Stroke Play.
“We were both in the hole on almost every hole,” Tagert, 68, of Collegeville, Pa., said.
“He shot 73 and I shot 69. We both played well,” Prendergast, 66, of Limerick, Pa., added.
The Spring Ford duo inked a 32 coming in to prevail by a stroke. Tagert ignited the birdie fire with a downhill 10-footer on No. 13 (par 5, 450 yards). Prendergast reached the par 5, 426-yard 14th hole in two with a 23-degree hybrid from 194 yards. His uphill eagle attempt navigated a ridge before halting two feet past the cup. Prendergast cleaned up the birdie putt. He buried a 40-footer on No. 15 (par 3, 140 yards) after leaving an 8-iron in the fringe. Tagert capped the team’s impressive stretch with a 3 on the par 4, 360-yard 17th hole, knocking a choked-up pitching wedge 113 yards to six feet.
Prendergast previously won the Senior Four-Ball (Senior Division) alongside Marty Dorminy in 2014. Expect a title defense with Tagert by his side.
“We’ll do it again,” Prendergast said. “He hits it straight and has a very good short game.”
“Jim was just deadly,” Tagert said. “He keeps it in the fairway and is solid on his second shots. He puts it tight and makes most of the putts. His whole game today was superhuman today.”
Golf Association of Philadelphia
Founded in 1897, the Golf Association of Philadelphia (GAP) is the oldest regional or state golf association in the United States. It serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. The Association’s 260 Full Member Clubs and 75,000 individual members are spread across Eastern Pennsylvania and parts of New Jersey and Delaware. 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.
|
Gross
results
|
|
Senior
Division
|
|
Name
|
Club
|
Score
|
|
Mestre,
Oscar/Thompson, Raymond
|
Overbrook
Golf Club
|
64
|
|
Walczak,
Steven/Mitchell, Randy
|
Wilmington
Country Club
|
66
|
|
Kliewer,
Craig/Fieger, Sr., Christopher
|
Honeybrook Golf
Club/Philadelphia Publinks GA
|
68
|
|
Clauson,
Chris/Smeraglio, Glenn
|
Lu
Lu Country Club
|
68
|
|
Walker,
Mark/Russo, Joseph
|
Laurel
Creek Country Club/Running Deer Golf Club
|
68
|
|
Dowds,
III, Charles/Bartolacci, Wayne
|
Applebrook Golf Club/Lu Lu Country Club
|
69
|
|
Arthur,
Bob/Hyland, Thomas
|
Tavistock Country
Club/Little Mill Country Club
|
70
|
|
Owsik, Mike/Owsik, Joseph
|
Cobbs
Creek Golf Club/Hershey's Mill Golf Club
|
70
|
|
Trymbiski, Brian/Monkhouse,
Mark
|
Doylestown
Country Club/Makefield Highlands Golf Club
|
71
|
|
Phillips,
Kenneth/Beck, Bob
|
Lancaster
Country Club/Lehigh Country Club
|
71
|
|
Buliga,
Gregory/Quinn, Michael
|
Yardley
Country Club/Philadelphia Publinks GA
|
71
|
|
Roeder,
Joseph/Cregar, Bill
|
Little
Mill Country Club
|
72
|
|
Abrams,
Andrew/Meyer, Steve
|
Rolling
Green Golf Club
|
72
|
|
Gosselin,
John/Sheets, Mark
|
Kennett
Square Golf & Country Club
|
72
|
|
Erickson,
Edward/Pyontek, Ray
|
Makefield Highlands
Golf Club/Mercer Oaks Golf Course
|
72
|
|
Luntey,
J. Kirk/Kania, Jr., Arthur
|
Merion
Golf Club
|
73
|
|
Finn,
Thomas/West, David
|
Loch
Nairn Golf Club/Philadelphia Publinks
GA
|
73
|
|
Everett,
Carl/Jamieson, Gordy
|
Merion
Golf Club
|
73
|
|
Fedoryshyn, Doug/Dwyer,
Bill
|
Concord
Country Club
|
74
|
|
Ordemann, Keith/Jacobson,
Jacques
|
Berkshire
Country Club
|
74
|
|
Anderson,
Todd/Anderson, Chris
|
Wilmington
Country Club
|
76
|
|
Hackett,
Jr., Robert/Hacker, Joseph
|
Wilmington
Country Club
|
76
|
|
Meyer,
Glenn/Fireman, Andrew
|
Philmont
Country Club/Philadelphia Cricket Club
|
77
|
|
Willadsen, John/Dare,
Rocky
|
Sakima Country
Club/Running Deer Golf Club
|
77
|
|
Stein,
Jon/Cassidy, Joseph
|
McCall
Golf & Country Club
|
77
|
|
Schweitzer,
Jr., Harold/Waryga, Walter
|
Broad
Run Golfer's Club/Concord Country Club
|
78
|
|
Yeager,
Gary/Farragut, Dan
|
Philadelphia
Cricket Club
|
81
|
|
Viscuso, Joseph/Torras, Peter
|
Kennett
Square Golf & Country Club
|
81
|
|
Fiala,
Brian/Orlando, Len
|
Kennett
Square Golf & Country Club/Concord Country Club
|
81
|
|
Rafferty,
Joseph/Robertson, James
|
Honeybrook Golf Club/Llanerch Country Club
|
82
|
|
Shivers,
Gregg/Ciel, Ed
|
Medford
Lakes Country Club
|
82
|
|
Linsenmann,
Don/Woodruff, Robert
|
Radley
Run Country Club/White Clay Creek Country Club
|
83
|
|
Berg,
Paul/Varga, Zoltan
|
The
Springhaven Club
|
84
|
|
Thomas,
Jr., Roland/Kivitz, John
|
McCall
Golf & Country Club
|
89
|
|
|
Super-Senior
Division
|
|
Name
|
Club
|
Score
|
|
Tagert, Steve/Prendergast, James
|
Spring
Ford Country Club
|
67
|
|
Billings,
Robert/Aronchick, Craig
|
Rolling
Green Golf Club
|
68
|
|
McCool,
Robin/Scott, Craig
|
Saucon
Valley Country Club/Great Bear Golf Club
|
68
|
|
Mallouk, Thomas/DiCinti,
Tom
|
Lookaway Golf Club/Mercer Oaks Golf
Course
|
69
|
|
Nilon, Michael/Jones, Buck
|
Philadelphia
Country Club/Philadelphia Publinks GA
|
70
|
|
Bellis,
Matthew/Rose, Michael
|
Commonwealth
National Golf Club/Talamore Country Club
|
73
|
|
Polizzi, Frank/Zbrzeznj,
Bernie
|
Whitemarsh
Valley Country Club
|
73
|
|
Frankel,
Arthur/Sachs, Herbert
|
Philmont
Country Club
|
73
|
|
O'Rourke,
Thomas/Grimes, Gary
|
Chester
Valley Golf Club
|
74
|
|
Civitello, Michael/Jester, Norman
|
Chester
Valley Golf Club
|
74
|
|
Van
Horn, Alan/Barilotti, Joseph
|
Commonwealth
National Golf Club/Blue Bell Country Club
|
74
|
|
DiMarzio, John/Young, John
|
Sandy
Run Country Club
|
75
|
|
Shuman,
Frank/Emigh, Peter
|
Lookaway Golf Club/Lehigh Country Club
|
75
|
|
Steck, Gary/Newett,
Louis
|
Indian
Valley Country Club
|
76
|
|
Humphrey,
Thomas/McDowell, Charles
|
Wilmington
Country Club
|
76
|
|
McCabe,
Jr., William/DeLuca, Martin
|
McCall
Golf & Country Club/Penn Oaks Golf Club
|
76
|
|
Lodovici, Robert/Proto, Robert
|
Little
Mill Country Club
|
77
|
|
Gagliardi,
Alfred/Saling, John
|
Radley
Run Country Club
|
78
|
|
Rowland,
Jim/Watterson, Ken
|
Penn
Oaks Golf Club
|
79
|
|
Donovan,
Neil/Cottone, Anthony
|
Waynesborough Country Club
|
79
|
|
Power,
Jeffrey/Rees, Dave
|
Berkshire
Country Club/Moselem Springs Golf Club
|
79
|
|
Arcana,
Vinnie/Snyder, John
|
Waynesborough Country Club
|
80
|
|
Eshleman,
Donald/Beshore, Kirby
|
Country
Club of Harrisburg
|
80
|
|
Balkovec, Joe/Flavell, Bill
|
Manufacturers'
Golf & Country Club
|
80
|
|
Tomasic, Mike/Brackenbury, David
|
Woodstone Country Club
|
80
|
|
Lovitz, David/Wiley, James
|
Whitemarsh
Valley Country Club/Lu Lu Country Club
|
80
|
|
Pierce,
David/Eckrich, Michael
|
DuPont
Country Club
|
81
|
|
Gaydos,
Rick/Jordan, David
|
Sakima Country Club
|
81
|
|
Watts,
Bill/Gramlich, Thomas
|
Medford
Lakes Country Club
|
81
|
|
Quinn,
Charles/Rutter, Rick
|
Manufacturers'
Golf & Country Club
|
81
|
|
Abbott,
Sr., Jeffrey/Turner, Richard
|
Golf
Course at Glen Mills/Llanerch Country Club
|
82
|
|
Kearney,
David/Barr, Gerald
|
Lehigh
Country Club
|
86
|
|
Moore,
Ned/Skilton, W. Frank
|
Manufacturers'
Golf & Country Club
|
88
|
|
Mohr,
Thomas/Zakian, Robert
|
Whitford Country Club/Rolling Green
Golf Club
|
WD
|
|
|
Net
results
|
|
Senior
Division
|
|
Name
|
Club
|
Score
|
|
Walczak,
Steven/Mitchell, Randy
|
Wilmington
Country Club
|
64
|
|
Ordemann, Keith/Jacobson, Jacques
|
Berkshire
Country Club
|
64
|
|
Mestre,
Oscar/Thompson, Raymond
|
Overbrook
Golf Club
|
65
|
|
Walker,
Mark/Russo, Joseph
|
Laurel
Creek Country Club/Running Deer Golf Club
|
65
|
|
Trymbiski, Brian/Monkhouse, Mark
|
Doylestown
Country Club/Makefield Highlands Golf Club
|
66
|
|
Owsik, Mike/Owsik,
Joseph
|
Cobbs
Creek Golf Club/Hershey's Mill Golf Club
|
66
|
|
Dowds,
III, Charles/Bartolacci, Wayne
|
Applebrook Golf Club/Lu Lu Country Club
|
66
|
|
Arthur,
Bob/Hyland, Thomas
|
Tavistock Country Club/Little Mill
Country Club
|
67
|
|
Clauson,
Chris/Smeraglio, Glenn
|
Lu Lu Country Club
|
67
|
|
Gosselin,
John/Sheets, Mark
|
Kennett
Square Golf & Country Club
|
67
|
|
Kliewer, Craig/Fieger, Sr.,
Christopher
|
Honeybrook Golf Club/Philadelphia Publinks GA
|
68
|
|
Buliga,
Gregory/Quinn, Michael
|
Yardley
Country Club/Philadelphia Publinks GA
|
68
|
|
Phillips,
Kenneth/Beck, Bob
|
Lancaster
Country Club/Lehigh Country Club
|
69
|
|
Shivers,
Gregg/Ciel, Ed
|
Medford
Lakes Country Club
|
69
|
|
Abrams,
Andrew/Meyer, Steve
|
Rolling
Green Golf Club
|
69
|
|
Everett,
Carl/Jamieson, Gordy
|
Merion
Golf Club
|
69
|
|
Schweitzer,
Jr., Harold/Waryga, Walter
|
Broad
Run Golfer's Club/Concord Country Club
|
70
|
|
Roeder,
Joseph/Cregar, Bill
|
Little
Mill Country Club
|
70
|
|
Finn,
Thomas/West, David
|
Loch Nairn Golf Club/Philadelphia Publinks
GA
|
70
|
|
Stein,
Jon/Cassidy, Joseph
|
McCall
Golf & Country Club
|
70
|
|
Luntey,
J. Kirk/Kania, Jr., Arthur
|
Merion
Golf Club
|
71
|
|
Hackett,
Jr., Robert/Hacker, Joseph
|
Wilmington
Country Club
|
71
|
|
Fiala, Brian/Orlando, Len
|
Kennett
Square Golf & Country Club/Concord Country Club
|
71
|
|
Viscuso, Joseph/Torras,
Peter
|
Kennett
Square Golf & Country Club
|
71
|
|
Fedoryshyn, Doug/Dwyer, Bill
|
Concord
Country Club
|
71
|
|
Erickson,
Edward/Pyontek, Ray
|
Makefield Highlands Golf Club/Mercer
Oaks Golf Course
|
71
|
|
Yeager,
Gary/Farragut, Dan
|
Philadelphia
Cricket Club
|
72
|
|
Meyer,
Glenn/Fireman, Andrew
|
Philmont
Country Club/Philadelphia Cricket Club
|
72
|
|
Berg,
Paul/Varga, Zoltan
|
The Springhaven Club
|
73
|
|
Linsenmann, Don/Woodruff, Robert
|
Radley
Run Country Club/White Clay Creek Country Club
|
73
|
|
Anderson,
Todd/Anderson, Chris
|
Wilmington
Country Club
|
73
|
|
Willadsen, John/Dare, Rocky
|
Sakima Country Club/Running Deer Golf
Club
|
73
|
|
Rafferty,
Joseph/Robertson, James
|
Honeybrook Golf Club/Llanerch
Country Club
|
77
|
|
Thomas,
Jr., Roland/Kivitz, John
|
McCall
Golf & Country Club
|
80
|
|
|
Super-Senior
Division
|
|
Name
|
Club
|
Score
|
|
Tagert, Steve/Prendergast, James
|
Spring
Ford Country Club
|
63
|
|
Mallouk, Thomas/DiCinti,
Tom
|
Lookaway Golf Club/Mercer Oaks Golf
Course
|
64
|
|
Billings,
Robert/Aronchick, Craig
|
Rolling
Green Golf Club
|
64
|
|
Gagliardi,
Alfred/Saling, John
|
Radley
Run Country Club
|
65
|
|
McCabe,
Jr., William/DeLuca, Martin
|
McCall
Golf & Country Club/Penn Oaks Golf Club
|
65
|
|
Frankel,
Arthur/Sachs, Herbert
|
Philmont
Country Club
|
65
|
|
Steck, Gary/Newett,
Louis
|
Indian
Valley Country Club
|
66
|
|
Donovan,
Neil/Cottone, Anthony
|
Waynesborough Country Club
|
66
|
|
DiMarzio, John/Young, John
|
Sandy
Run Country Club
|
66
|
|
Arcana,
Vinnie/Snyder, John
|
Waynesborough Country Club
|
66
|
|
Nilon, Michael/Jones, Buck
|
Philadelphia
Country Club/Philadelphia Publinks GA
|
66
|
|
Quinn,
Charles/Rutter, Rick
|
Manufacturers'
Golf & Country Club
|
66
|
|
Eshleman,
Donald/Beshore, Kirby
|
Country
Club of Harrisburg
|
67
|
|
O'Rourke,
Thomas/Grimes, Gary
|
Chester
Valley Golf Club
|
67
|
|
Shuman,
Frank/Emigh, Peter
|
Lookaway Golf Club/Lehigh Country Club
|
67
|
|
Watts,
Bill/Gramlich, Thomas
|
Medford
Lakes Country Club
|
68
|
|
Polizzi, Frank/Zbrzeznj,
Bernie
|
Whitemarsh
Valley Country Club
|
68
|
|
Civitello, Michael/Jester, Norman
|
Chester
Valley Golf Club
|
68
|
|
McCool,
Robin/Scott, Craig
|
Saucon
Valley Country Club/Great Bear Golf Club
|
68
|
|
Power,
Jeffrey/Rees, Dave
|
Berkshire
Country Club/Moselem Springs Golf Club
|
68
|
|
Abbott,
Sr., Jeffrey/Turner, Richard
|
Golf
Course at Glen Mills/Llanerch Country Club
|
68
|
|
Pierce,
David/Eckrich, Michael
|
DuPont
Country Club
|
69
|
|
Bellis,
Matthew/Rose, Michael
|
Commonwealth
National Golf Club/Talamore Country Club
|
69
|
|
Van
Horn, Alan/Barilotti, Joseph
|
Commonwealth
National Golf Club/Blue Bell Country Club
|
69
|
|
Lodovici, Robert/Proto, Robert
|
Little
Mill Country Club
|
69
|
|
Balkovec, Joe/Flavell, Bill
|
Manufacturers'
Golf & Country Club
|
70
|
|
Lovitz, David/Wiley, James
|
Whitemarsh
Valley Country Club/Lu Lu Country Club
|
70
|
|
Rowland,
Jim/Watterson, Ken
|
Penn
Oaks Golf Club
|
71
|
|
Moore,
Ned/Skilton, W. Frank
|
Manufacturers'
Golf & Country Club
|
72
|
|
Humphrey,
Thomas/McDowell, Charles
|
Wilmington
Country Club
|
72
|
|
Kearney,
David/Barr, Gerald
|
Lehigh
Country Club
|
74
|
|
Tomasic, Mike/Brackenbury, David
|
Woodstone Country Club
|
74
|
|
Gaydos,
Rick/Jordan, David
|
Sakima Country Club
|
75
|
|
Mohr,
Thomas/Zakian, Robert
|
Whitford Country Club/Rolling Green
Golf Club
|
WD
|
|
|
|
WD —
withdrawal
|
|
