With the 2013 U.S. Open teeing off at Merion
Golf Club’s historic East Course for the fifth time in just 26 days, it’s a
good time to recap the three local Open qualifiers that have been held over the
last week or so at three different courses in Chester County.
In Friday’s Daily Times, I had a story on Braden
Shattuck, the 2011-12 Daily Times
Player of the Year at Sun Valley, advancing out of the local qualifier at
Waynesborough Country Club May 9 with a 1-over 72.
I also
mentioned that Michael Kania, the two-time Haverford School All-Delco
who recently capped an outstanding three years with the Villanova program ,
lost in a playoff for the last of the seven available spots out of the
Waynesborough qualifier.
I’ll get back to some of the other Delco
players who teed it up at Waynesborough.
This Thursday, the
last of the three qualifiers in Chester County was held at Applebrook Golf
Club. There, another Haverford School All-Delco who also teed it up this spring
for Villanova, Cory Siegfried, was one of four survivors among the eight
players who carded 1-over 72s at the 6,810-yard, par-71 Applebrook layout as he
parred the third extra hole to earn a shot at the 36-hole sectional qualifying
test.
Siegfried, the 2010
Pennsylvania Amateur champion, was the only amateur to qualify at Applebrook.
Among the players he beat in the playoff were another former Haverford School standout,
Nelson Hargrove, and Spring-Ford Country Club head pro Rich Steinmetz, one of
the Philadelphia Section PGA’s top players.
Siegfried went to
the University of Virginia out of high school and then resurfaced in graduate
school at Villanova with a year of eligibility remaining that he put to good
use in giving the Wildcats some veteran depth during the 2012-13 campaign that
only recently wrapped up.
“It’s pretty nice,”
Siegfried told the Golf Association of Philadelphia website. “It feels good to
move on, especially since I’ve never done it. It’ll be interesting to see what
the second stage is like. I can imagine it’s a lot harder.”
Also at Applebrook,
James Kania, like younger brother Michael at Waynesborough, just missed with
his 2-over 73 a shot out of the playoff that Siegfried survived. James Kania
was the 2005-06 Daily Times Player of
the Year.
By the way, James
Kania helped Overbrook Golf Club reach the final four of the GAP team matches
when he picked up a couple of valuable points in a battle with Huntingdon
Valley’s Andrew Mason in a meeting of the respective 2009 and 2011 winners of
the William Hyndman Award that goes to the GAP Player of the Year. Philadelphia
Cricket Club (with a big boost from Haverford School All-Delco and two-time
Inter-Ac League champion Cole Berman) prevailed last weekend to take the title
in the GAP team matches.
Also on the
near-miss list at Applebrook was another Overbrook member, Episcopal Academy
senior Sean Fahey, who matched James Kania’s 73.
Billy Stewart, the
former Malvern Prep standout who honed his game growing up at Llanerch Country
Club, had a 75. At 76 were Overbrook Golf Club veteran Chris Lange and Ted
Brennan, the third member of the Haverford School connection at Villanova this
season along with Michael Kania and Siegfried.
Radnor Valley
Country Club head pro George Forster was at 77, Anthony List and Merion Golf
Club head of instruction Mark Sheftic were at 78, Jason Loehrs of Drexel Hill
and Conrad Von Borsig, the 2004-05 Daily
Times Player of the Year at Strath Haven, were at 79. Former Haverford High
standout Jimmy Pokorny had an 81.
In the local
qualifier held Monday at a chilly Whitford Country Club, Strath Haven All-Delco
Steve Seiden, a member at Llanerch, carded a 77, one shot behind the final
qualifying cutoff. Seiden was joined at that figure by Mike Ladden, the head
pro at Whitford.
John Allen of Media
carded an 80.
Gettting back to
the Waynesborough qualifier of May 9, Eddie Johnson of Havertown was another of
the group that included Michael Kania at 74 who failed to survive the playoff.
Stu Ingrahm, the
head instructor at the M Golf Range in
Newtown Square and the reigning Philadelphia Section PGA Player of the Year,
was at 75, as were Radnor High All-Delco Carey Bina and Drexel Hill’s Chris
Hoyle.
Michael McDermott,
the five-time GAP Player of Year, would dearly have loved to get a shot at
qualifying for an Open at his home course, but he posted a 77 at Waynesborough.
Michael Davis, a
member at Aronimink Golf Club and the Inter-Ac League champion as a freshman at
Malvern Prep in 2010, had a 79, as did Overbrook veteran Oscar Mestre.
Among the group at
80 were Radnor High sophomore Paul Yun, Jimmy Johnston, a Wayne resident and
another member of the Villanova golf team this season, former Marple Newtown
and Philadelphia University standout Ryan O’Donnell and Gerhard Van Arkel Jr.
of Haverford.
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