Covello comes home to win another Open qualifying medal

   It’s becoming a rite of spring. Dan Covello, who grew in Havertown and went to Episcopal Academy, comes home for a U.S. Open local qualifier and wins medalist honors.

   It happened again Thursday as Covello, who is pursuing his professional golf dreams on the PGA Tour’s Canada tour, showed up at Makefield Highlands Golf Club in Bucks County and tamed the 7,028-yard, par-72 layout with a 4-under 68 to claim the qualifying medal. He was the medalist in a local qualifier a year ago at Laurel Creek Country Club.

   Gregory Pieczynski, a Kingston, Pa. native who is an assistant pro in Weston, Mass., was a shot back with a 3-under 69 in, he said, his first tournament round of golf since Sept. 30 of last year.

Brian Hollins, a pro out of Fairless Hills, Golf Association of Philadelphia stalwarts Michael Brown Jr. and Michael Johnson, and Jeremy Nevius, an amateur from Mountainside, N.J., emerged from a five-for-four playoff to nab the final tickets to the 36-hole sectional qualifying.

   The U.S. Open will be played June 18 to 21 at Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash.

The 32-year-old Covello, who resides in Ponte Vedra, Fla.,  has made the local U.S. Open qualifier the perfect excuse to come home for a visit and play some golf.

   “It’s good to see the family and catch up with old friends,” Covello told the GAP website. “Philadelphia’s always a fun trip for me. I moved away from here in 2000 and I miss it.”

   Covello will be making his fifth trip to sectional qualifying and he has yet to take that final step to the National Open. He’ll give it a shot this year at Tumble Creek Club in Cle Elum, Wash., which fits in with his PGA Tour Canada schedule. He also earned playing privileges on the One-Asia Tour at its qualifying school.

   “I’ve had some nagging injuries that kept me on the sidelines the last few years,” Covello said. “This year I’m feeling good. The game’s coming along. I’m just trying to keep things simple and be happy out there.”

   Brown, who plays out of The Links Club, won the GAP Mid-Amateur in 2009 and the Philadelphia Open in 2010 on his way to earning the William Hyndman III Player of the Year Award that year.

Johnson, a year removed from an outstanding career at La Salle, moves on to the sectionals for a second straight year. He plans to turn professional later this year.

   Michael Davis, an Aronimink Golf Club member coming off a strong freshman season at Princeton, carded a 75 at Makefield Highlands. A couple of Llanerch Country Club members, Chris Hoyle and Stephen Seiden, were at 76 and 77,  respectively. An interesting name at 77 is that of T. Jay Fairlie of Broomall, who, I’m guessing, is the former football and lacrosse standout at Marple Newtown.