Smerglio off to fast start with playoff win in Francis B. Warner Cup

   The Golf Association of Philadelphia’s senior scene is as competitive as it gets with the region’s top older players routinely representing in national and even international events.

   Glenn Smeraglio, the 58-year-old Newtown resident who plays out of LuLu Country Club, is playing as well as any of his fellow senior competitors these days. Coming off a 2017 campaign which saw Smerglio sweep both the GAP Senior Amateur and the Pennsylvania Golf Association Senior Amateur championship, he was at it again May 3 at Concord Country Club, claiming the first of GAP’s big senior events, the 84^th Francis B. Warner Cup (Gross) in a playoff with Brian Rothaus of Five Ponds Golf Club.

   The 62-year-old Rothaus played in the same group with Smerglio in the afternoon wave and the lead went back and forth between them the whole round. Rothaus, trailing Smerglio by a shot heading to the last hole, reached the par-5 18^th at the 6,488-yard, par-71 Concord layout in two and two-putted for birdie to share the top spot with Smerglio and Joseph Russo of Running Deer Golf Club, who had played in the morning wave, at 1-over 72.

   Russo opted against returning to Concord for the playoff so Smerglio and Rothaus headed for the first tee at Concord.

   Smeraglio immediately gained the advantage when Rothaus yanked his tee shot into the water.  Smerglio capitalized on the opening by striping his drive, knocking his approach on the green and two-putting for a par that got the local part of his 2018 campaign off to a winning start.

   “It’s a good start to the year,” Smerglio told the GAP website. “I felt OK coming in. I think I started to hit it pretty good, but I wasn’t putting that well. I made a few early birdies here and got it under par.”

   Doug Fedoryshyn is playing out of Applebrook Golf Club these days, but he was a member at Concord for years and felt right at home in his old stomping grounds, heading a group of three players tied for fourth at 2-over 73. He was joined at that figure by Brian Corbett of the Country Club of Scranton and William McGuinnes of Tavistock Country Club.

   A pair of GAP’s longtime senior competitors, Overbrook Golf Club’s Ray Thompson and Little Mill Country Club’s Thomas Hyland, finished another shot back in a tie for seventh at 3-over 74.

   Five more players finished in a tie for ninth at 4-over 75, including Charles Bernard of Aronimink Golf Club, Gary Donato of Applebrook, Greg Guyer of Philadelphia Cricket Club, John Nottage of Commonwealth National Golf Club and Charles Ochoa of Little Mill.

   The Super-Senior division title went to Bernie Zbrzeznj of Whitemarsh Valley Country Club, who fired a 2-over 73 over a Concord layout that measured 6,077 yards for the older guys.

   The 69-year-old Zbrzeznj, a Blue Bell resident, admitted he might have had an edge on any of his fellow competitors who stayed home this winter because while they were maybe swinging a club in a simulator, he was winning the club championship at Stoneybrook Golf & Country Club while enjoying his new winter digs in Sarasota, Fla.

   Another of the many GAP senior standouts, Roc Irey, who plays out of Lookaway Golf Club, Frank Polizzi of Whitemarsh Valley and James Prendergast of Spring-Ford Country Club shared second place, each posting a 4-over 75. Joe Cordaro of Saucon Valley Country Club was another shot back in fifth with a 76.