The Mitchell family seems to have this Father & Son
thing figured out pretty well.
Randy Mitchell of Wilmington Country Club won four Father
& Son titles with son Davis. He then added a couple of Junior-Junior
division wins with younger son Colman. So it wasn’t too much of a shocker when
Randy Mitchell and Colman Mitchell teamed up to get a share of the title in the
Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Father & Son (Younger) Championship’s
junior division (17-and-under) Monday at Bellewood Country Club in North
Coventry Township.
Playing in the afternoon wave, the Mitchells were on pace to
better clubhouse leader, the Philadelphia Country Club pair of Will Keane and
William Keane Jr., who had carded a 1-over 72 in the select-drive,
alternate-shot format over the 6,306-yard, par-71 Bellewood layout.
Colman Mitchell, who had the driver going all day despite
not playing a whole lot of golf lately, nearly drove the green on the par-4 13th,
leaving it in the front greenside bunker. Randy Mitchell blasted it out to 15
feet and Colman Mitchell dropped the birdie try to get Team Mitchell to
even-par for the round.
But a three-putt bogey at the 14th dropped the
Mitchells back to 1-over and they had to settle for a share of the title with
Team Keane.
It is not the easiest format to master, but with Colman
Mitchell bombing it off the tee, Team Mitchell rattled off birdies at three,
four and five. Big drives by 16-year-old Colman Mitchell, a junior at
Salesianum, at three and four left 57-year-old Randy Mitcthell, the 2016 GAP
Senior Amateur champion, with short approaches. Dad was able to get it close
and Colman Mitchell made short birdie putts. The younger Mitchell then rolled
in a 20-foot birdie try at the fifth.
The three birdies more than offset a double bogey at the
second, but bogeys at six and seven left Team Mitchell at 1-over turning for
home. The birdie at 13 got them to even before the bogey at 14 dropped them
back into a share of the top spot.
“This is my favorite event on the calendar,” Randy Mitchell
told the GAP website. “We had a great time as always. He hasn’t touched a club
in more than a month so we weren’t expecting this.”
The 13th hole was a turning point in the round for the other
co-champion as 17-year-old William Keane Jr., a junior at St. Joseph’s Prep,
nearly holed his wedge shot from 105 yards away, leaving dad with a tap-in
for birdie.
Team Keane, Newtown Square residents, started on the back
nine and the birdie at 13 came on the heels of a birdie at the 11th
as William Keane Jr. fired a 6-iron approach to 15 feet and the 49-year-old
Will Keane, a clinical analyst at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, rolled
in the birdie try.
Team Keane ultimately arrived at its final hole of the day
-- a day when the real-feel temperatures soared into triple digits -- the ninth
at Bellewood, at even-par, but made a bogey to finish at 1-over 72. Turned out
nobody else could do better.
“He’s gotten dramatically better as a partner,” Will Keane
told the GAP website concerning the play of his son. “He doesn’t let the bad
shot get under his skin. It’s been a pleasure to watch the maturation process.
“There’s nothing more thrilling than watching your son grow,
not only as a player, but also emotionally.
It’s a proud moment for me as a dad.”
The Cedarbrook Country Club pair of Jackson Tappen and Roger
Tappen finished alone in third with a 2-over 73.
Luke Watson and Trey Watson of Spring-Ford Country Club and
another Wilmington Country Club entry, Anthony Ciconte and Jeffrey Ciconte,
finished tied for fourth, each pair carding a 3-over 74.
Four teams – the Philadelphia Publinks Golf Association
entry of P.J. Sullivan and Patrick Sullivan, Nick Schnur and Mike Schnur of
Whitemarsh Valley Country Club, James Gradisek of Philadelphia Country Club and
Michael Gradisek of Stonewall and Joseph Garvey and Ryan Garvey of Rolling
Green Golf Club – all landed on 4-over 75 in a tie for sixth.
The Springhaven Club’s Ryan McCabe, who captured the
District One Class AA title while leading Devon Prep to the Class AA team crown
as a freshman last fall and who has had a strong spring and early summer in
junior competitions, teamed with Franny McCabe Jr. to get a share of 10th
place with the Aronimink Golf Club duo of Jack Fialko and Jeff Fialko at 5-over
76.
A foursome of Gregors from Huntingdon Valley Country Club –
Frankie Gregor and Frank Gregor and Wade Gregor and Douglas Gregor – were part
of a three-way tie for 12th at 6-over 77 along with Bobby Beck and
Bob Beck of Lehigh Country Club.
Rounding out the top 15 were five teams tied for 15th
at 79, including the homestanding Ben Griffaton and George Griffaton of
Bellewood, a couple of Talamore Country Club entries in Christian Matt and
Kenneth Matt and Darren Nolan and Brandon Nolan, Garnet Valley junior Jacob
Sokalsky and Lee Sokalsky of Penn Oaks Golf Club and Matthew Lafond of Blue
Bell Country Club and Mark Lafond of Whitemarsh Valley.
A couple of youngsters whose games have made rapid progress
on the Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour teamed with their dads to share top
honors in the Junior-Junior Division with Bellewood playing at 5,707 yards for
the younger guys.
Applecross Country Club’s Benjamin Saggers, a 13-year-old
headed into eighth grade at Saints Philip & James School in Exton, and his dad
Nicholas Saggers, a Pennsylvania Golf Association individual member, and Win
Thomas, a 13-year-old heading into eighth grade at Upland Country Day School,
and his dad Bill Thomas of Reading Country Club, each carded a 1-over 72 and
were co-champions in the Junior-Junior Division.
Benjamin Saggers, the runnerup in GAP’s Junior-Junior
Championship last summer, and Win Thomas became friends while playing the
Junior Tour and their dads, 45-year-old Nicholas Saggers and 56-year-old Bill
Thomas, became acquainted following their boys around the circuit.
Team Thomas established the clubhouse lead with its 1-over
72 and then headed back out on the course in 100-degree weather to cheer on
Team Saggers as it completed its round.
Kevin Lafond of Blue Bell Country and Mark Lafond of
Whitemarsh Valley and the Wilmington Country Club pair of Jeff Homer and Jason
Homer finished tied for third at 3-over 74.
The Tavistock Country Club pair of Nathan Guertler and David
Guertler finished alone in fifth, posting a 4-over 75.
Four more teams – the Aronimink tandem of Nicholas Ciocca
and Nick Ciocca, Travis Robertson and Bruce Robertson Jr. of Sunnybrook Golf
Club, Nate Wiseman of The Bucks Club and Talamore’s Barry Wiseman and the
Talamore duo of Scott Hughes and Ed Hughes – finished tied for sixth at 7-over
78.
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