Andrew Keeling of Kennett Square Golf & Country Club got
his Golf Association of Philadelphia major championship season off to a great
start when he holed out for eagle on the first hole at Rolling Green Golf Club
in the opening round of the 36th Middle-Amateur Championship
Wednesday.
Keeling rode the momentum of that fast start to a sparkling
5-under-par 65 over the par-70 William Flynn gem in Springfield, Delaware
County that gave him a two-shot lead after the opening round.
The final round of the 36-hole event will be played
Thursday. There was a cut to the low 70 and ties following Wednesday’s opening
round and it took a 79 to book a return trip to Rolling Green for the second
day of the event for amateurs 25 and older.
The 27-year-old Keeling sent a 50-degree wedge into the
green from 120 yards away on the first hole and it found the bottom of the cup
for an eagle. He added birdies at the fifth, seventh and 11th holes
at Rolling Green, site of the 2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur, before finally making
a bogey on the tough par-3 14th hole to fall back to 4-under for his
round.
A birdie at the par-5 17th hole got him back to
5-under. A video that GAP sent out on Twitter showed Keeling’s bid for a birdie
at the last and a 6-under 64 somehow stay out of the cup. He settled for a par
and a very strong 5-under start, the lowest opening-round score in the history of the championship.
If you’re a golf fan in the Philadelphia area, GAP is an
absolute must follow on Twitter.
One of the Philadelphia area’s top mid-ams, Jeff Osberg of Pine
Valley Golf Club, shared second place with Will Davenport of Whitemarsh Valley
Country Club, each carding a 3-under 67.
It’s hard to believe that the 34-year-old Osberg has never
won this championship, the only missing line on his glittering resume in GAP
major championships.
Drexel golf coach Ben Feld of Green Valley Country Club, who
the GAP Mid-Am two years ago, and 2017 BMW Philadelphia Amateur champion Gregor
Orlando of Philadelphia Cricket Club are lurking in a group of three players
tied for fourth at even-par 70, three shots behind Osberg and Davenport.
The third member of that trio at even-par was Stephen
Dressel of St. Davids Golf Club, who seems to be a perennial contender in this
championship.
Matthew Finger of DuPont Country Club and Andy Beittel of
Manufacturers Golf & Country Club were tied for seventh at 1-over 71.
A foursome tied for ninth at 2-over 72 includes a trio of
past champions. One of them is defending champion Michael Hyland of Little Mill
Country Club. Another is Matthew Mattare of Saucon Valley Country Club, who
captured the 2016 GAP Mid-Am title in a playoff that included DuPont’s Finger.
Then there is Merion Golf Club’s Michael McDermott, who owns
four GAP Mid-Am titles, the last one coming in 2013.
Rounding out the foursome tied for ninth at 2-over was Bryan
Keeling of Spring Mill Country Club.
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