Locating a golf swing that had been missing in action, Coatesville Country Club’s John Morgenthaler piled up 39 Stableford points at Whitford Country Club in Exton to capture a victory in the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s 81st Frank H. Chapman Memorial Cup (Net) last Wednesday.
The 58-year-old Morgenthaler, a Downingtown resident, arrived at Whitford after not hitting it great in the Member-Member at Coatesville the previous weekend and in a round the day before at the tough Lancaster Country Club, a William Flynn gem. A pre-round range session didn’t help much. But then he made a couple of good swings, relaxed a little and the next thing he knew he had his hands around a GAP trophy.
“I said to (my playing partner) Billy (Cranney), ‘I’m slapping the ball. I have no idea what I’m doing,’” Morgenthaler, a financial consultant, told the GAP website. “Then I hit three or four shots in a row pretty good. I relaxed my swing. I mean I hit some bad shots today, but nothing like I did in the previous three rounds. Golf is a funny game.”
Isn’t it though?
One of those good swings came at the 104-yard, par-3 fifth hole, where Morgenthaler dropped a 54-degree wedge to six feet and made the birdie try. Another natural birdie came at the 445-yard, par-5 12th hole, where Morgenthaler reached a right greenside bunker in two with a 3-wood and then watched his sand shot release down to the hole.
And while Morgenthaler didn’t play all that well the day before at Lancaster, the fast greens there were perfect preparation for the slick putting surfaces at the 5,867-yard, par-72 Whitford layout.
When a poor approach at the 333-yard, par-4 10th hole left Morgenthaler eight feet for par, he got it to fall. When a bad drive at the 16th hole resulted in a tricky downhiller from seven feet for par, Morgenthaler again knocked in the putt.
Tom Mallouk of Lookaway Golf Club claimed runnerup honors with 37 points. Evan Berson of Radnor Valley Country Club was a shot behind Mallouk in third place with a 36 and Lee Oxman of Moselem Springs Golf Club was a point behind Berson in fourth with 35.
Four players landed in a tie for fifth place with 34 points apiece, including Rick Ames, a Philadelphia Publinks Golf Association entry, Steven Alger of Lebanon Country Club, Mike Connell of The Springhaven Club and James McGuckin of Philadelphia Country Club.
Rounding out the top 10 were three players – Joseph DeAngelis of Makefield Highlands Golf Club, Greg Smith of Radley Run Country Club and Michael Kyle of Talamore Country Club – who finished in a tie for ninth place, each picking up 33 points apiece.
On the women’s side, Sheryl Rose got out of the comfort zone she feels at her home course at the RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve and compiled 32 points over a Whitford layout that played to 5,592 yards and a par of 72 for the ladies to edge playing partner Colleen Baker of Lehigh Country Club by a point and earn herself a GAP trophy.
“I got an e-mail that sounded like me,” Rose told the GAP website. “You had to be over 50-years old and not be a scratch golfer. I thought, ‘Wow, that sounds like this was made for me.’”
The key to Rose’s victory was her lone natural par for the round at the 158-yard, par-3 17th hole at Whitford as she drilled a driver to 20 feet and two-putted.
Josie Anthony of White Manor Country Club finished three points behind Baker in third place with 28 points. Patty Wright of Tanglewood Manor Golf Club was a point behind Anthony in fourth place with 27 points and it was another point back to Karen Hilliard of Spring Ford Country Club in fifth place with 26 points.
Mary Pownail, another Tanglewood Manor entry, took sixth place with 24 points, Alison Kellock of Flourtown Country Club was seventh with 22 points and Baker’s Lehigh clubmate Jackie Beck was eighth with 21 points.
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