Walker a team player for Pennsylvania at USGA event

   Radnor High sophomore Brynn Walker gained some valuable experience and, well a couple of days off from school, as she and two other players represented Pennsylvania at the United States Golf Association Women’s State Team Championship last week at the NCR Country Club in Kettering, Ohio.

   It is a USGA event, run by the same organization that staged the U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club’s East Course in June and the USGA is first-class with any event it puts its name to.

Walker teamed with Kelli Pry of Coatesville and Amy Kennedy, one of the top players in the York area, as Pennsylvania finished 27^th in the team race, which was last among the 27 teams that the made a cut that the USGA made after the second round, a cut that was dictated by possible approaching weather. Still, the Pennsylvania trio did a nice job making that cut, which allowed all three players to tee it up in Thursday’s final round.

   After starting off with a 3-over 76 over the 6,153-yard, par-73 NCR layout in the opening round, Walker, who won the Pennsylvania Junior Girls title this summer, fell off a little with rounds of 81 and 85 for a 242 total. She still had the lowest score among the Pennsylvania contingent and finished tied for 49^th overall among all the players.

   Fry had rounds of 85, 82 and 79 for a 246 total that left her in a tie for 59^th. Kennedy had rounds of 80, 88 and 87 and finished tied for 75^th at 255.

   The two lowest scores of the three-women teams were counted each day and Pennsylvania’s total was 45-over 483.

   New Jersey captured the title as 17-year-old Alice Chen of Princeton, a high school senior and Furman recruit, led the way, claiming co-medalist honors individually with rounds of 72, 67 and 74 for a 6-under 213 total. Along with her teammates,  playing captain Tara Fleming and Cindy Ha, the Jersey girls posted an 8-over 446 total to finish three shots ahead of Florida.

   Florida was led by four-time U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion Meghan Stasi, who was known by her maiden name, Meghan Bolger, when she won seven straight Women’s Golf Association of Philadelphia championships from 1999 to 2005. Stasi had rounds of 73, 75 and 74 and finished fifth in the individual chase at 3-over 222.

   Chen was joined at 213 by another 17-year-old, Maryland’s Bryana Nguyen, who had rounds of 71, 72 and 70.

   The whole experience can do nothing but help Walker as she and her Radnor teammates try to win a  second straight PIAA Class AAA team title next month.

Quinn tops Philadelphia Section PGA field

   There are events with more money on the line, but every club pro in this area wants to win the Philadelphia Section PGA championship and Dave Quinn grabbed the title for a second time in his career last week at White Manor Country Club.

   The 54-hole event began with players switching off between White Manor and Radnor Valley Country Club the first two days. Following a cut, the survivors teed it up in the final round Thursday at White Manor.

   A final-round of 2-over 73 Thursday gave the 47-year-old Quinn a 1-over 213 total and a two-shot edge over Aronimink Golf Club head of instruction John Bierkan and Bill Walker of Riverton Country Club. It also allowed Quinn to pocket the top prize of $7,500.

   The Section championship  also acts as a qualifier for the PGA Professional National Championship, which will be held June 22 to 25, 2014 at the Dunes Golf & Beach Club in Myrtle Beach, S.C.. That event gives club pros a shot at making the field for the 2014 PGA Championship.

And Bierkan, who had rounds of 71, 72 and 72, wasn’t the only representative of the Aronimink pro shop to earn a trip to Myrtle Beach. Patrick Clark had a final-round 69 to jump up into a tie for 10^th at 221 and get one of the coveted top-12 spots that earned him a trip to an event still often referred to by its old name, the National Club Pro.

   Radnor Valley head pro George Forster, who played in the U.S. Senior Open this summer, had a strong showing with rounds of 70, 75 and 75 to finish in a tie for seventh at 220. He too can make travel plans for Myrtle Beach next June.

   Concord Country Club head pro Mike Moses fell frustratingly short of making the National Club Pro. Nonetheless, it was a strong showing by Moses, who had three 74s to finish 13^th at 10-over 222. Another shot back in a tie for 14^th was Overbrook Golf Club pro Eric Kennedy, who had rounds of 72,78 and 73 for a 223 total.

   Three players with local ties all landed in a tie for 34^th at 227. They were Stu Ingraham (76-78-73) , the head of instruction at the M Golf Range in Newtown Square and the reigning Philadelphia Section PGA Player of the Year, GolfTEC Main Line pro and Media area resident John Allen (74-78-75) and George Forster’s son, George Forster (78-73-76), an assistant in Scott Nye’s pro shop at Merion Golf Club.

   Also playing some pretty good golf as he approaches age 66, Ed Dougherty, the Linwood native and St. James product who pocketed just less than $6 million while winning twice on the Champions Tour, finished in a tie for 50^th with rounds of 76, 75 and 81 for a 232 total.

Reger second in Chapman Memorial

   James Reger of The Springhaven Club was one of three players who came in a tie for second, a point short of winner W. Garth Sprecher, in the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Frank H. Chapman Memorial (Net) Wednesday at Bellewood Country Club on the edge of the Schuylkill River across from Pottstown.

   Sprecher, 62, of Lancaster Country Club piled up 41 points over the 5,814-yard, par-71 Bellewood layout, finishing up with back-to-back pars that gave him a one-point edge on Reger, Scott Ryan of Stonewall Golf Links and Robert Edmiston of Penn Oaks Golf Club.

   Reger’s total topped those in the 7-to-11 handicap division.

   Richard Turner of Llanerch Country Club had 36 points,  George HIlley of McCall Golf & Country Club had 35 points and Robert Logan of Overbrook Golf Club had 34 points.

Moran, Dziak tied for ninth in Marston Cup

   Peter Moran of Edgmont Country Club and Robert Dziak of The Springhaven Club each carded a 76 at Spring-Ford Country Club Thursday and were among eight players who finished in a tie for ninth at GAP’s Marston Cup, which was rescheduled when it was washed out earlier this summer.

Thomas Timby Jr. of The Bucks Club, tamed the 6,521-yard, par-72 Spring-Ford layout with a 4-under 68 to capture the Marston Cup.

   P. Chet Walsh, the former Archbishop Carroll boys basketball coach, was tuning up for this week’s U.S. Senior Amateur and fired a 2-over 74 to finish in a tie for seventh.

   Concord Country Club’s Doug Fedoryshyn finished another shot back of Moran and Dziak with a 77 and finished in a tie for 17^th.

   Overbrook Golf Club’s James Loftus Jr. had an 81 and finished in a tie for 29^th.