Joseph Russo seems to save some of his best golf for when he
tees it up at Galloway National Golf Club in Absecon, N.J.
Russo rode a hot start to a 2-under 69 over the 6,351-yard,
par-71 Galloway National layout Wednesday and survived deteriorating conditions,
including a one-hour-20-minute weather delay for a four-shot victory in the
Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Frank H. Chapman Memorial Cup (gross).
Russo, a 58-year-old Washington Township, N.J. resident, had
back-to-back birdies to open the round at one and two and did it again at eight
and nine. He struggled a little on the back nine as the wind really started
howling, but he drilled a 4-iron to five feet at the 217-yard, par-3 17th
for a final birdie that gave him the only sub-par round of the day.
“This really is a hard golf course,” Russo, a retired police
officer, told the GAP website. “For some reason, I usually score pretty well
here. Was I expecting to shoot 69? No. I’ve been struggling with my putter a
little bit. In fact, the putter that I had here today is one I hadn’t putted
with in almost a year.
“Sometimes you have to put them on the shelf and make them
wonder what’s going on.”
Jim Gavaghan of Jericho National Golf Club was the runnerup
with a 2-over 73 followed by Bob Beck of Lehigh Country Club in third at 3-over
74.
Three players – Doug Fedoryshyn of Concord Country Club,
Glenn Smeraglio of LuLu Country Club and Thomas Alestock of Running Deer Golf
Club – finished in a tie for fourth at 4-over 75. Glenn Zuck of host Galloway
National and Bert Kosup of The Ridge at Back Brook were another shot back in a
tie for seventh at 5-over 76. Tom Bartolacci Jr. of Saucon Valley Country Club
rounded out the top 10 with a 77.
In the simultaneous Chapman Cup Super-Senior event, the beat
goes on for White Manor Country Club’s Don Donatoni, who cruised to a four-shot
victory with a 3-over 74 at Galloway National, which played to 6,096 yards for
the Super-Senior set.
Donatoni is the reigning three-time GAP Super-Senior Player
of the Year and it was the third time the 68-year-old Malvern resident has won
the Chapman Cup Super-Senior division. He survived a double bogey on the first
hole and adjusted his game to the gusty winds that buffeted Galloway National.
Donatoni was rock solid down the stretch with eight pars and
a birdie on the back nine to secure the victory.
Clay Hamlin III of Merion Golf Club and Robert Billings of
Rolling Green Golf Club finished in a tie for second, each carding a 78.
Four more players – Daniel Burton of Lancaster Country Club,
Ralph Bincarowsky of Kennett Golf & Country Club, Raymond Pawulich of
Little Mill Country Club and William Lawler of Fox Hill Country Club – all
posted 79s to finish in a tie for fourth.
No comments:
Post a Comment