With the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship being staged this
year at Stonewall, 36 holes of Tom Doak at his best, plenty of the Golf
Association’s top mid-amateur players are taking special interest in trying to
earn a spot in the field.
The Golf Association of Philadelphia administered the first
of two qualifiers for the Mid-Am at Stonewall Tuesday at Philadelphia Cricket
Club’s Wissahickon Course and three Cricket Club members took advantage of
their local knowledge to earn a trip to Chester County for next month’s event.
Gregor Orlando of the Cricket Club earned medalist honors
with a 4-under 66 over the A.W. Tillinghast classic that earned rave reviews
earlier this year when the Senior Players Championship was staged there.
Runnerup Andy Latkowski is listed as hailing from San
Francisco, but he has been a Cricket Club stalwart. He was a shot back of
Orlando with a 3-under 67.
A third Cricket Club member, John Brennan of Audubon,
grabbed one of the last two berths, tying for sixth with a 1-over 71. More than
100 players were vying for seven spots at Stonewall.
DuPont Country Club’s Matthew Finger, the runnerup in the
GAP Mid-Amateur Championship this spring, and Chris Cassetta of Roanoke, Va.,
finished in a tie for third at 1-under 69.
Brian Payne of Flossmoor, Ill., finished fifth with an
even-par 70.
Sharing sixth place with Brennan at 1-over 71 was Yardley
Country Club’s Christopher Ault, another veteran campaigner on the GAP scene.
Jack Wallace of Norristown is the first alternate and Tom
Timby of Doylestown is the second alternate. They both came in at 2-over 72.
GAP will administer another local qualifier for the U.S.
Mid-Am Monday at Llanerch Country Club. Two of Philadelphia’s top mid-amateur
players, Merion Golf Club’s Michael McDermott and Huntingdon Valley Country
Club’s Jeff Osberg, are scheduled to tee it up at Llanerch, a course both know
well as former members.
The U.S. Mid-Amateur tees off Saturday, Sept. 10 with
qualifying at the Old Course and the North Course. The scheduled 36-hole final
will also be contested over both courses, which the USGA has not done before.
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