Marie, Baldwin pile up the Stableford points in Tee It Forward -- Spring Net victories

   John Marie of Five Ponds Golf Club is a 16 handicap who would like nothing more than to get that handicap into the single digits.

   And for nine holes in the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Tee It Forward – Spring Net Championship Thursday at Coatesville Country Club, Marie put on a clinic on how to save strokes.

In the process, Marie, a 40-year-old Maple Glen resident, easily topped the men’s division by piling up 43 points in the Stableford scoring system.

   For six straight holes, from No. 3 to No. 8, Marie missed the green and each time got it up and down for par. Then on the par-4 ninth hole, Marie bombed a 300-yard drive and flipped a wedge from 60 yards away within inches of the cup for a birdie that gave him a 1-over 36 on the front nine of the 5,822-yard, par-71 Coatesville layout.

   Marie reverted to form a little on the back nine with a 44 for a gross 80, but a couple of natural pars enabled him to add to his Stableford point total.

   Zolton Varga of The Springhaven Club was the runnerup with 39 points. Tom Minger of Brookside Country Club, Robert Kruse of Downingtown Country Club and Tom Watterson of Loch Nairn Golf Club shared third place, each posting 38 points.

   Gary McCloy of Flourtown Country Club and Tom Bell of Meadia Heights Golf Club shared sixth place with 37 points each. Rounding out the top 10 were three players – Murray Felzer of White Manor Country Club, Bill Smith of Sandy Run Country Club and Jerry Whitman of Commonwealth National Golf Club – tied for eighth, each collecting 36 points.

   Marybeth Baldwin of Philadelphia Country Club also cruised to victory in the women’s division as her gross 91 enabled her to finish with 38 Stableford points.

   The 54-year-old Villanova resident had five natural pars and birdied the 132-yard, par-3 second hole.

   Alison Kellock of Flourtown Country Club was five points behind Baldwin with 33 points to claim runnerup honors. It is the third year that GAP has added a women’s division to its Tee It Forward – Spring Net event.

   Josie Anthony of White Manor Country Club finished third with 29 points and Muffy McCabe of Philadelphia Country Club was fourth with 28 points.