Team Muller takes GAP's Father & Son (Older) title; an ace gives Team Chernosky Super-Senior victory

   It took me a while to get around to a post on last week’s Golf Association of Philadelphia Father & Son (Older) Championship, which was played Oct. 23 at North Hills Country Club in Glenside.

   But let’s face it, fathers and sons are a big part of the game. The Father’s Day finish of the U.S. Open has become such a big part of the story every year because there is always an emotional son thanking his dad for getting him started in the game.

   Last week’s Father & Son (Older) came down to a playoff between two teams that have some experience in these things.

   James Muller and son Maximillian Muller of Manufacturers Golf & Country Club won this title three years ago, but also captured the ages 15-to-17 division 16 years ago in 2002. Craig Kliewer of Honeybrook Golf Club and Alan Kliewer of Lebanon Country Club were back-to-back winners of the Father & Son (Middle) titles in 2013 and 2014.

   Both teams carded a solid 1-under 70 over the 6,216-yard, par-71 North Hills layout. The teams were playing the par-4 first hole for the third time in the select-drive, alternate-shot format when both missed the green with their approach. But 65-year-old James Muller of Huntingdon Valley chipped it to two feet and 33-year-old Maximillian Muller of Fort Washington got the short par putt to fall to give Team Muller the title.

   Two holes earlier, Maximillian Muller holed a clutch six-footer for par that kept the playoff going.

It was four shots back to the next-best finisher as the Llanerch Country Club pair of Dan Brown and Michael Brown finished alone in third at 3-over 74.

   The Loch Nairn Golf Club duo of Brad Comforth and Doug Comforth and the host club’s Drew Garis and Robert Garis shared fourth place, each posting a 4-over 75.

   Kenneth Phillips, one of GAP’s top senior players from Lancaster Country Club, and Grant Phillips of Llanerch finished alone in sixth at 77.

   My Archbishop Carroll Class of 1973 classmate Mike Owsik, the proprietor of the M Golf Range in Newtown Square, and Mike Owsik Jr., playing out of Cobbs Creek Golf Club, shared seventh place with the team of Greg Daniels of Applebrook Golf Club and Jesse Daniels of Aronimink Golf Club as each team signed for a 78.

   Three pairs – Royce Yeager of Cedarbrook Country Club and Gary Yeager of Philadelphia Cricket Club, the Cricket Club’s Sean Semenetz and Gregg Semenetz and Frank Tuscano and Steven Tuscano of North Hills – finished in a tie for ninth at 79.

   Had to sneak in my former Delaware County Daily Times sports department colleague Will Holt and his dad Bill Holt III, playing out of Kennett Square Golf & Country Club, who carded an 80 to end up in a trio of teams tied for 12^th.

   Team Holt was joined at 80 by Steve Cooper of Laurel Creek Country Club and Geoffrey Cooper of North Hills and the Tavistock Country Club tandem of Daniel Rexon and G. Frederick Rexon Jr.

   There wasn’t a playoff in the Super-Senior Division and that’s mostly because the tee shot of 44-year-old Daniel Chernosky of Cranford, N.J. on the 191-yard, par-3 14^th hole at North Hills found the bottom of the cup for his second career hole-in-one.

   The Towanda Country Club duo of Harvey Chernosky and his 72-year-old dad, Daniel Chernosky of Towanda, would ultimately win the division by a shot so Harvey Chernosky’s ace proved to be pretty big.

   “I had a feeling it was down there because I could see the ball mark in the front of the green where I thought I hit it,” Harvey Chernosky told the GAP website. “I was pretty sure it was the right club. I thought there was no way it rolled all the way off the green, but you hate to jinx it. Once they told me it was in, that was pretty cool.”

   While not quite as dramatic as an ace, Daniel Chernosky contributed a big shot as well when he chipped in for birdie from just off the green on the eighth hole. It all added up to a 4-over 75 that gave Team Chernosky a one-shot edge over two other pairs.

   Those two pairs actually came from one family as Team Klagholz of Aronimink accounted for a pair of 5-over 76s that meant Martin Klagholz was tied with himself for second. It was Martin Klagholz and Jeff Klagholz and Martin Klagholz and Tim Klagholz landing on the same number. I guess they could have their own little playoff back at Aronimink to break the tie.

   Robert Billings of Rolling Green Golf Club and Rob Billings of the Philadelphia Publinks Golf Association finished fourth with a 77 and the Chester Valley Golf Club duo of Mike Civitello Jr. and Mike Civitello took fifth with an 80.