It had been a year since Joe Russo’s panic disorder
manifested itself to the point that he passed out after coming out of the toll
booth on the Walt Whitman Bridge on his way to the Brewer Cup at Old York Road
Country Club.
That the 61-year-old Russo was posing with the Brewer Cup
trophy at Fieldstone Golf Club after winning the 2019 edition of one of the
Golf Association of Philadelphia’s major championships for seniors Wednesday is
a testament to his perseverance and to his talent. The 12th Brewer
Cup was presented by Callaway Golf.
As I’ve mentioned many times before, this is a tough group
of senior players that shows up for the big GAP events. Russo, who plays out of
Laurel Creek Country Club, had a battle on his hands with Rand Mendez, who was
playing on his home course at Fieldstone, the Wilmington, Del. layout that is,
like so many courses in the Philadelphia area, something of a hidden gem.
Russo won three straight holes on the back nine of the
6,404-yard, par-71 Fieldstone layout to turn a 1-down deficit into a 2-up
advantage on his way to a 3 and 1 victory. Russo, a retired police officer who
lives in Sewell, N.J., had begun the day with an impressive 6 and 5 win over
Michael Vassil of the Country Club of Scranton in the semifinals.
“Last year at this time I was waiting for someone to come
pick me up, waiting to drive my car home while I was suffering a panic attack,”
Russo told the GAP website. “That’s what makes this one so special and it’s
even tough to put into words what it was like. It’s a bit of sweet revenge on
the Brewer Cup considering I couldn’t even make it to the tee last year.”
Russo, who has been able to get his panic disorder under
control with medication, had to birdie the first hole of a 6-for-2 playoff in
Monday’s qualifying just to get into the Senior Division match-play bracket.
That’s just how competitive it is on GAP’s senior circuit.
Berkshire Country Club’s Byron Whitman, coming off a win in
last month’s Frank H. Chapman Memorial Cup (Gross) at Moselem Springs Golf
Club, earned medalist honors in qualifying with a 2-under 69. Gregory Bulliga
of Yardley Country Club was a shot behind Whitman in second with a 1-under 70.
But Robert Gill of Fox Hill Country Club ousted Whitman with
a 4 and 3 decision in the opening round of match play while Russo was taking
out Bulliga with a 2 and 1 victory.
On the other side of the bracket, Mendez knocked off one the
region’s top senior players, LuLu Country Club’s Glenn Smeraglio with a 2 and 1
victory.
In Tuesday afternoon’s quarterfinals, Russo advanced with a
3 and 2 decision over Thomas Soares of Lehigh Country Club while Mendez was
claiming a 3 and 2 win over Gill.
While Russo was gaining momentum with his easy win over
Vassil in one semifinal Wednesday morning, Mendez was knocking off another
tough customer in Overbrook Golf Club’s Oscar Mestre with a 3 and 1 victory.
Mendez got the jump in the final with a birdie at the second
hole, but Russo immediately evened the match by winning the par-3 third hole
with a birdie of his own.
Russo got a nose in front when his 5-iron shot at the
180-yard, par-3 eighth hole finished 10 feet from the hole and he converted the
birdie try. But he gave away the 10th hole by making a bogey and
fell 1-down with a double bogey at the 11th hole.
Russo evened the match when he holed a six-foot birdie putt
after his approach to the 12th hole with a sand wedge. Mendez then
played a little giveaway as he made bogeys on the next two holes and Russo took
advantage by winning both holes to grab a 2-up advantage.
It looked like Mendez might have a chance to get back in the
match when Russo’s drive at the par-4 17th hole finished under a
tree. But Russo punched a 4-iron and the ball got under the tree limbs and ran
all the way onto the green enabling Russo to end the match with a par.
The Super-Senior title went to Robin McCool of Saucon Valley
Country Club, who rolled to a 7 & 6 decision over past GAP president Dan
Burton of Lancaster Country Club in Wednesday’s final.
It was the fourth Brewer Cup title for the 68-year-old
Center Valley resident as McCool was the Senior Division champion in 2010 and
2013 and added his first Super-Senior success in 2016.
McCool played flawless golf in the final as he was 4-under
for the 12 holes that the match lasted.
McCool also benefited from a hot stretch of golf by the
70-year-old Burton earlier in the day when he was 4-under for a four-hole
span from the 11th to the 14th holes while taking out
the reigning six-time GAP Super-Senior Player of the Year, Don Donatoni of White
Manor Country Club, 3 and 1, in the semifinals.
McCool needed 19 holes to outlast Applebrook Golf Club’s
Gary Daniels in the other semifinal.
Donatoni was stalking his sixth Brewer Cup Super-Senior
title in the last seven years when he earned medalist honors in Monday’s
qualifying with a 1-under 70 on a Fieldstone course that plays to 5,966 yards
for the Super-Senior set.
McCool has operated in Donatoni’s shadow in the Super-Senior
ranks the last few years, but when he gets a shot, he’s proven he can finish
the job.
No comments:
Post a Comment