For Andy and Patrick Isztwan, a victory in the Golf
Association of Philadelphia’s Father & Son (Younger) Championship Wednesday
at Concord Country Club was simply a matter of sticking to the plan.
And when you’re playing a select-drive, alternate-shot
event, it’s always good to have a plan.
“We had a plan where if he hit a good tee shot, we were
playing it, no matter where mine went,” 17-year-old Patrick Isztwan, a senior
at Penn Charter and one of the top returning players in the Inter-Ac League,
told the GAP website. “He was putting the ball in play and I was hitting my
irons really well. There were a couple times where we were almost tempted,
where I would’ve had a wedge in, but we just stuck to our plan.”
The plan worked well enough that Team Isztwan, representing
Huntingdon Valley Country Club, got it to 4-under-par on the front nine at the
6,217-yard, par-70 Concord layout and kept it there, finishing with a 4-under
66 that gave it a three-shot victory in the Junior division and some GAP
hardware.
It also erased some bad memories from 2018 when Andy and
older son Brian, whose sophomore season at Harvard was halted this spring by
the coronavirus pandemic, had it going in the Father & Son (Middle) before
stumbling down the stretch.
And Brian, who was the best player in the Inter-Ac in his
final two seasons at Penn Charter, made a contribution to this victory, too.
Dad’s swing had lost its way after being pretty dependable this spring, but
some range work with Brian at Huntingdon Valley straightened things out. After
that it was just a matter of executing the plan.
I’ve been a fan of the Isztwans ever since dad accepted my
offer to caddy for Brian in the 2017 Christman Cup at Stonewall’s North Course.
I auditioned by looping for Brian and Patrick in a practice round earlier in
the week. Patrick had caddied for Brian in Brian’s run to the GAP Junior Boys’
Championship final a few weeks earlier, but Patrick was also in the Christman
Cup field, so the assignment on Brian’s bag was open.
They’re just good people, as most golf people are. And it’s
nice to see Andy, 51 years young, and Patrick Isztwan have a little Father
& Son success.
Patrick Isztwan drilled a 9-iron at the 164-yard, par-3
fourth hole to tap-in range and dad finished the job for the first birdie of
the day.
Then Team Isztwan rattled off three straight birdies to
close out the outgoing nine and complete a sparkling 4-under 31.
At the par-4 seventh hole, dad left Patrick 185 yards to the
green and Patrick’s 7-iron finished 20 feet from the hole. Andy Isztwan
promptly dropped the tricky downhiller for birdie. Andy Isztwan then sent a
6-iron into the 180-yard, par-3 eighth hole and left Patrick with a 10-footer
that he buried for birdie.
Team Isztwan departed from the plan on the par-4 ninth hole
when Patrick bombed his drive close enough that Andy needed just a wedge to
nestle it in to seven feet and Patrick knocked it in for their fourth birdie in
a six-hole span.
The Elmhurst Country Club pair of William Pabst Sr. and
William Pabst was the only other team to better par at Concord as their 1-under
69 earned them runnerup honors.
The Talamore Country Club duo of Ken Matt and Christian Matt
was two shots behind Team Pabst in third place with a 1-over 71. Randy Mitchell
and Colman Mitchell of Wilmington Country Club finished alone in fourth place
with a 2-over 72.
Fran McCabe and his son Ryan, a Devon Prep senior who has
been a contender for the PIAA Class AA Championship each of the last two falls,
shared fifth place with the host club duo of David Woods and Nicklaus Woods at
3-over 73.
The Blue Bell Country Club pair of Mark Lafond and Matt
Lafond, the Catholic League’s individual champion as a senior at La Salle last
fall, headed a trio of teams tied for seventh place at 4-over 74.
Team Lafond was joined at that figure by the Philadelphia
Country Club pair of Michael Gradisek and his son James, who will be a senior
on the Malvern Prep team this fall, and Eric Fryer and Steven Fryer of
Commonwealth National Golf Club.
Penn Oaks Golf Club’s Lee Sokalsky and his son Jake, a
Central League individual co-champion as a senior at Garnet Valley last fall,
finished in a tie for 10th place with the Trenton Country Club
tandem of Bill Kearns and Jack Kearns at 5-over 75.
LuLu Country Club’s Brendan Nolan and his son Darren shared
12th place with Greg Hanna and Alex Hanna of Overbrook Golf Club at
6-over 75. Darren Nolan was a teammate of Matt Lafond’s at La Salle and they
helped the Explorers finish third in the PIAA Class AAA team chase after making
an unbeaten run through the Catholic League.
The Bellewood Country Club duo of 45-year-old Greg O’Connor
and his 13-year-old son Jack put together an even-par front nine and held on
for an 8-over 78 that gave them the Father & Son (Younger) Junior-Junior division
title by a shot. Concord measured 5,794 yards for the Junior-Junior
competitors.
After a bogey at the first hole, Team O’Connor made birdies
at the third and eighth holes to get it to 1-under before making a bogey at the
ninth. The O’Connors made a double bogey at the 10th hole, but got
one of those shots back with a birdie at the 13th. It was a struggle
from there, but the O’Connors had given themselves enough of a cushion to hold
onto their lead.
Jack O’Connor, an eighth-grader at Spring-Ford Middle
School, nearly provided the biggest highlight of the day, but his 60-foot putt
for birdie at the par-3 11th hole ended with the ball hanging
tantalizingly on the lip and refusing to fall.
E.J. Lagarda and Ethan Lagarda of Woodcrest Country Club and
Nick Linkchorst and Rich Linkchorst of The Golf Course at Glen Mills finished a
shot behind Team O’Connor in a tie for second place, each duo posting a 79.
Merion Golf Club’s Brad McFadden and Overbrook’s Liam
McFadden finished alone in fourth place with an 80. It was five shots back to
Dave Pender and Mike Shoemaker of the Colonial Golf & Tennis Club in fourth
place with an 85.
Brian McDonald and Conor McDonald of Llanerch Country Club,
Charlie Isler and Josh Isler of Radley Run Country Club ad Geoffrey Cooper and
Grant Cooper of North Hills Country Club finished in a tie for sixth place,
each pair signing for an 86.
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