Armagost breaks through in a major way with Warner Cup (Gross) victory at North Hills

    Adam Armagost is an executive caddy at this point in his life, the one-time mini-tour terror a looper at Pine Valley Golf Club in the summer and Seminole Golf Club in Florida in the winter, two of America’s iconic courses.

   But if the 57-year-old is carrying your bag, you can feel pretty confident that your looper for the day is a better player than you are, maybe a lot better.

   Armagost got his amateur status reinstated with age 55 approaching with its opportunities to compete on the remarkably competitive senior amateur scene, both locally and nationally. He has made it into the match-play bracket in each of the last two U.S. Senior Amateur Championships, reaching the second round two years ago at Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Ore. and falling in 22 holes in the opening round a year ago at Old Chatham Golf Club in Durham, N.C.

   Armagost, playing out of Little Mill Country Club for the first time this year, has been hanging around near the top of the Golf Association of Philadelphia leaderboards. He broke through on a warm, gusty Thursday at North Hills Country Club, carding a 1-under-par 70 and winning a scorecard playoff with Michael Tash of Stone Harbor Golf Club to capture the 86^th Francis B. Warner Cup (Gross) crown.

   “All season long, really besides the Philadelphia Amateur, I’ve been playing consistently well,” Armagost told the GAP website. “It’s always nice to see it pay off.”

   Armagost got it into red figures over the 6,362-yard, par-71 North Hills layout when he converted a seven-footer for birdie after a 4-iron tee shot at the 184-yard, par-3 third hole. He missed a seven-foot par saver at the fifth hole after driving it into the right rough.

   But he got it back under par with a wedge into the 419-yard, par-4 eighth hole to four feet that resulted in a birdie.

   Despite getting some good looks, Armagost couldn’t get any birdie putts to fall on the back nine, but his nine pars gave him the tiebreaker edge on Tash as Armagost’s even-par back nine edged Tash, who was 1-over on North Hills’ incoming nine, and gave Armagost his first GAP victory in one of the association’s major senior championships.

   David Blichar of Olde Homestead Golf Club, who, like Armagost, reached the second round of match play in the U.S. Senior Amateur at Eugene two years ago, and Overbrook Golf Club’s Oscar Mestre, GAP’s reigning Senior Player of the Year, finished in a tie for third place in the Senior division, each finishing two shots behind the top two at 1-over 72.

   Concord Country Club’s Doug Fedoryshyn and Commonwealth National Golf Club’s James Gavaghan finished in a tie for fifth place, each signing for a 2-over 73. Philadelphia Country Club’s P. Chet Walsh ended up alone in seventh place at 3-over 74.

   Carlisle Country Club’s Jeff Frazier, winner of the Brewer Cup, another GAP senior major, earlier this summer at LedgeRock Golf Club, headed a group of four players tied for eighth place at 4-over 75.

   Joining Frazier at that figure were the Country Club of Scranton’s Brian Corbett, Wedgewood Golf Club’s Joe Coulson and Jeff Hudson, another Olde Homesteade entry.

   Patrick O’Brien, playing on his home course at North Hills, carded a 5-over 76 and headed a group of five players tied for 12^th place.

   Joining O’Brien at 5-over were Spring Ford Country Club’s George Steinmetz, Lehigh Country Club’s Bob Beck, Old York Country Club of Chesterfield’s Michael Decker, Philmont Country Club’s Brian Rothaus and Berkshire Country Club’s Byron Whitman.

   Chuck Dowds is officially listed as playing out of Applebrook Golf Club, but Dowds was a North Hills member for 35 years and still lives across the street from the entrance to the club in Glenside.

   So, he was right at home while teeing up in the Super-Senior division of the Warner Cup (Gross) and cruised to a three-shot victory with a 3-under 69. It was Dowds’ second GAP Super-Senior major victory of the summer as he also captured the Brewer Cup at LedgeRock.

   Dowds got off to a fast start over a North Hills layout that measured 5,989 yards for the 65-and-over set when he knocked his approach at the 330-yard, par-4 first hole to 10 feet and converted the birdie try. He would add four more birdies that more than made up for a momentary lapse that resulted in a double bogey at the 14^th hole.

   Bob Billings of Rolling Green Golf Club was the runnerup with a 1-over 72 followed by Drew Panebianco of Five Ponds Golf Club, another shot behind Billings in third place with a 2-over 73.

   Wayne Bartolacci of LuLu Country Club, Tom DiCinti, a Philadelphia Publinks Golf Association entry, and Vince Scarpetta Jr. of Nittany Golf Club finished in a tie for fourth place, each posting a 4-over 75.

   Tom Humphrey of Wilmington Country Club, Jimmy Muller of Manufacturers Golf & Country Club and Frank Polizzi of Whitemarsh Valley Country Club shared seventh place, each signing for a 5-over 76.

   White Manor Country Club’s Don Donatoni, GAP’s reigning seven-time Super-Senior Player of the Year, shared 10^th place with Dan Burton of Lancaster Country Club as each landed on 7-over 78. Buck Jones, another Philadelphia Publinks entry, was a shot behind Donatoni and Burton in 12^th place with a 79.