Lange, Spatz, Irey lead Pennsylvania Open qualifiers

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. – Three amateurs, miles apart both in geography and age, fired 5-under-par 67s Monday to lead qualifiers in a rain-shortened first round for the 89^th Open Championship of the Pennsylvania Golf Association at Sunnybrook Golf Club (par 72, 6,886 yards) in a field of 132 players.

They are Chris Lange, 51, of Bryn Mawr, Pa., the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s 2004 Open champion and reigning Player of the Year; Roc Irey, 53, of Warrington, Pa., and Malcolm Spatz, 24, of Pittsburgh, a 2004 college graduate playing out of Oakmont CC and contemplating a professional golf career.

Playing in the morning, Lange and Spatz escaped a 95-minute lightning delay followed by heavy rains in the afternoon that resulted in the last threesomes finishing in gloom and semi-darkness at 8:20 p.m. Irey battled part way through the afternoon elements to card six birds on his way to 67.

The three leaders were one shot better than three western Pennsylvania professionals, two of whom are former Pennsylvania Open champions, who also completed their rounds in the morning.

They are defending champion Ryan Sikora (34-34) of Greensburg, Pa., 1996 champion John Mazza (34-34) of Beaver Falls, Pa., and Sean Franklin (32-36) of Greensburg, Pa. Also at 68 was Kevin Shields, a professional of Bethel Park, Pa., who played late in the afternoon.

Lange, starting at the 10^th hole, birdied four of his first five holes, three-putted the par 3, 164-yard No. 15 for a bogey, and birdied the par 4, 409-yard No. 18 to make the turn in 4-under 32. Key to his back nine, he said, was a curling, up-hill, 50-foot "snake" from the left front to the back right for a bird on the par 4, 464-yard No. 2.

He then parred in for a 1-under 35. He hit 16 of eighteen greens. "If I don’t totally throw a shoe tomorrow," he quipped, "I’ll get to play on Wednesday."

After Tuesday’s second 18-hole qualifying round, the low 40 players and ties will play 18 holes for the championship on Wednesday.

Spatz, a June 2004 graduate of Elon University, plays to a plus one handicap. "I wasn’t driving well," he said, "but my putting was solid," with just 26 putts for the day.

Starting on the 10^th hole (par 5, 559 yards) with a birdie 4, he had only one 5 on his card all day, a bogey on the par 4, 404-yard No. 11. He birdied Nos. 12 and 16 to make the turn in 2-under 34, and followed with birds on Nos. 2, 6 and 7 for an incoming 33.

Irey battled through the elements in his last four holes at even par to preserve a back nine of 34 after he had birdied Nos. 6, 7 and 9 on the front to make the turn at 3-under 33, and birdies Nos. 10 and 14 on the back.

"I hit it solid. Tee to green, I hit it real well," he said, after hitting 16 greens. "If I had one of these young guys putting for me," he smiled, "I’d have been even better." He needed 30 putts. But he conceded his round was "not bad for an old guy."

Among six players at bunched at 3-under 69 are amateur John Michael Pelet (36-33) of Atglen, Pa., and professional Dave Roberts (38-31) of Ambler, Pa., who for the second time in three years carded a bogey-free 5-under-par 31 on Sunnybrook’s back nine (par 36, 3,501 yards), this time without birds on either of the par 5s.

Roberts set Sunnybrook’s course record with an 8-under 33-31-64 in May 2002 in winning the Rittenhouse Trust Company Golf Classic.

Also at 69 are four former Pennsylvania Open champions: Paul Oglesby (35-34) of Ardmore, Pa., of Merion Merion GC, who won in 1994 playing out of Hershey CC; 1984 champion Roy Vucinich (33-36) of Moon Township; Pa., 1994 champion Stu Ingraham (34-35) of Newtown Square, Pa., professional at Overbrook GC, and 1989 champion Joe Boros (35-34) of Saxonburg, Pa., professional at Treesdale G&CC.

It was a tough night and day for Ed Dougherty of Boothwyn, Pa., in suburban Philadelphia, a regular player on the PGA Champions Tour. He finished the Champions 3M Classic outside Minneapolis on Sunday, caught a late flight to Philadelphia, got a few hours sleep, and drove onto the notorious Blue Route (U.S. 476) at 7:45 a.m. for a half hour drive to Sunnybrook for a 9:40 a.m. tee time.

One massive traffic jam later, he arrived at Sunnybrook at 9:15, barely time to put on his shoes, hit a couple of hasty practice shots, head for the 10^th tee, and card a 2-over-par 74. "I’m not around here enough to know the Blue Route," he lamented. "Now I know better."

The shot of the day was a 190-yard 6-iron to the 16^th green (par 5, 536 yards) that rolled in to the cup for a double-eagle 2 for Michael Brown of Cheletenham, Pa., a professional at North Hills CC, who carded a 35-36-71, with a double bogey 6 two holes later at the par-4, 409-yard 18^th hole.

Name	Score
Christopher J. Lange, Bryn Mawr, PA	67
Malcolm Spatz, Allison Park, PA	67
Roc Irey, Warrington, PA	67
Ryan Sikora, Greensburg, PA	68
Sean Farren, Oakmont, PA	68
John D. Mazza, Beaver Falls, PA	68
Kevin Shields, Bethel Park, PA	68
John Michael Pelet, Atglen, PA	69
Dave L. Roberts, Ambler, PA	69
Stuart Ingraham, Newtown Square, PA	69
Paul A. Oglesby, Ardmore, PA	69
Roy Vucinich, Moon Township, PA	69
Joe Boros, Saxonburg, PA	69
Thomas J. Ryan, Collegeville, PA	70
Mark DiGiacomo, Lebanon, PA	70
Bennett V. Smith, Bakerstown, PA	70
Tyler Brewington, Orangeville, PA	70
Michael R. Brown, Cheltenham, PA	71
H. Robert McClellan, Butler, PA	71
John G. Sawin, Haverford, PA	71
Andrew J. Latowski, Pittsburgh, PA	71
Robin S. McCool, Bethlehem, PA	71
Timothy J. Moynihan, Murrysville, PA	71
Henry L. D'Alberto, Easton, PA	71
James Finnerty, West Chester, PA	72
John Aubrey, Butler, PA	72
Tyler Witman, Manheim, PA	72
William J. Sautter, Warrington, PA	72
Mike Lebow, Royersford, PA	72
Mark Borkovich, Pittsburgh, PA	72
John D. Allen, Media, PA	72
Robby Walizer, State College, PA	72
Scott Ehrlich, Blue Bell, PA	72
John Pillar, Sr., Hawley, PA	72
Jim Douglass, New Cumberland, PA	72
Doug Kingston, Bethlehem, PA	72
Robert W. Gordon, Export, PA	72
Mike Grisnik, Beaver Falls, PA	72
Mark Sheftic, Plymouth Meeting, PA	72
Edward W. Vietmeier, Pittsburgh, PA	73
Gregory Pieczynski, Kingston, PA	73
Drew Panebianco, Dresher, PA	73
Justin Kolumber, Alburtis, PA	73
Gordon Vietmeier, Pittsburgh, PA	73
Scott Micklewright, Harrisburg, PA	73
Kevin Nicholson, Secane, PA	73
Shane Brant, Latrobe, PA	73
Graham Dendler, Havertown, PA	73
Gary E. Daniels, Berwyn, PA	73
Chris Gallagher, West Chester, PA	73
Robert D. Shuey, Mechanicsburg, PA	73
John Spina, Schwenksville, PA	73
Jim Cichra, Pittsburgh, PA	73
Dan Walters, Lancaster, PA	73
Clint A. Deibert, Doylestown, PA	73
Harvin Groft, State College, PA	73
Timothy L. Hager, Ivyland, PA	73
Terry Hertzog, Lititz, PA	73
Matthew E. Mattare, Bethlehem, PA	74
Paul C. Gagliardi, Lower Gwynedd, PA	74
Martin E. Nowicki, Macungie, PA	74
Gary W. Hardin, Easton, PA	74
Charles A. Scally Jr., Imperial, PA	74
Rich Pruchnik, West Chester, PA	74
Blaine Peffley, Lebanon, PA	74
Bob Friend, Pittsburgh, PA	74
Brian Kelly, Lewisburg, PA	74
Ed Dougherty, Boothwyn, PA	74
Robert T. Rohanna, Waynesburg, PA	74
James M. Gardas, Honesdale, PA	74
Travis W. Deibert, Doylestown, PA	74
John J. Cooper, Lansdale, PA	74
Nick Sabol, Baden, PA	74
Adam Cohan, Wayne, PA	74
Billy J. Mullen, Norristown, PA	74
Sean P. Smyth, Harrisburg, PA	75
Adam J. Corson, State College, PA	75
Kyle T. Davis, Kennett Square, PA	75
James J. Bryan, Latrobe, PA	75
Charles N. Tait, Harrisburg, Pa	75
Arnie Cutrell, Greensburg, PA	75
Eric W. Williams, Honesdale, PA	75
Tug Maude, Rosemont, PA	75
Chad A. Bricker, Waynesboro, PA	75
Santo T. Lafoca, Pittson, PA	75
Joshua Lewis, Norristown, PA	76
Alexander Childs, Pittsburgh, PA	76
John C. Brumberg, Gibsonia, PA	76
Joshua Krumholtz, Reading, PA	76
Michael E. Banzhoff, Chambersburg, PA	76
Byron W. Whitman, Birdsboro, PA	76
Rick Stimmel, Wexford, PA	76
Kenneth Dixon, Jr., Sinking Spring, PA	76
Robert F. Bishop, Coatesville, PA	76
Doug Stadler, Wexford, PA	76
Steve V. Scarpetta, Moosic, PA	77
Paul M. Polinsky, Abington, PA	77
Ronald DeNunzio, Jeannette, PA	77
Christopher W. Ault, Levittown, PA	77
Justin Lamason, Mechanicsburg, PA	77
Michael D. Funk, Springfield, PA	77
Tony R. Perla, Collegeville, PA	77
James R. White, Horsham, PA	77
Jonathan D. Prior, Murrysville, Pa	77
Joseph Makowski, Philadelphia, PA	77
Greg P. King, Harrisburg, PA	77
Andrew Achenbach, Royersford, PA	77
Vincent P. Zachetti, Greensburg, PA	77
Zack Amole, Denver, PA	78
Don Erickson, III, DuBois, PA	78
Geoff Forcino, Malvern, PA	78
Alex Knoll, Bethlehem, PA	78
Eric P. McNamee, West Chester, PA	78
Ryan McCarty, Philadelphia , PA	79
Gregg A. Hostetter, Leola, PA	79
Mike Dynda, Blue Bell, PA	79
Ruelle W. Wolfe III, Chambersburg, Pa	79
Jimmy T. Hayes, Littlestown, PA	79
Kenji Ota, Blue Bell, PA	79
Hugh P. Reilly, Willow Grove, PA	80
Chris G. Esbenshade, Lititz, PA	80
Silvio A. Trentalange, Southampton, PA	80
Steve Hudson, King of Prussia, PA	80
Robert K. Rohrbach, Ephrata, PA	80
James D. Bohn, Lewisburg, PA	80
Thomas Dell, Leola, PA	81
Michael Grabosky, Mohnton, PA	81
Burton McHugh, Philadelphia, PA	81
Patrick Rutter, Wyomissing, PA	82
Jacob W. Kalyan, Tamaqua, PA	82
Lynn T. Kilduff, Dallas, PA	83
David A. Robie, Lancaster, PA	84

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