*Senior Match Play bracket
Cutrell survives, two No. 1 seeds fall
in Sigel Match Play Championship
KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. – Arnold Cutrell of Greensburg, Pa., the No. 2 seed and two-time reigning champion of this event, made an amazing comeback to survive the first day of the R. Jay Sigel Amateur Match Play Championship as the top seeds in both divisions were eliminated on Tuesday at Gulph Mills GC.Cutrell, 3-down with three holes to go, defeated Drew Panebianco of Dresher, Pa., the 18th seed, in 19 holes. Cutrell stayed alive with a remarkable shot on No. 18 (par 5, 464 yards) when he laced a 3-iron from 202 yards out and within the right tree line to the first cut over the back left side of the green. He eventually made a three-footer for par. Panebianco, whose second shot landed short and left of the green, chipped up to 10 feet but three putted to miss out on a chance to close the match.
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Cutrell’s solid tee to green play on Nos. 16 (par 4, 386 yards) and 17 (par 3, 209 yards) combined with some shaky Panebianco putting (he recorded three putts on those two holes) kept his three-peat hopes alive.
"Once I got to the 17th green I was thinking maybe I could get it to extra holes," said Cutrell. "He started to let the nerves get to him."
Ironically, Panebianco built a three-hole advantage early in the match on the strength of his flat stick. Panebianco one putted holes 5-10.
"Anytime you are a two-time defending champion, everyone is gunning for you," said Cutrell, 42, of Totteridge GC. "You expect to do well and you expect to win so the pressure is a little different."
Cutrell won the 2005 and 2006 Match Play Championships at Stonewall (Old Course) and Totteridge GC, respectively.
Kyle Davis of Kennett Square, Pa., the top seed, current William C. Fownes Player of the Year and 2004 Sigel winner, and the Senior Division’s No. 1 seed Paul Schlachter of Bridgeville, Pa., were not as fortunate, both falling in their second-round matches on Day One.
Thomas Timby, Jr., of Doylestown, Pa., the 16th seed, stopped Davis, 1-up while senior Ed Chylinski (No. 9 seed) of King of Prussia, Pa., and Chester Valley GC, upset Schlachter, 2&1.
The Amateur Division’s quarterfinals and semifinals are set for tomorrow at 8 a.m. The Senior Division’s round of four and final will also take place on Wednesday.
Timby, 37, of Philadelphia Publinks GA, grabbed the lead on Davis for good on No. 14 (par 3, 190 yards) when he got up and down from the front left bunker and the Inniscrone GC member failed to save par after missing the green left.
Both players parred No. 15 (par 4, 394 yards) and bogeyed No. 16 (par 4, 400 yards) to halve those holes. On No. 17 (par 3, 213 yards), a lengthy, testy three par, Davis missed his drive short and left of the green after Timby found himself about 25 feet right of the hole. Davis then almost holed out his chip from 50 feet. Timby left his birdie chance and opportunity at victory short, but made a nice three-footer to head to 18 with a hole advantage. After Timby put his ball in the short right rough about 209 yards from the green, Davis, a left-hander, sliced his drive far left into the adjacent driving range. Davis put his ball back in the fairway with a smooth 3-wood to about 30 yards short of green but Timby, who was solid tee to green all day, found the left side of the putting surface.
Davis got up-and-down for birdie, but Timby matched his opponent with a two-putt for the victory.
"Against a player like Kyle, you can’t make mistakes and on this course you can’t be overly aggressive," said Timby. "I just tried to play solid all day."
Said Davis, "I had a couple of really bad drives today and they cost me. I hit it into the water on No. 8 (par 4, 351 yards) and I lost the hole. And on No. 16 the wind took the ball hard [right] when I needed to find the fairway. I felt if I could do that I would make par." Timby was in the right rough and was forced to play it just short of the green at the time.
In the Senior Division, Chylinski headed a day of upsets. A pair of pars on Nos. 16 (par 4, 386 yards) and 17 (par 3, 209 yards), the Seniors started on the back nine, gave the 57-year-old a 2-up lead on the reigning Senior Amateur Champion at the turn. Chylinski continued his solid play with another par on No. 2 (par 4, 383 yards) for a win when Schlachter’s drive found tree trouble left.
Chylinski then closed out the match on No. 8 (par 4, 351 yards) when he drained a 15-foot birdie as Schlachter was staring at a five-foot under-par chance.
Three of the top four senior seeds fell in either the first or second round. Only John Benson of Punxsutawney, Pa., advanced to the Final Four.
Second round
Amateur Division
16. Thomas Timby, Jr., Doylestown, Pa., d. 1. Kyle Davis, Kennett Square, Pa., 1-up
8. Brian Belden, Jr., Emmaus, Pa., d. 24. Michael Domenick, Phoenixville, Pa., 7&6
4. Adam Cohan, Wayne, Pa., d. 13. Frank Fairman, Punxsutawney, Pa., 1-up
5. James Sullivan, Jr., Glenside, Pa., d. 12. Chip Lutz, Reading, Pa., 3&2
2. Arnie Cutrell, Greensburg, Pa., d. 18. Drew Panebianco, Dresher, Pa., 19 holes
10. Conrad Von Borsig, Swarthmore, Pa., d. 7. Jon Pratkanis, Butler, Pa., 22 holes
3. Jeff Daniels, Harrisburg, Pa., d. 19. Eric Williams, Honesdale, Pa., 3&2
27. Robin McCool, Bethlehem, Pa., d. 11. Cole Willcox, Berwyn, Pa., 1-up
Senior Division
9. Ed Chylinski, King of Prussia, Pa., d. 1. Paul Schlachter, Bridgeville, Pa., 2&1
12. Frank Polizzi, Byrn Mawr, Pa., d. 4. Bill Baloh, Herminie, Pa., 1-up
10. Michael Nilon, Gladwyne, Pa., d. 2. William Lawler, West Wyoming, Pa., 4&3
3. John Benson, Punxsutawney, Pa., d. 6. Charles Jones, Collegeville, Pa., 3&2
First round
Amateur Division
1. Davis d. 32. Roland Morris, Jr., King of Prussia, Pa., 5&3
16. Timby, Jr., d. Michael Vassil, Dalton, Pa., 3&2
8. Belden, Jr., d. 25. John Brennan, Norristown, Pa., 4&3
24. Domenick, d. 9. James D. Gardas, Hawley, Pa., 1-up
4. Cohan d. 29. Brian Gillespie, Wayne, Pa, 3&2
13. Fairman d. 20. Roc Irey, Jamison, Pa., 2&1
5. Sullivan, Jr., d. 28. Stephen Arnold, Langhorne, Pa., 2&1
12. Lutz d. 21. Sean Knapp, Oakmont, Pa., 21 holes
2. Cutrell d. 31. Chris Gallagher, West Chester, Pa., 2-up
18. Panebianco d. 15. Alex Maguire, Jr., Philadelphia, Pa., 3&2
7. Pratkanis d. 26. Byron Whitman, Birdsboro, Pa., 3&2
10. Von Borsig d. 23. Jonathan Pepe, McKeesort, Pa., 7&6
3. Daniels d. 30. Ryan Gelrod, Horsham, Pa., 2-up
19. Williams d. 14. Mike Moffat, Warrington, Pa., 1-up
27. McCool d. 6. Chris Schultz, Shillington, Pa., 2&1
11. Willcox d. 22. Doug Kingston, Bethlehem, Pa., 5&4
Senior Division
1. Schlachter, d. John C. van Roden, Jr., Bryn Mawr, Pa., 5&4
9. Chylinski, d. 8. Robert Fritz, Collegeville, Pa., 3&2
4. Baloh d. 13. Sam Lewis, Montrose, Pa., 2&1
12. Polizzi, d. 5. Bob Allhouse, Greensburg, Pa., 2-up
2. Lawler, d. 15. Don Ashley, Gladwyne, Pa., 6&4
10. Nilon d. 7. Martin Klagholz, Wayne, Pa., 1-up
3. Benson, d. 14. Mark Shuman, West Chester, Pa., 3&2
6. Jones d. 11. Michel Dougherty, Warrington, Pa., 19 holes