Two-Time Champion Resumes Dominance With CourseRecord
Downingtown, PA – Sean Knapp started the 2012 championship season off in a not so subtle way, by setting a competition course record 67 at the 79th George Dressler Amateur Public Links Championship. Knapp, however, is no stranger to being in this position as he captured the 2009 and 2010 Dressler Championship. Knapp, having just come off of a disappointing playoff loss at the WPGA Fred Brand Foursomes Championship, showed just how ready he is for the 2012 Championship season.
Coming into his first stroke play event this season, Knapp had only been practicing and playing on weekends with fellow golfers. The lack of competition, and the difficult Applecross Country Club, did not affect his play at all however, as he started by sinking a twelve-foot putt on the first hole and then finessing a twenty-five foot putt on the second. By the eighth hole Knapp had figured his game out. He went on to birdie holes eleven, twelve, and eighteen by one-putting them all.
Having only completed the first round of what Knapp described as a “little bit of a sprint”, he is poised to collect his third Dressler Championship in four years. Coming off of the course after his 67, he marveled at how well the greens had played today and he showed this by turning in six birdies and only one bogey. Knapp’s lone bogey came on today’s toughest hole, sixteen, which only surrendered two scores under par all-day.
In the senior division of the Dressler Championship, Jerry Janeski is leading the way with a score of 3 - over par. Janeski started off his round of 75 in the weeds by bogeying the first and third hole, but made up for those mistakes by shooting a mere one over on the far more difficult back nine.
Tuesday’s play will open with the seniors taking to the tee at 8:00am. Janeski will open his final round at 8:30am with Mike Owsik and Tim Harpster who both shot a 77 on day one. The two-time champion Knapp will tee off at 12:10 playing with Scott McNeil. McNeil rallied on the back nine by shooting 4 - under par after a disappointing 2 - over on the front nine. Joining the leaders will be Travis Gahman, who began the day with some steady play, faltered on the back nine with a 2 - over, 39, to finish off his 1-over, 73. Brent Will, who also turned in a 73 had a tough start to his back nine by double bogeying the tenth hole, Will saved his round by rolling in a birdie at the par five, fifteenth.
Lars Nelson
Communications Intern
Pennsylvania Golf Association