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Day One results

Saucon Valley CC’s McCool captures inaugural Hemlock Championship

  NORTH COVENTRY, Pa.–It wasn’t easy, but Robin McCool of Saucon Valley CC did just enough to repel the competition and capture the first-ever Hemlock Championship on Tuesday at Bellewood GC (par 71, 6,609 yards). The Hemlock, a new event named after the state tree, is a competition for players ages 45-54 years of age.

  McCool entered the second and final round five shots in front of the field in search of his first Pennsylvania state championship. However, it was a challenging day with the putter for the 54 year old and McCool watched his advantage dwindle to one shot on an early surge from Michael Domenick of Phoenixville CC and a late effort by Richard Thon of The Springhaven Club. In the end, McCool’s second-round 77 equated to a 1-over-par finish for the tournament and placed him two strokes clear of the field.

  Domenick and Thon tied for second at 4-over par. Glenn Smeraglio of Yardley CC placed fifth at 5-over par.

  "It feels great. It’s a great accomplishment to win a state event at any level," said McCool of Bethlehem, Pa. "I’m ecstatic about that.

  "I didn’t play particularly well today, but that’s golf. You have to deal with it."

  McCool carded five bogeys on the front side as the field closed the gap. He three-putted four of those. However, McCool, a tournament veteran, righted the ship with birdies on No. 10 (par 5, 582 yards) and No. 13 (par 4, 335 yards) and closed his round out with a 1-over-par 36.

  "I couldn’t get into any rhythm on the greens," said McCool. "I had a lot of difficult putts that were going up and over and across ridges."

  McCool knocked a gap wedge from 90 yards to three feet on No. 10 to get his groove back. On the treacherous 13th, he intentionally landed his pitching wedge short of the green and watched it roll to eight feet. He converted a tricky right to left breaker.

  Thon, 50, of Swarthmore, Pa., and Domenick, 50, of Phoenixville, Pa., both had moments.

  Thon recorded five birdies and five bogeys en route to an even-par 71. He was 1-under par at the turn and 2 under after 10 holes before three bogeys in the span of four holes eliminated him from the title hunt.

  Domenick went out in 1-under 35, before a bogey, double-bogey start on the back, quieted his run.

  "If I go home with a piece of glass, my wife will be surprised," stated Thon. "Starting the day I would have taken that. I didn’t collapse. He won it."

  McCool's top finish in a Pennsylvania state event prior to the Hemlock was a third-place showing in the 1998 Amateur at Bent Creek CC. The victory marks a comeback of sorts for McCool. Health issues have plagued him since 2001. That year he successfully battled testicular cancer. In 2003, McCool found himself on the sideline with a pinched nerve in his back and, in 2004, a staph infection shelved him for a period of time.

  McCool is a former New Jersey State Golf Association Middle-Amateur champion and has also recorded victories in both Golf Association of Philadelphia and Arizona State Golf Association events.

Pos

Player Name

Club

Rd 1

Rd 2

Total

1

Robin S. McCool

Saucon Valley CC

67

77

144

T2

Michael Domenick

Phoenixville CC

73

73

146

T2

Rich Thon

The Springhaven Club

75

71

146

4

Glenn Smeraglio

Yardley CC

72

75

147

5

Matt Froncek

Elkview CC

74

75

149

T6

Ed Blechschmidt

Whitemarsh Valley CC

76

74

150

T6

Mark E. Leaman

Foxchase GC

76

74

150

T8

Kenneth A. Phillips

Lancaster CC

79

72

151

T8

Warren Choate

Williamsport CC

77

74

151

T10

John W. Robinson

Commonwealth National GC

78

74

152

T10

Christopher B. Scott

Bucks County CC

81

71

152

T12

Scott Mayne

Hershey CC

78

75

153

T12

George E. Troutman

Village Green Golf Course

76

77

153

14

Ron A. Weaver

Meadia Heights GC

77

77

154

T15

Jim Simmons

Stonewall

77

78

155

T15

Brian Corbett

Huntsville GC

80

75

155

T15

Vince Yost

Cedarbrook CC

75

80

155

T15

Oscar L. Mestre, Jr.

Overbrook GC

78

77

155

T19

Drew Panebianco

Talamore at Oak Terrace CC

77

79

156

T19

Michael J. Vassil

CC of Scranton

83

73

156

T19

Joe Corsi

Totteridge GC

78

78

156

T19

Jeffrey Paige

Penn National GC

77

79

156

T23

Joseph M. Cordaro

Edgewood CC

80

77

157

T23

Ed Short

Carlisle CC

79

78

157

T25

Byron W. Whitman

Philadelphia Publinks Golf Assoc

80

78

158

T25

Bradley Hughes

Stonewall

78

80

158

T25

Michael J. Metz

Fox Hill CC

82

76

158

28

Mark D. Quigley

Lu Lu CC

81

78

159

29

Marlin Detweiler

Lancaster CC

78

83

161

30

Robert Gill

Fox Hill CC

79

83

162

31

Chuck Tait

Hershey Parkview

81

83

164

32

Paul Ringiewicz

Rolling Green GC

84

81

165

33

William D. March

Spring Ford CC

86

81

167

34

Doug Kelley

Spring Hollow Golf Course

84

85

169

35

Charles Kraatz

Talamore at Oak Terrace CC

84

93

177

36

Scott Orr

Reading CC

86

92

178

37

Albert Hazzouri, Jr.

CC of Scranton

91

91

182

38

William Erskine

Philadelphia Publinks GA

86

WD

WD

 

WD-withdrawal

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