Jack Wallace/Sean Semenetz (above) tied for medalist honors with Brian Gillespie/Mike Hyland and Phil Bartholomew/Andy Latwoski
GLADWYNE, PA – Forty-one sides took on the challenging conditions at Philadelphia Country Club with hopes of advancing to the championship of the inaugural USGA Amateur Four-Ball, held next May at Olympic Club in San Francisco. The pairings of Brian Gillespie and Mike Hyland, Sean Semenetz and Jack Wallace, and P.J. Bartholomew and Andy Latowski would tie for medalist honors at 6-under 65.
Gillespie and Hyland got their round off to a scorching start as they birdied the first three holes. Things would quiet down for them as the wind picked up throughout the day, but they would sit at 5-under before coming to the par 4, 18th. Hyland proceeded to make things easy on his partner by knocking his approach to near tap in range for a closing birdie.
Semenetz and Wallace would be the next to post the sterling 6-under-par score. After making the turn at 2-under, the twosome went birdie-eagle on the par 3, 11th and the par 5, 12th. They concluded their stellar back nine with a birdie on the difficult 17th hole that was playing at a stroke average of 4.41.
Finally, the second leg of the Philadelphia Cricket Club double was completed by P.J. Bartholomew and Andy Latowski. As with the other two pairings to qualify, Bartholomew and Latowski birdied numbers 3 and 12. The other common denominator was that no pairing carded a bogey – a considerable feat given how tough the par 71, 6800 yard William Flynn design was playing.
The two alternate spots were earned by Pete Barron III and Corey Fisk as well as Michael McDermott and John Sawin. Fisk traveled all the way from Chandler, Arizona to compete and showed no signs of jet lag. The two caught fire in the middle of the round, birdying six holes in a ten hole stretch. The other alternate spot was grabbed by McDermott and Sawin in a two hole playoff. McDermott was able to convert a mammoth drive into a 5-footer for birdie to end the playoff against the Kania brothers, James and Michael.
It was the end to a great season at PA Golf, and a big thank you is owed to all at Philadelphia Country Club as well as the many volunteers that we have worked with all summer long.