Chylinski, Domenick earn state Better-Ball title

  HUNTINGDON VALLEY, Pa.–Michael Domenick of Phoenixville CC drained a tension-filled four-foot par putt on the final hole to secure a one-stroke victory for him and partner Ed Chylinski of Chester Valley GC in the 20th state Better-Ball Championship on Thursday at Huntingdon Valley CC.

James Kania (left) and Michael Kania.

  Chylinski and Domenick finished at 9-under par for the two rounds, one shot in front of brothers James, Jr. and Michael Kania of Overbrook GC. Three teams, including brothers Michael and Doug Gregor and the father-son duo of James Sullivan, Jr. and Sr., both home club hopefuls, finished at 8 under. Michael Brown of Philadelphia Publinks GA and Paul Polinsky of Manufacturers G&CC also finished two shots behind the winners.

  “I’ve played in a lot of these so to win one feels great,” said Chylinski, 59, of Gulph Mills, Pa. “It’s good to be in the winner’s circle.”

  Added Domenick, 54, of Phoenixville, Pa., “You don’t really understand [how it feels to win] until it happens. You play in enough of these things and guys like me don’t see a lot of wins. Actually yesterday was the day. That was the best round of golf I’ve ever played in a competition.” He shot a 4-under-par 66 on his ball on Wednesday.

  Chylinski and Domenick entered Day Two at 7-under par overall and two shots clear of the rest of the field. The Sullivans were the closer pursuers at 5 under. The Kanias started three back. However, with the golf course playing more difficult and the wind intensifying as the day grew longer, scores for Round 2 weren’t nearly as low as Day One. That set up a mad dash to the finish line.

  “When we got down the stretch, 15-16-17, we just figured if we could par in we could win,” said Domenick. “Especially with the weather, it got windy and pretty tough.”

  As the day shook out, three teams, Chylinski and Domenick, the Kanias and the Sullivans, each controlled their own destinies.

  The Kanias, playing two groups in front of the other pair, were the first to post a number, finishing at 8-under par after recording a 3-under 32 on the back nine.

  “Our motto was to bring the heat and we didn’t do that until the back,” said James Kania, 20, a University of Kentucky sophomore from Haverford, Pa. “We were aiming for a 64 but we carded a 66 and we’ll see where that leads us.”

  James birdied No. 11 (par 4, 372 yards), No. 13 (par 3, 180 yards) and No. 15 (par 5, 571 yards) on the inward nine. Michael, 18, of Haverford, Pa., who will also be attending the University of Kentucky as a freshman in the fall, carried the load on the front with birdies on No. 4 (par 4, 365 yards) and No. 7 (par 5, 550 yards), a hole which he had an eagle look from 30 feet. The two carded only one bogey on the day, that coming on No. 2 (par 4, 440 yards).

  So that left Chylinski and Domenick and the Sullivans, both playing in the final grouping of the day, to match the Kanias final tally. And they both hovered right around that 8-under number throughout the final nine. The Sullivans recorded three birdies on the front, a sand wedge by James, Jr., to two feet on No. 1 (par 4, 390 yards) and a pair of 12 footers by James, Sr., on No. 4 and No. 9 (par 4, 450 yards), to move to 8 under with nine holes to go. However, the duo could not get over the hump on the way in and bogeyed the final hole (par 4, 425 yards) to fall by two shots to the eventual winners.   Chylinski and Domenick, too, made the turn at 8 under, but birdied No. 11 and 13 to quickly jump into double digits. A bogey on No. 14 (par 4, 467 yards) costs the team a shot when both failed to get up-and-down after coming up short of the green but four straight pars to finish sealed a win. That par stretch, however, was far from mundane as Chylinski made a tremendously difficult up-and-down from the left greenside bunker on No. 16 (par 4, 385 yards) and Domenick made a nifty par save from off the green and right of the 17th (par 3, 211 yards) putting surface. On No. 18, a great finishing hole onto itself, Domenick played first and knocked his 3-hybrid from 181 yards to about 20 feet above the hole. Chylinski’s approach effort landed just past Domenick’s shot, but trickled off the green. Domenick’s first putt then came up about four feet short and after Chylinski could only manage a five, left the tournament deciding stroke to Domenick.

  “I just wanted to make it. I didn’t want to let Eddie down,” said Domenick. “I already missed two of those earlier today.

  “That [shot from the fairway on No. 18] was ridiculous. Like I told Eddie, just stand out there and make a good swing and whatever happens happens. And that’s one of my favorite clubs. It just worked out.”

  Yes it did.

Name, club	Rnd. 1	Rnd. 2	Total
Ed Chylinski/Michael Domenick, Chester Valley GC/Phoenixville CC	63	68	131
James Kania, Jr./Michael Kania, Overbrook GC	66	66	132
Michael Gregor/Douglas Gregor, Huntingdon Valley CC	68	65	133
James Sullivan, Sr./James Sullivan, Jr., Huntingdon Valley CC	65	68	133
Michael Brown/Paul Polinsky, Phila Publinks GA/Manufacturers G&CC	66	67	133
Gary Daniels/Charles  Dowds, III, Applebrook GC	66	69	135
Patrick Sullivan/Travis Gahman, Philadelphia Publinks GA	67	68	135
Santo Lafoca/Byron Whitman, Huntsville GC/ Golden Oaks GC	68	68	136
Zach Rothaus/Brian Rothaus, Philmont CC	66	70	136
David Brookreson/Chip Lutz, Huntingdon Valley CC/LedgeRock GC	67	70	137
Edward Erickson/Ted Harris, Makefield Highlands GC	68	69	137
Cole Willcox/P. Chet Walsh, Philadelphia CC	70	67	137
Eric Williams/James Gardas, Honesdale GC	66	72	138
Edward Knoll/George Troutman, Deer Run GC	67	71	138
Jason Bernstein/Marc Mandel, White Manor CC	68	70	138
Scott Klee/Chris Esbenshade, Five Ponds GC/Indian Valley CC	68	71	139
Kenneth Phillips/Eric Buck, Lancaster CC	66	73	139
Craig Scott/Daniel Pinciotti, Jr., Huntingdon Valley CC	70	69	139
Brandon Detweiler/Marlin Detweiler, Lancaster CC	66	73	139
Christopher Gebhard/Michael Schmidt, Jr., Lebanon CC/PGA Indiv. Member	70	69	139
Michael Rose/Robert Galbreath, Jr., Philmont CC/Huntingdon Valley CC	71	68	139
Tim Deery/Alex Maguire, Jr., Meadia Heights GC/Brookside CC	65	75	140
Patrick Dougherty/Charles Scalzott, Talamore CC/Huntingdon Valley CC	71	69	140
Ryan Franks/Ryan Strickler, Standing Stone GC/Huntingdon CC	68	72	140
Fred Riley/Gray West, Toftrees GC	74	67	141
Chip Culp/Robert Robertson, Philadelphia Cricket/Sunnybrook CC	73	68	141
Thomas Soares/Jason Barkley, Moselem Springs GC/Huntsville GC	72	70	142
Corey Gast/Craig Kliewer, Meadia Heights GC	71	71	142
Chris Smedley/Mike Ellis, Coatesville CC/Loch Nairn GC	71	72	143
Patrick O'Brien/Patrick Rugg, North Hills CC/Rolling Green GC	71	72	143
Patrick Ross/Peter Nelson, Elmhurst CC/Glen Oak CC	72	71	143
Rich Thon/Andrew Harmer, The Springhaven Club	74	69	143
Bennett Boyer/Scott Pugh, CC of Harrisburg/Blue Ridge CC	70	73	143
Alex Pompey/David  Pompey, Jr., CC of Scranton	69	75	144
Matt Dietrich/Jim Simmons, Stonewall/Whitford CC	70	74	144
Bryan Winsko/Joe Dellicarpini, Philadelphia Cricket Club	71	73	144
Kevin Bondi/Edward Bondi, Huntingdon Valley CC	71	74	145
Gregory Ulp/Chris Crowley, CC of Harrisburg/PGA Indiv. Member	75	70	145
Brian Corbett/Robert Gill, Huntsville GC/Fox Hill CC	73	72	145
Gary Geldhof/Albert Hazzouri, Jr., Glenmaura National GC	71	74	145
Scott Orr/Marty Dorminy, Brookside CC/Golden Oaks GC	70	75	145
Brad Markey/T.J. Ostrom, Out Door CC/PGA Indiv. Member	74	72	146
David Strohl/David Blichar, Blue Ridge CC/Moselem Springs	73	73	146
Jeff Tamblyn/Thomas Howe, Honesdale GC	73	74	147
Matthew Hoover/Mark Answini, Fox Hill CC	70	77	147
Alex Maguire, Sr./Bo Maguire, Brookside CC	71	76	147
Rob Gilbert/Ben Rowe, Conestoga CC/Four Seasons GC	72	75	147
Thomas Isola/Jack Holland, Whitford CC	74	74	148
Anthony White, Jr./William Smyrl, Blue Bell CC	72	76	148
Nat Lauver/Frank Balcavage, Lost Creek GC/Hickory Valley GC	75	73	148
Robert Amen/Michael Quinn, Edgmont CC	72	77	149
William Jefferis/Stephen Walton, Downingtown GC	74	75	149
George Elias/Anthony Kondracki, Irem Temple CC/Fox Hill CC	70	79	149
Thomas Mairone/Bob Stewart, McCall G&CC/Westmoreland CC	74	76	150
Robert Howell/Rich Webber, GC at Felicita	74	76	150
Jeff Daniels/Gregory Adams, Daughin Highlands GC	75	75	150
Frank Boensch/Joe Coulson, PGA Indiv. Members	76	76	152
Tim McNerney/Tony Carroll, Philadelphia Publinks GA	75	77	152
William Rolli/Dan Koffel, Hickory Valley GC	79	74	153
Kyle Clark/Ralph Steeves, Scranton Municiple GC	76	77	153
Andrew Parker/Steve Verde, St. Davids GC/Spring Ford CC	75	80	155
Drew O'Neill/Mark O'Neill, Whitemarsh Valley CC/Sandy Run CC	81	76	157
Brian Dobisch/Mark Smedley, Talamore CC/Bellewood GC	79	78	157
John Deacon/Jim Lanzalotto, Llanerch CC	80	93	173

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