Emotional William Smith dominates
15th Middle-Amateur Championship field
SPRINGFIELD, Pa.–William Smith of Chambersburg CC rode a red-hot putter en route to one of the most dominating and emotional state victories in recent memory, taking the 15th Middle-Amateur Championship on Tuesday at Rolling Green GC (par 71, 6,911 yards) by a remarkable nine shots. The margin of victory was the largest in a Pennsylvania Golf Association event since David Brookreson of Huntingdon Valley CC captured the individual gross title of the 2005 Senior Team Championship by six strokes. It is also the largest margin in the five years since the Mid-Am. has adopted a stroke-play format. The victory, however, meant far more to Smith and his family as mother Barbara currently fights lung cancer. She is already a two-time breast cancer survivor.
"I’ve never played a golf tournament for anybody but myself but this tournament is for my mom," said a teary-eyed Smith. "She’s fighting lung cancer and she hasn’t been able to watch me play golf at all this summer. That’s one of her favorite things to do. So I had a, I don’t know what you want to call it, 15th club or guardian angel."
Barbara, 68, who was able to follow her son the past two days in a riding cart, is about a month into chemotherapy treatments. And when asked how she’s currently feeling, Smith said, "She’s fighting the fight and we are all praying for."
Smith’s closest competition came from his group mates as Michael McDermott of Merion GC edged Glenn Smeraglio of Yardley CC by a stroke for second. McDermott finished at 2-over par after carding consecutive rounds of 72.
Neither, however, offered a challenge to Smith who backed up his first round 68 with a 4-under-par 67. Those were the lone two sub-par rounds of the tournament. His 67 came with a total of 25 putts, 12 on the front side and 13 on the back.
"Every putt I looked at I felt I could make it," said Smith, a 39-year-old Newville, Pa., resident.
On the front nine he converted four birdies and built an eight-shot advantage with nine holes to play.
Smith hit a wedge from 100 yards on No. 4 (par 4, 407 yards) to 10 feet; smacked a 6-iron from 183 yards on No. 5 (par 4, 420 yards) to 15 feet; made an easy up-and-down 4 on the short par 5, No. 7 (505 yards) and on No. 9 (par 5, 618 yards) curled in a 15 footer after smacking a 9-iron on from 129 yards.
"That was the best display of putting I’ve ever seen," said McDermott, himself one of the top amateurs in the state of Pennsylvania. "It was a real pleasure to watch. It certainly did seem like there was a higher power with his mom being sick and all. The ball just kept going in."
McDermott, 33, of Bryn Mawr, Pa., said Smith, by his count, drained an incredible nine putts outside of 10 feet.
On the back side, Smith made his first bogey in 21 holes on No. 11 (par 4, 450 yards) after finding the fairway bunker and another on No. 13 (par 4, 438 yards) but made an amazing 18-foot par save on the treacherous 14th (par 3, 208 yards) to get back in the groove. He would birdie No. 16 (par 3, 166 yards) with a 7-iron to 15 feet and No. 17 (par 5, 506 yards) after knocking a chip to inches.
"I wanted to make sure I didn’t put too much pressure on myself," said Smith of holding a five-shot lead entering the final round. "But let’s face it. Golf is wonderful and gives us a great opportunity but I’m going to go down the road and go back and sell furniture as a sales rep tomorrow. When cancer comes into your family and it’s come in three times that’s hard. So when you talk about hard. That’s hard."
NOTES–Smith is now a three-time state winner. He also took the 1990 and 2003 State Publinks titles. Smith has also qualified for three U.S. Amateur Championships, the latest being last year at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif.
|
Name, club |
Rd. 1 |
Rd. 2 |
Total |
|
William F. Smith, Chambersburg Country Club |
68 |
67 |
135 |
|
Michael P. McDermott, Merion Golf Club |
72 |
72 |
144 |
|
Glenn Smeraglio, Yardley Country Club |
72 |
73 |
145 |
|
Kevin P. Kelly, Philadelphia Cricket Club |
74 |
72 |
146 |
|
P. Chet Walsh, Philadelphia Country Club |
73 |
73 |
146 |
|
Artie Fink, Jr., Sinking Valley Country Club |
74 |
73 |
147 |
|
Drew Panebianco, Talamore Country Club |
73 |
74 |
147 |
|
Frank Fairman, Totteridge Golf Club |
74 |
73 |
147 |
|
Adam G. Langford, Totteridge Golf Club |
75 |
73 |
148 |
|
Christopher L. Schultz, Squires Golf Club |
77 |
72 |
149 |
|
Marc A. Mandel, White Manor Country Club |
73 |
76 |
149 |
|
Ed Chylinski, Chester Valley Golf Club |
73 |
76 |
149 |
|
James E. Sullivan, Jr., PGA Individual Member |
78 |
71 |
149 |
|
James M. Gardas, Honesdale Golf Club |
75 |
76 |
151 |
|
Robin S. McCool, Saucon Valley Country Club |
77 |
74 |
151 |
|
Todd Vonderheid, Huntsville Golf Club |
77 |
74 |
151 |
|
David Liotta, Whitemarsh Valley Country Club |
76 |
75 |
151 |
|
James K. Kieserman, Talamore Country Club |
76 |
77 |
153 |
|
Nick Verrecchio, Rolling Green Golf Club |
77 |
76 |
153 |
|
Eric Swart, Nemacolin Country Club |
78 |
75 |
153 |
|
Michael R. Brown, Philadelphia Publinks GA |
75 |
78 |
153 |
|
Gregg M. Angelillo, Moselem Springs Golf Club |
74 |
79 |
153 |
|
Scott R. Klee, Indian Valley Country Club |
76 |
77 |
153 |
|
Brian T. Corbett, Huntsville Golf Club |
78 |
76 |
154 |
|
Nate M. Reck, PGA Individual Member |
78 |
76 |
154 |
|
Douglas E. Gregor, Huntingdon Valley Country Club |
80 |
74 |
154 |
|
Eric W. Williams, Honesdale Golf Club |
78 |
76 |
154 |
|
Keith A. Matt, Talamore Country Club |
79 |
76 |
155 |
|
Ken Matt, Talamore Country Club |
77 |
78 |
155 |
|
Gary E. Daniels, Applebrook Golf Club |
79 |
76 |
155 |
|
Donny Wessner, Golden Oaks Golf Club |
80 |
75 |
155 |
|
Grant T. Liu, Commonwealth National Golf Club |
77 |
79 |
156 |
|
Craig S. Kliewer, Meadia Heights Golf Club |
80 |
76 |
156 |
|
Santo T. Lafoca, Huntsville Golf Club |
79 |
77 |
156 |
|
Heath Davidson, Carlisle Country Club |
80 |
76 |
156 |
|
Kevin T. Haag, Deer Run Golf Club |
76 |
80 |
156 |
|
Jud Gemmill, Lancaster Host Golf Resort |
77 |
79 |
156 |
|
Mike Owsik, Plymouth Country Club |
74 |
82 |
156 |
|
Oscar L. Mestre, Jr., Overbrook Golf Club |
81 |
76 |
157 |
|
James J. Bryan, Latrobe Country Club |
78 |
79 |
157 |
|
Jeff Benton, PGA Individual Member |
76 |
82 |
158 |
|
Byron W. Whitman, Golden Oaks Golf Club |
74 |
84 |
158 |
|
Jason Barkley, Moselem Springs Golf Club |
76 |
82 |
158 |
|
Gregory Ulp, Country Club of Harrisburg |
81 |
77 |
158 |
|
Tim J. McNerney, Philadelphia Publinks GA |
82 |
76 |
158 |
|
John Mullins, Spring Ford Country Club |
75 |
83 |
158 |
|
Mike Danner, Lu Lu Country Club |
82 |
76 |
158 |
|
Ryan J. Gelrod, Commonwealth National Golf Club |
82 |
76 |
158 |
|
Chance W. Miller, Meadia Heights Golf Club |
79 |
80 |
159 |
|
Robert Gill, Fox Hill Country Club |
78 |
81 |
159 |
|
Richard J. Kinkela, Rolling Hills GC |
79 |
80 |
159 |
|
Brad Flickinger, Country Club of Scranton |
82 |
77 |
159 |
|
Michael Domenick, Phoenixville Country Club |
77 |
82 |
159 |
|
Robert P. Billings, Rolling Green Golf Club |
81 |
78 |
159 |
|
Kenneth A. Phillips, Lancaster Country Club |
81 |
78 |
159 |
|
Rick Bojalad, First Tee of Greater Pittsburgh Golf Club |
83 |
76 |
159 |
|
Marlin Detweiler, Lancaster Country Club |
81 |
79 |
160 |
|
John K. Sweeney, Lancaster Country Club |
81 |
79 |
160 |
|
Philip D. Petroll, Penn Oaks Golf Club |
78 |
82 |
160 |
|
Joe Corsi, Hannastown Golf Club |
81 |
79 |
160 |
|
Michael B. Quinn, Edgmont Country Club |
83 |
78 |
161 |
|
Jim Simmons, Stonewall |
81 |
80 |
161 |
|
John W. Robinson, Commonwealth National Golf Club |
82 |
80 |
162 |
|
Ben E. Spence, Jr., Woodstone Golf Club |
81 |
81 |
162 |
|
Frank D. Boensch, PGA Individual Member |
84 |
78 |
162 |
|
Eric Fonner, Huntingdon Valley Country Club |
81 |
81 |
162 |
|
Glenn D. Dolfi, Birdsfoot Golf Club |
86 |
77 |
163 |
|
Peter J. Moran, Edgmont Country Club |
83 |
81 |
164 |
|
Mark A. Studer, Oakmont Country Club |
85 |
79 |
164 |
|
Michael DiGiandomenico, French Creek Golf Club |
89 |
75 |
164 |
|
John R. Cattoni, Williamsport Country Club |
88 |
76 |
164 |
|
Jason A. Miller, Irem Temple Country Club |
86 |
79 |
165 |
|
Brad Sokol, Green Valley Country Club |
86 |
79 |
165 |
|
James E. Sullivan, Sr., Huntingdon Valley Country Club |
81 |
84 |
165 |
|
John Rodney, Diamond Run Golf Club |
86 |
79 |
165 |
|
Gregory A. Sheva, North Hills Country Club |
82 |
83 |
165 |
|
Scott V. Carney, Commonwealth National Golf Club |
85 |
81 |
166 |
|
Andrew Speaker, Jericho National Golf Club |
86 |
80 |
166 |
|
Steven E. Johnson, West Shore Country Club |
82 |
84 |
166 |
|
Brian J. Degnan, Philadelphia Publinks GA |
85 |
81 |
166 |
|
Ed Strickler, Huntingdon Country Club |
86 |
82 |
168 |
|
Edward H. Knoll, Deer Run Golf Club |
87 |
81 |
168 |
|
Joe Dellicarpini, Philadelphia Cricket Club |
87 |
81 |
168 |
|
Jay R. Stoner, Deer Run Golf Club |
89 |
79 |
168 |
|
Shane M. Gunning, Silver Creek Country Club |
86 |
82 |
168 |
|
Jeffrey L. Barber, Totteridge Golf Club |
90 |
79 |
169 |
|
Rick A. Scott, West Shore Country Club |
85 |
84 |
169 |
|
Damon C. Barbacci, Huntsville Golf Club |
90 |
80 |
170 |
|
Scott Pezanowski, Penn State Golf Courses |
84 |
86 |
170 |
|
Jason R. Sieminski, Philadelphia Cricket Club |
90 |
82 |
172 |
|
Laurence A. Hirsh, Blue Ridge Country Club |
89 |
85 |
174 |
|
Jim R. Willoughby, Bellewood Golf Club |
87 |
88 |
175 |
|
Robert Howell, Dauphin Highlands Golf Course |
88 |
89 |
177 |
|
Kevin M. Wall, Old York Road Country Club |
90 |
89 |
179 |
|
Michael Bennis, Talamore Country Club |
95 |
87 |
182 |
|
Jonathan D. Brust, French Creek Golf Club |
93 |
90 |
183 |
|
Dave Saunders, Talamore Country Club |
93 |
93 |
186 |
|
Chip Lutz, LedgeRock Golf Club |
79 |
WD |
WD |
|
Jeff DellaFranco, Concord Country Club |
81 |
NS |
NS |
|
Warren J. Choate, Williamsport Country Club |
77 |
WD |
WD |
|
Anthony G. Kondracki, Fox Hill Country Club |
84 |
WD |
WD |
|
Sean T. Cabry, Lancaster Host Golf Resort |
91 |
NS |
NS |
|
James D. Bohn, Bucknell Golf Club |
77 |
WD |
WD |
|
NS-no show; WD-withdrawal |
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