113th Parent/Child – Older

Alessi team wins in scorecard playoff at Philmont

HUNTINGDON VALLEY, Pa. — Rick and Vinny Alessi won the 113^th Parent/Child – Older at a rainy Philmont Country Club (par 70, 6,121 yards) in a scorecard playoff Thursday.

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The Alessi team tied Jim and Matt Krass of Radley Run Country Club at 3-over-par 73. However, it posted an even-par 35 on Philmont’s back nine. The Krass team finished that stretch at 4 over.

The USGA-recommended tiebreaking method starts with back-nine scores.

“It means a lot. Two years ago, we got close. We had a whole year to get back at it. It’s really special,” Rick, 63, of Havertown, Pa., said.

“To get it done is awesome,” Vinny, 35, of Drexel Hill, Pa., added.

In 2022, the Alessi team bogeyed three of its final six holes at Hershey’s Mill Golf Club. Co-runner-up honors. The trophy slipped through their hands.

The pattern initially appeared inverse at Philmont. Vinny, a McCall Golf Club member, drove the gettable No. 13 (par 4, 284 yards). Two putts from the middle of the green meant a birdie. On No. 16 (par 4, 430 yards), Vinny split the fairway with a solid drive. Rick, a Llanerch Country Club member, hit a 9-iron 145 yards to 18 feet. Vinny converted the birdie putt. The Alessi team stood two shots clear of the Krass team.

However, on No. 17 (par 3, 122 yards), both missed the green: Rick with a three-quarter 9-iron, Vinny a pitching wedge. The Alessi team elected to play Rick’s shot from the left rough. Vinny threw a wedge onto the green, but it bailed from the friend zone. Bogey. On No. 18 (par 4, 376 yards), Vinny’s approach from 165 yards caught the left greenside bunker. A sweaty lie stared at Rick.

“I was nervous about the bunker shot because I didn’t want it over into the junk on the other side of the green. I left it very short. I didn’t really have a positive thought,” he said. Vinny missed the ensuing 20-footer for par.

No matter. The back nine finally bore Parent/Child – Older fruit.

“We really wanted to do well. We were hoping to be in the mix,” Rick, who owned a machinery business for 40 years, said.

“My dad’s been playing well all year. This is awesome,” Vinny, a machinist for Strainsert, added.

Golf runs in the Alessi family. Rick grew up in the game alongside his father, Richard. The two played in a number of GAP Parent/Child events together.

Like grandfather and father, like son. Vinny’s love of the game sparked an uproot in 2010. He relocated to Florida and started a career at The Loxahatchee Club, caddying and working in golf operations. The golf life eventually wore thin. Vinny returned to the area in 2016. His competitive schedule nowadays includes McCall events.

And the Parent/Child – Older. An expectation now exists.

“Repeat,” Vinny said.

Super-Senior Division
Philmont is special to the Rothaus family. Zach Rothaus grew up at the club. His father spent 20-plus years as one of Philmont’s top players.

Winning a tournament that means a great deal, at a place that means a great deal … special. Brian and Zach Rothaus carded a 1-under-par 69 to take the event’s Super-Senior Division (par 70, 5,816 yards).

“It was surreal honestly being here when we first started. Being on the property at Philmont, a lot has happened here,” Zach, 36, of Jersey City, N.J., said. “It was good to get out on the golf course honestly and settle into the round.”

A pair of unusual birdies resonate. On No. 12 (par 5, 482 yards), Brian’s 3-wood from 210 yards plugged into the greenside bunker.

“It was literally embedded on a 90-degree slope. I could hardly stand. I cracked a wedge to five feet. It was really a lucky shot,” Zach said. Brian cleaned up the birdie putt.

Same scenario on No. 13 (par 4, 275 yards). Zach’s 3-wood plugged into the bunker. Hacker’s paradise. Zach converted a birdie putt from the fringe following his dad’s chop. The Rothaus team stood one shot clear until a three-putt bogey on No. 17 (par 3, 122 yards). But Zach made up for the error — and Brian’s “bad” pitch on No. 18 (par 4, 307 yards). Zach canned an uphill 25-footer for birdie. Brian shook his head.

“That made me feel a little better,” Brian, 68, of Elkins, Park, Pa., said.

The Rothaus team previously won the Parent/Child in 2008 at Bellewood Country Club. Coincidentally, Brian captured the Francis B. Warner Cup – Super-Senior at Bellewood earlier this season.

Chester Valley Golf Club’s Mimi and Michael Coppola won the Mother/Son Division (par 70, 5,816 yards) with a score of 33-over-par 103. In the Father/Daughter Division (par 70, 5,816 yards), Kennett Square Golf & Country Club’s Jeff and Taylor Hollander carded a 15-over-par 85 to prevail.

Formerly known as the Father & Son (Older), GAP renamed the event Parent/Child Older to reflect today’s modern family. The event is open to teams with daughters or sons ages 30 or older.

GAP
Celebrating Amateur Golf since 1897, GAP, also known as the Golf Association of Philadelphia, is the oldest regional or state golf association in the United States. It serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. The Association’s 345 Member Clubs and 110,000 individual members are spread across Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland. The GAP’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.