118th GAP Open: Round One

Shattuck leads #GAPOpen, posts 2-under at Wissahickon

FLOURTOWN, Pa.–Braden Shattuck, Rolling Green Golf Club’s Director of Instruction, applied lessons learned at another A.W. Tillinghast masterpiece to conquer the first day of the 118^th Open Championship at a steamy Philadelphia Cricket Club (Wissahickon, par 70, 7,012 yards).

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Shattuck, who said he had never seen Cricket before Tuesday but has played at sister course Baltimore Country Club plenty of times prior, finished at 2-under 68.

The Open Championship, or what is commonly referred to as the Philadelphia Open, annually assembles the most talented tournament field of amateurs and professionals in the Delaware Valley. It’s done so since 1903.

This year’s roster started with 144 players, 102 amateurs and 42 professionals. The cut to the low 60 players and ties landed at 5-over par 75.

The second round begins at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday. The final group of Shattuck, Robert Fenton, an assistant professional at Sunnybrook Golf Club, and Brian Isztwan, an amateur from Huntingdon Valley Country Club, starts at 11 a.m.

Fenton, 30, of Ewing, N.J., stands in second place after carding the only other under-par score (1 under) of the day. Isztwan and Barbin are tied for third at even. Isztwan, 22, of Huntingdon Valley, Pa., is the recent winner of the 19th R. Jay Sigel Pennsylvania Amateur Match Play Championship presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods. Barbin, 21, of Elkton, Md., is a rising senior at Liberty University and former GAP Junior Player of the Year. A group of 10 players stands at 1 over.

“This is my first go around here,” said Shattuck, 27, of Glen Mills, Pa. “I love [architect] Tillinghast golf courses. One of my friends plays out of Baltimore [Country Club] and I go down there and play a decent amount. I love that golf course. This has a lot of familiar vibes to that. It’s right in front of you. All the bunkers are right where you need to land in the fairway, so you have to hit good tee shots. If you hit good tee shots it’s fairly straight forward from there. I hit a bunch of good tee shots [today], which is rare for me. I’m very pleased.”

Shattuck missed three fairways and recorded only one three putt to post Round One’s low number. Solid play considering the scoring average was 76.73.

Shattuck started his day on the back side on the par-4, 423-yard 11th hole (for logistical purposes). He carded a tidy level par score through his first nine holes with a bogey and birdie. As temperatures rose, so did Shattuck’s game.

On No. 2 (par 4, 425 yards), he knocked a 9-iron from 151 yards out to 30 feet above the hole before sending the birdie home. With an unexpected red circle on the card, Shattuck stepped to No. 3 (par 3, 117 yards) full of confidence and a lob wedge in-hand. His tee ball landed hole-high left, six feet from the cup. He made the birdie putt.

A bogey on No. 4 (par 4, 487 yards) resulted from an errant tee shot and subsequent approach. However, Shattuck, whose best finish in the Open is a tie for sixth in 2020 at Doylestown Country Club, responded a few holes later with another long birdie on No. 8 (par 4, 365 yards). He sank a 30-foot slider for 3. The round could have, and more likely should have, been a shot better. Shattuck’s most impressive swing of day came a hole earlier, on No. 7 (par 5, 553 yards), when he rocketed a 3-wood from 252 yards to 20 feet on the putting surface. However, instead of an eagle or birdie, his lone three putt of the day resulted in a par.

Shattuck, who worked at Bidermann Golf Club the last two years, is good friends with 2021 Open Champion Blake Hinckley.

“I was so happy for him. It was great to see him play well. He had been struggling a little bit and played super well for the event. I was really pumped for him,” said Shattuck. “We are going to room together for [Korn Ferry] Q-School in August. I have low expectations [for that]. I’m going to go play and hope for the best.”

A little hope, and some more fine play, may land Shattuck and Hinckley together on the Johnny J. McDermott Trophy, presented to the winner of the Association’s third oldest championship.

A nice place for friends to hang out.

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 330 Member Clubs and 90,000 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.