121st #PattersonCup: Final Round

Paczewski survives playoff, grabs #PattersonCup title

HAVERTOWN, Pa.–Logan Paczewski didn’t make it easy on himself. Neither did his golf game.

But both treaded water, literally, long enough to stabilize, and then thrive, en route to the 121^st Joseph H. Patterson Cup, presented by Provident Bank, title Thursday at Llanerch Country Club (par 71, 6,784 yards).

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Paczewski outlasted Austin Barbin of Chesapeake Bay Golf Club and Matt Mattare of Saucon Valley Country Club in a four-hole aggregate playoff. Playing Nos. 1 thru 4 (three par fours and a par three, par 15 total), Paczewski totaled 14 strokes, Mattare 15 and Barbin 16. A relentless rain pelted players throughout the back nine of regulation. A torrential downpour toward the end of the wave forced a two-hour delay between the completion of the second round and the playoff.

The win is Paczewski’s first in a GAP Major Championship.

“I don’t have [any] words,” said the 19-year-old Huntsville Golf Club member and Dallas, Pa. resident. “I’ve dreamed of being a GAP Major Champion since I’ve started playing in GAP events. It’s great that the dream finally came true.”

Paczewski is the second player from the GAP/Anthracite Golf Association region to capture a Major this season. David Mecca of Glen Oak Country Club took the Middle-Amateur Championship in May.

Paczewski, who shared the first-round lead with Barbin, and his pie in the sky plans, appeared sunk after the first eight holes. The Rutgers University sophomore was 6-over par on the round and 1 over for the tournament standing on the ninth tee.

His title chances a mere afterthought at this point especially considering a handful of decorated players with championship experience were now postured on the leaderboard: Troy Vannucci of Little Mill Country Club; Josh Ryan of The 1912 Club; Jeff Osberg of Pine Valley Golf Club; Mattare and Barbin.

As if the heavens knew, Paczewski found a much-needed lightning bolt of energy. He drained an improbable 50-foot eagle putt from the back of the ninth green to a front-hole location.

Hello chaos. Welcome back Logan Paczewski.

The hard-swinging righty with a short-game to die for turned on the heat as the sky cried. Yes, it was raining.

He birdied Nos. 11 thru 13 and No. 15 (par 4, 293 yards). Let’s pause here. Paczewski hit driver right of the 15^th green. A rolling mound between him and the hole. Showing deft touch and smooth skills, he chipped a wedge into the aforementioned berm, watched it climb to the top of ridge and trickle to the cup. In fact, it actually lipped out of the left edge. A sublime shot.

When Paczewski, Barbin and Mattare, playing together in the final group, completed No. 15, all stood at 4 under and in a five-way tie for the lead, Hargrove and Osberg also had a share.

It wasn’t a candy and roses type day, though, and with a drenching in full effect, Paczewski had a three-putt disaster on No. 16 (par 5, 537 yards). He missed a three-foot par save with rain dripping off his hat. Barbin made an inexplicable bogey as well. Mattare made par.

“Yeah, [No. 16] was the knife really for me,” said Barbin, 22, of Elkton, Md., a fifth-year Liberty University senior. “I kind of felt like that was the tournament for me. I had 250 yards to the pin and hit a 5-iron that should have gotten to the front and it was like 10 yards short of the green. I thought I hit a pretty good chip that scooted by six or seven feet. A little too hard for the first putt that went three feet by. And then I missed that. An eagle or birdie chance to a bogey. That’s not how you win a golf tournament.”

At this point, Mattare and Osberg were 4 under. Paczewski and Barbin 3 under. Hargrove had exited the picture with a double bogey.

On No. 17 (par 3, 155 yards), Mattare mudder-ed in a 25-foot birdie curler to move to 5 under. Destiny apparently awaiting. Paczewski, though, responded in style. He ripped a 9-iron that landed with a thud three feet from the cup. The birdied dropped.

Scoring update. Mattare 5 under; Paczewski 4 under and Barbin 3 under.

Ahead Osberg bogeyed No. 18 (par 4, 290 yards) to finish at 3 under. He joined the clubhouse lead held by Ryan and Vannucci.

Llanerch’s final hole produced the drama it always does. On No. 18, Mattare found the right rough off the tee, but clear of the tree. Paczewski knocked an iron down the left side. Barbin rocketed a 3-wood into the left greenside bunker. Paczewski flew his approach long and onto a back mound. Under normal circumstances, he would be lucky to keep his next shot the green. Instead, he splashed his wedged onto the surface 10 feet from the cup. Mattare lifted a lob wedge from 81 yards to 30 feet. A two-putt would get the job done. Barbin blasted out to 15 feet.

Heavy rain was in attendance at this point. A full gallery, under the cover of the balcony, looking on.

Mattare rolled his 30-footer four feet past.

Barbin then rammed his birdie putt into the back of the cup to move to 4 under. The applause followed. Paczewski would not be upstaged and saved his miraculous par. More applause. He finished 4 under as well.

Mattare’s four-footer was a downhill breaker. He played quickly but watched as the roll rimmed the left edge and stayed on the wet land. The bogey meant a three-man playoff.

“You play tournaments to have moments like I had on 18 where you have two putts to win a Major event that you care so much about,” said Mattare, 37, of Jersey City, N.J. “So to not get that done is going to lead to a couple of sleepless nights. But I still a chance in the playoff and all the credit to Logan. I mean you win these tournaments by making putts at key moments.”

In the four-hole aggregate playoff, Paczewski took control from the start. On No. 1 (par 4, 407 yards), he knocked a gap wedge from 131 yards to 20 feet. He walked in the birdie. Barbin made par and Mattare carded a bogey after a poor chip.

In the end, that proved to be the decisive blow.

Paczewski made more magic on No. 2 (par 4, 440 yards) despite knocking his approach long of the green. He flipped a chip to 10 feet and saved par. His competitors managed fours as well.

On No. 3 (par 4, 435 yards), Mattare lofted a pitching wedge from 149 yards to eight feet and sank the birdie. Paczewski showed no give and two putted from 30 feet.

With one hole left, and one tee shot remaining, on No. 4 (par 3, 211 yards), Mattare went first. His 5-iron stopped 25 feet left. Paczewski followed with a sharp 5-iron to 15 feet right of the flag. Barbin missed the green. Mattare’s birdie try to tie broke more than expected. Paczewski, needing only par to hoist the Cup, nestled his attempt to a foot. Game over.

NOTES-The #PattersonCup serves as the final legs of the Silver Cross Award. In today’s final round, Troy Vannucci of Little Mill Country Club fired a 4-under 67 to capture his first Silver Cross Award and prevail over five-time Silver Cross winner Jeff Osberg.

About Provident Bank
Provident Bank, a community-oriented financial institution offering “Commitment you can count on” since 1839, is the wholly owned subsidiary of Provident Financial Services, Inc. (NYSE:PFS), which reported assets of $13.78 billion as of March 31, 2023. With $10.30 billion in deposits, Provident Bank provides a comprehensive suite of financial products and services through its network of branches throughout northern and central New Jersey, as well as Bucks, Lehigh and Northampton counties in Pennsylvania and Nassau and Queens Counties in New York. The Bank also provides fiduciary and wealth management services through its wholly owned subsidiary, Beacon Trust Company and insurance services through its wholly owned subsidiary, Provident Protection Plus, Inc. For more information about Provident Bank, visit www.provident.bank or join the conversations on Facebook (ProvidentBank) and Twitter (@ProvidentBank).

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 organization’s 340 Member Clubs and 100,000 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.

About Provident Bank
Provident Bank, a community-oriented financial institution offering “Commitment you can count on” since 1839, is the wholly owned subsidiary of Provident Financial Services, Inc. (NYSE:PFS), which reported assets of $13.78 billion as of March 31, 2023. With $10.30 billion in deposits, Provident Bank provides a comprehensive suite of financial products and services through its network of branches throughout northern and central New Jersey, as well as Bucks, Lehigh and Northampton counties in Pennsylvania and Nassau and Queens Counties in New York. The Bank also provides fiduciary and wealth management services through its wholly owned subsidiary, Beacon Trust Company and insurance services through its wholly owned subsidiary, Provident Protection Plus, Inc. For more information about Provident Bank, visit www.provident.bank or join the conversations on Facebook (ProvidentBank) and Twitter (@ProvidentBank).

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 organization’s 340 Member Clubs and 100,000 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.