LANCASTER, Pa. – Amateur Corey Wenger didn’t need a long road trip or a big-name club to make the cut in the 122nd Open Championship at Lancaster Country Club (par 70, 6,827 yards).
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He needed a tight circle of golf friends and the belief that his game fits a course that demands patience more than power.
Wenger, of USGA/GAP GC, lives just 15 minutes from Lancaster. He plays most of his golf through a rotating league of approximately 40 players. The group calls it the Masters League, a mix of public and private stops across Lancaster, Harrisburg and even parts of New York.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Wenger, 38, of Lititz, Pa., said. “It gets me playing different places instead of just the same course.”
Competitive golf has always had a home for him. Wenger regularly plays in Lancaster County Golf Association events, including its annual match play championship, which holds its semifinals and finals at Lancaster Country Club. He’s reached those late rounds multiple times. He also won the Lanco Open (2023) and a Tri-County Mid-Amateur (2020).
That’s exactly why he wanted to try qualifying for the GAP Open, because this year, it was at a familiar place.
“It’s such a good golf course,” Wenger said. “It’s a U.S. Open golf course for a reason. My game suits more strategy and making pars on harder courses.”
He qualified at Colonial Golf & Tennis Club, carding an even-par 70. He’s played at Colonial before including during his time at Messiah University, where he won the Harrisburg Open in 2013. The memories helped, so did the comfort of staying close to home. With a full-time job as an analyst for a credit-union consulting firm, and only one round of golf per week, traveling far for qualifiers isn’t always realistic.
But this one was. And he made it count.
Wenger took advantage of his GAP Open debut, carding an even-par 70, one of the steadier rounds of the day, highlighted by birdies on Nos. 1 (par 4, 418 yards), 2 (par 4, 381 yards) and 16 (par 4, 360 yards). He called it a day, built on knowledge of where to miss on the course and a putter that behaved the right way.
He finished the day tied for fourth, putting himself firmly in the mix heading into Round 2.
“The goal was just to make the cut,” he said. “I get another round out here at Lancaster, which is a lot of fun.”
His parents, Nelson and Gail, were waiting greenside as he finished. They’ve been there since the start of Wenger’s golf journey. Now they get the chance to watch their son succeed in the biggest tournament of his life.
“They’re faithful,” Wenger said. “Ever since high school and college, if I’m playing a county event or something, they usually come out.”
His caddie for the week is Kyle Keen, his college roommate at Messiah. Keen took off work to be here.
Wenger doesn’t practice like a full-time amateur. He plays once a week and squeezes in range sessions when he can. He admits he didn’t sleep well before Round 1 and isn’t used to walking 18 holes. But he’s here, and he belongs.
“To be in the mix here is awesome,” Wenger said. “Very exciting, and I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.”
With his family close by, Wenger now steps into tomorrow with a chance to show exactly what a local amateur can do on one of GAP’s biggest stages.
Wenger will tee off at 10:50 a.m. Tuesday for Round 2.
Open Championship
The Philadelphia Open is the third oldest championship of its kind in the country, behind only the U.S. Open and Western Open. It formed at the behest of the best – professionals that is. “Professional golfers in and around Philadelphia have some cause for satisfaction in that their claims to official recognition have at last been acknowledged. The Golf Association of Philadelphia announces a tournament for the pros to be held over the links of the Philadelphia Cricket Club at Wissahickon Heights Oct. 23-24,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reported in 1903. GAP Magazine profiled the Philadelphia Open in its Summer 2024 issue.
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 345 Member Clubs and 140,000 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.
