122nd Patterson Cup: Day Two

Little Mill’s Vannucci takes rain-shortened Patterson Cup

WEST CHESTER, Pa.– Troy Vannucci added another building block to his burgeoning championship portfolio. For the third year in a row, the diminutive right-hander secured a significant GAP victory, taking the rain-shortened 122^nd Joseph H. Patterson Cup presented by Provident Bank Thursday at Concord Country Club (par 70, 6,860 yards).

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The Little Mill Country Club member finished the two rounds in 8 under (132 total).

The Patterson Cup format expanded from 36 to 54 holes this year. However, wet weather and an unplayable golf course forced a third-round cancellation. A majority of the 44 players who made the cut still had a sizable portion of their respective rounds remaining. Play was halted at 3:27 p.m. It never resumed.

Vannucci adds the Association’s stroke play championship to a 2022 Middle-Amateur win and a 2023 Silver Cross Award.

“[Winning these titles] is never easy,” said Vannucci, 32, of Marlton, N.J. “Especially with the weather and everything in the forecast. It was a bit uncertain. I knew my game was trending in the right direction. I was excited to play. And after the first round I was really ready to get after it. It means a lot. I’m over the moon. It really is special.”

Vannucci entered the final day as the first-round leader after a bogey-free 6-under 64 Wednesday. Michael R. Brown, Jr. of LuLu Country Club trailed by a shot.

After the second round finished, Vannucci expanded that margin to two strokes over his closest pursuer, Morgan Lofland of Phoenixville Country Club. Lofland, 21, of Paoli, Pa., is a rising senior at Penn State University.  

Patrick Isztwan of Huntingdon Valley Country Club placed third at 5 under. However, all was not lost for Isztwan. The BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship Qualifying Medalist captured his first Silver Cross Award. The Silver Cross is presented to the player with the lowest aggregate score in the qualifying round(s) of the BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship and the Joseph H. Patterson Cup. See below.

“It was kind of like the same situation last year at Llanerch when it started raining toward the [end of the round] and I had a chance to win it there,” said Vannucci. “I was just trying to keep that in the back of my mind. Keep grinding.”

Vannucci placed fourth at Llanerch. He missed the playoff by a stroke.

This year, Vannucci made certain he led when it counted. Even when play was suspended, Vannucci never relinquished his control of the tournament, leading by stroke.

As it turned out, Vannucci registered the would-be decisive swings of the tournament late in the second round.

He birdied two of the final four holes. He knocked a 9-iron on No. 15 (par 3, 141 yards) to seven feet and pierced the same club from 137 yards on No. 17 (par 4, 405 yards) to five feet.

He noted a good string of par saves throughout his second round, including a 20-footer on No. 12 (par 4, 468 yards).

The Joseph H. Patterson Cup is the second oldest individual tournament conducted by GAP. It started in 1900. GAP Hall of Famer and legend William Hyndman, III of Huntingdon Valley holds the record with 10 victories.

“Just to have my name even associated with those guys is remarkable,” said Vannucci, the 2023 William Hyndman, III Player of the Year. “Those guys are amazing.”

Isztwan claims Silver Cross

Patrick Isztwan etched another piece of history into the deep-rooted legacy of Huntingdon Valley Country Club by claiming the club’s 24th Silver Cross Award.

Isztwan, the 2023 BMW Philadelphia Amateur Finalist and 2024 Philadelphia Amateur medalist, carded a 72-hole total of 14-under-par 269 to earn his first Silver Cross. 

“Playing smart golf is what it takes to be in the hunt for an award like this that covers multiple rounds,” Isztwan said. “I noticed recently that I was costing myself with mental errors out there. For me and my caddie Cory [Meyer], I told him I wanted to be proud of every decision we make. Whatever happens with the shots will happen. I didn’t want to worry about the outcome of a shot as much as making good decisions.”

This year, the Silver Cross was extended to 90 holes as a result of the Patterson Cup being extended to a 54-hole event. Rain shortened it to 36 holes.

“It means a lot,” Isztwan, 21, of Huntingdon Valley, Pa., said. “The two events that count for the Silver Cross worked out well with timing. I played my best in the two events that make up this award and didn’t play that great around it.”

Isztwan headed into what would be the final round Thursday morning with a three-shot lead over Austin Barbin of Chesapeake Bay Golf Club. His 3-under-par 67 to Barbin’s 68 gave him a four-shot victory.

“It was kind of lucky to be paired with Austin today,” Isztwan said. “He was the closest player to me in the standings. It was nice to see how he was doing out there.”

Past Huntingdon Valley members to claim a Silver Cross include: David Brookreson (1984, 1988); Cameron B. Buxton (1913); Simon Carr (1914); Harold S. Cross, Jr. (1936), Mike Gregor (1993), William Hyndman, III (1946, 1952, 1954, 1956-58), W.B. McCullough, Jr. (1934, 1942, 1949); Harold B. McFarland (1903, 1905, 1907, 1909); Jeff Osberg (2015-16); Wirt L. Thompson (1912) and Jim Sullivan, Jr. (1996).

“We take golf seriously at Huntingdon Valley and we are proud of our history,” Isztwan, a rising senior at the University of Richmond, said. “Huntingdon Valley has a lot of history when it comes to these events and being a part of that history is very special. To be even mentioned in the same breath as Hyndman, Jay Sigel and J. Wood Platt is pretty cool.”

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 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.

Provident Bank

Founded in Jersey City in 1839, Provident Bank is the oldest community-focused financial institution based in New Jersey and is the wholly owned subsidiary of Provident Financial Services, Inc. (NYSE:PFS). With assets of $24.08 billion as of June 30, 2024, Provident Bank offers a wide range of customized financial solutions for businesses and consumers with an exceptional customer experience delivered through its convenient network of 140 branches across New Jersey and parts of New York and Pennsylvania, via mobile and online banking, and from its customer contact center. 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. To learn more about Provident Bank, go to www.provident.bank or call our customer contact center at 800-448-7768.