A pair of Division AA warriors with Playoff prospects posted Week 2 Two wins in the BMW GAP Team Matches.
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The 1912 Club (2–0, 83.5 points), an academic junior in the event’s top tier, defeated LuLu Country Club 2 (1–1, 52 points), 38.5–15.5. A Division AA mainstay since 2016, LedgeRock Golf Club (2–0, 73 points) dispatched Little Mill Country Club (0–2, 39 points) 36.5–17.5.
Both The 1912 Club (formerly Plymouth Country Club) and LedgeRock seek a first Playoff appearance.
“There’s a lot of excitement from the guys, having a good couple of weeks of golf in and a couple of wins. A lot of excitement,” Gerard Rosato, The 1912 Club’s captain, said. “Everyone from top to bottom just has been playing well. We found some good pairings and added some depth to the team. The guys feel really good and are all playing really good golf.”
Watch “Hoosiers” to learn about the LedgeRock guys.
“I always consider our squad as Hickory High. We’re the small club with a small membership but a lot of talent,” Chris Storck, LedgeRock’s captain, said. “Through the years, we’ve had some guys come through the system, and they’re getting more and more experience. We’re starting to see the results of that where we’re not winning matches by 2-5 points. Now we’re separating ourselves in a way.”
Through two weeks, LedgeRock’s average margin of victory is 19 points. Grind it out became the mantra against Little Mill. Difficult course, difficult conditions, difficult team.
“Little Mill has always been one of those teams where they’re very gritty. They compete until the end,” Storck, 58, of Reading, Pa., said. “Their course at Little Mill is so difficult. It is such a home-course advantage. For us to go on the road and win at their place was a big hurdle for us to cross, not only mentally but confidence-wise moving forward.”
In 2021, LedgeRock fell to Little Mill, 36–18, in Week Three. Two years later, it squeezed out a two-point victory. Josh Anderson and Luke Fagley, who won the better-ball portion and combined for five singles points that year, again stepped up at Little Mill. Anderson paired with Zach Dilcher, the 2023 Pennsylvania Golf Association Middle-Amateur Champion, to post 2.5 better-ball points, with 2.5 singles points for both. Fagley, playing in the No. 4 spot at Little Mill, swept the singles portion and the better-ball portion alongside Nicholas Fioravante.
After gaining a toehold in Division AA, LedgeRock withstood four years’ worth of Challenges (2018-19; 2021-22). It completed the previous two Team Matches campaigns with a 2–1 record, good but not good enough. In 2024, LedgeRock needed a Week Three win against LuLu Country Club 1 to clinch a Playoff berth. It tripped at the finish line, 38.5–15.5.
“We came up short and really kind of laid an egg. It kept a bad taste in our mouths this entire year,” Storck said. “Now here we are again in the same position. We’re anxious to get this thing going. We’re looking forward to it.”
LedgeRock will face Philadelphia Cricket Club 1 (2–0, 70.5 points) in Week Three. Another win-and-in scenario.
“We know Cricket is such a great club with unbelievable players. They compete at a high level. They’ve been there before and they’ve done it. They’re the big gorilla on the hill in our section,” Storck said. “The biggest thing is that year of experience and knowing what it takes to win. Last year was our first time to have that chance to get in the championship. Everybody’s gotten better over the last year. As a captain we’ve got tough decisions to make this week on who’s going to be able to make it. Everybody at the club is rooting for us. It’s a great time for LedgeRock.”
Experience is helping The 1912 Club feel more comfortable in its AA shoes. It is relatively new to the scene, having advanced in 2022. The 1912 Club finished the past two seasons with a 1–2 record, rallying at the end to retain AA status.
“It’s extremely competitive in Division AA. It’s taken us a couple of years to get that level of comfort where we feel we can compete,” Rosato, 55, of Jeffersonville, Pa., said. “At the end of the day, everybody has to play well. The team sentiment is let’s do everything we can to win. No one is looking past next week in any way. Bent Creek is a talented team with talented players. Everyone has solid players throughout AA, so we’re just hoping to continue doing what we’ve done the last two weeks.”
Win emphatically that is. The 1912 Club’s average margin of victory is 29.5 points. It is unscathed in the better-ball portion, posting an impressive 30.5 points through two weeks. The 1912 Club ranks second behind LuLu Country Club 1 in Division AA scoring.
“Looking for more of the same” as it pertains to a Week Three matchup against Bent Creek Country Club (1–1, 46.5 points), Rosato said.
It appears to be more of the same for LuLu Country Club 1 (2–0, 88 points), the defending BMW GAP Team Matches champions. It silenced neighbor North Hills Country Club (1–1, 42 points), 40–14, in Week Two. LuLu Country Club 1 opposes Glenmaura National Golf Club (0–2, 50 points) in Week Three, a Playoff berth a foregone conclusion.
In Section 4, Week Three provides another win-and-you’re in scenario. Both Huntingdon Valley Country Club (2–0, 80.5 points) and Merion Golf Club (2–0, 64.5 points) posted Week Two wins over Overbrook Golf Club (0–2, 41 points) and Llanerch Country Club (0–2, 30 points), respectively.
Huntingdon Valley seeks its 10th straight Playoff appearance. It captured titles in 2019 and 2023. Merion last appeared in the Playoff in 2023. It holds four titles (1897, 1923, 1995, 2003) overall.
“Next week it’s definitely going to be a grind for everybody. We know it’s going to be a challenge,” Patrick Knott, Merion’s captain, 39, of Haverford, Pa., said. “I’m jealous of the way [Huntingdon Valley captain] Andrew (Mason) gets to build his team out with young guys coming up the pipeline. We’re starting to get a little bit of that at Merion. We’re looking forward to competing, flipping the switch.”
Better ready your BMW GAP Team Matches battle cry.
BMW GAP Team Matches
The genesis of GAP’s founding in 1897, the BMW GAP Team Matches started with Belmont Golf Association (Aronimink Golf Club today), Merion Cricket Club, Philadelphia Country Club and Philadelphia Cricket fielding a first and second team with six players per side. Merion Cricket’s top squad earned the traditional winner’s wooden plaque. First known as the Interclub Team Matches, the event changed to the Suburban League Matches in 1915 before adopting its current moniker in 1997. BMW has served as the event’s presenting sponsor since 2015. The BMW GAP Team Matches has been contested annually since 1897, save World War II (1943-45), a severe ice storm (1994) and the COVID-19 pandemic (2020).
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.
