Huntingdon Valley Country Club 1 (HVCC) always finds a way when it comes to the BMW GAP Team Matches. The aura of HVCC champions past expects nothing less. For a record 35th time, at a course built on the legendary pillars of Philadelphia golf icons William Hyndman, III, O. Gordon Brewer, Jr., Warrington B. McCullough, Jr. and turn-of-the-20th century brothers A.H. and W.P Smith, to name a few, Huntingdon Valley overcame a late deficit to sweep to an unexpected victory.
| Playoff scoring | History |
HVCC totaled 61 points compared to Philadelphia Cricket Club 1’s 56.5 points and The 1912 Club’s 54 points. Defending champion LuLu Country Club 1 placed fourth with 44.5 points.
The Playoff format, different from the regular season, features three players from each participating club at each venue. Each player competes in a three-way match. This was the 123rd iteration of BMW GAP Team Matches.
Steve Cerbara, Stewart Rickenbach and Liam McGrath, in that order, scored 7.5, six and 6.5 points, respectively. The cumulative 20 points, pushed HVCC over the finish line.
“I thought we were dead in the water. I think everyone kind of did,” said Andrew Mason, Huntingdon Valley’s captain since 2021. “The 1912 Club is long. It’s a tough golf course that’s tight in places and good greens but tough to read. I sent three guys who were good ball strikers and play on the road a lot. Not only did they go there but they played well. After Sunnybrook [Golf Club] (Sunnybrook was Cricket’s home site this week with the PGA TOUR’s Truist Championship taking place on Cricket’s Wissahickon Course) and LuLu, we were not in good shape.”
Cerbara is running hot. The former mini-tour pro was reinstated as amateur earlier this year. On Thursday, he advanced from U.S. Open Local Qualifying at Jericho National Golf Club with a 5-under par 67. He has been a HVCC member since 2020. This is his first BMW GAP Team Matches title.
“I honestly didn’t even know what my matches were at. I kind of stuck to what my mindset is in stroke play,” said Cerbara, 26, of Philadelphia, Pa. “I can’t control what everyone else is going to do. I just focused on my own score and one shot at a time. It’s hard because it’s difficult to put that in perspective of wanting to win and wanting to know what everyone else is doing. I just kept it simple. This is amazing.”
Cerbara defeated Michael Carr of Cricket; two-time GAP Middle-Amateur Champion Scott McNeil of 1912 and fellow U.S. Open Local Qualifier Matt Barnes of LuLu.
Each of the Final Four teams were seemingly short-handed. Graduation, baptisms, injuries and prior commitments seemed to rule the day.
Liam McGrath flew in from Florida to contribute. McGrath, whose family is a HVCC staple, is a flight instructor in Vero Beach, Fla. He told Mason prior to the season, he could make it the last regular-season week and Playoff, if needed. And, of course, he needed to return for Mother’s Day.
McGrath parachuted into the 1912 Club and brought home the final, decisive 6.5 points of the Playoff. He did so against former Temple University teammates Gary McCabe, Jr. (1912) and Andrew Curran (Cricket), and current Drexel University junior Kevin Lydon (LuLu).
“There is a sense of familiarity playing those guys, but they are really good players,” said McGrath, 27. “To grow up here, I’ve known all of these guys since I’ve starting playing golf, it’s really fun and enjoyable to get a win with them. Anytime you get to play on a team here it’s an honor and a privilege.”
McGrath was also part of the victorious 2023 team.
“It’s a really important part of the club,” Mason said of the Team Matches. “You know, having won it so many times, but also having such a focus on it, and really being a competitor’s golf course. A really tough golf course. If you can play here, you can play anywhere. So having a lot of guys committed to the long-term vision of the club is really important.”
History says so.
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 125,000 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.
