123rd Patterson Cup: Round 1

Mussina, Stetson share lead at 3 under

PAOLI, Pa. – Peyton Mussina of Williamsport Country Club and Hunter Stetson of Aronimink Golf Club understand that being in contention in a GAP Major is step one of the voyage.

Taking it to the next level, and hosting the trophy, is another journey onto itself.

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It’s a trek, though, the two are ready to navigate.

Mussina and Stetson, two young guns with immense talents, each carded 3-under-par 68s on an overcast Wednesday to grab the first-round lead in the 123^rd Joseph H. Patterson Cup presented by Provident Bank at Waynesborough Country Club (par 71, 7,051 yards).

Both are searching for the most significant victory of their careers.

The cutline fell at 2 over with 45 players advancing. Rounds 2 and 3 take place Thursday. Players will be paired in twosomes. Repairing will not occur before the final round. Last year, GAP expanded the Joseph H. Patterson Cup from 36 holes to 54 holes in order to attain ranked status with the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).

“I like to think that every time you’re working on stuff you’re planning for moments like this,” said Mussina, 22, of Muncy, Pa. “Sometimes it’s not going to go the way you want it to, and so far, it hasn’t, but to get in a position like this again and hopefully have a look at it tomorrow afternoon would be great. That’s all I can ask. You just see if the shots fall where you are looking.”

Said Stetson, 19, of Newtown Square, Pa. “I knew my game has been in a good spot. It’s been that way all summer. I’ve been playing very, very well. I haven’t had a win in anything big to show for it. It was nice to get that four-ball win [Monday]. That definitely gave me a lot of confidence going into today.”

Stetson and partner Tyler Debusschere of DuPont Country Club captured the GAP Four-Ball Stroke-Play Championship at Cherry Valley Country Club.

The Patterson Cup is Philadelphia’s premiere stroke-play championship. It is GAP’s second-oldest individual championship.

Mussina and Stetson had more synergies. Both changed their putting methodology prior to the event. Mussina started working with instructor Mike Dynda on developing a better feel on greens. Stetson switched to a TaylorMade Spider putter and stopped marking his golf ball with an alignment line. He wants to be less mechanical.

“I started working with Mike Dynda a couple weeks ago, and he gave me some really, really good stuff. I kind of used that as a base and found my own version of it,” said Mussina, who graduated from Penn College of Technology earlier this year. “I’m definitely seeing the ball roll better. And, you know, some days you roll it good and it doesn’t go in, but today, I rolled it good.”

“I’ve been struggling with putting all summer and made a switch to not putting a line on the ball to just get a better feel,” said Stetson, a North Carolina State University sophomore. “I’ve been putting like 10 times better and way more consistent. I had been getting, what I would think, was too robotic.”

Both players started on No. 10 (par 4, 455 yards) with different outcomes: Mussina made birdie and Stetson bogey. Both players, synergy alert, eventually made the turn in 3 under.

Mussina added red circles on Nos. 13 (par 4, 435 yards) and 15 (par 5, 554 yards) after hitting approach shots to a foot and four feet, respectively. Stetson overcame his slow start with birdies on Nos. 13, 15, 16 (par 4, 428 yards) and 18 (par 5, 580 yards). His longest birdie putt was an eight-footer on the final hole, after a 50-yard low classy, skip shot for his third.

Mussina came home with minimal drama, exchanging a bogey and a birdie during his final nine holes.

Stetson birdied No. 2 (par 4, 425 yards) with an 8-iron from 158 yards to eight feet to advance to 4 under. However, bogeys on Nos. 6 (par 3, 233 yards) and 7 (par 5, 550 yards), the result of a three-putt and poor chip, sent Stetson spiraling. A kick-in birdie on No. 8 (par 4, 373 yards) with a lob wedge to two feet righted the ship.

To date, the GAP Majors have been a spot of bother for the two.

Mussina found himself in position to make the cut in the BMW Philadelphia Amateur in 2023 and 2024 but failed to push through. Stetson dropped a heart-breaking match in the 2025 Amateur at his home club, falling to Dustin Stocksdale of Briarwood Golf Club, in 21 holes. Neither has a Patterson Cup track record. Someone, though, may have a lifetime Major moment in 36 holes.

Also up for grabs is the Silver Cross Award, which is presented to the player with the lowest aggregate score in the qualifying rounds of the BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship and the Joseph H. Patterson Cup. Ben Feld of Green Valley Country Club, co-medalist in the BMW Philadelphia Amateur, carded a 1-over-par 72 at Waynesborough. He leads Stetson by a stroke.

A win would be Feld’s first Silver Cross.

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 130,000 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 $24.05 billion as of December 31, 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.