PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. – John Curran, at 18, had to make an adult decision for his future. He couldn’t rush it.
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After graduating from Devon Prep in 2025, Curran decided to take a gap year academically and spend the next year at the Matt DeJohn Golf Academy in Palm City, Fla. working on bettering his game and enhancing his collegiate golf prospects.
“Taking a gap year started with my career in high school,” Curran, 19, of Malvern, Pa., said. “I had a good career on the course and I got a couple of offers. The offers just weren’t what I was looking for. Academically, I have always struggled, so that was a challenge in the recruiting process. I had to embrace it and that was a tough bullet to bite. I knew what I was capable of on the golf course and in the classroom. It just wasn’t my time yet.”
He will attend Penn State University (Main Campus) in the fall and play on its golf team.
Tuesday at Sunnybrook Golf Club (par 72, 7,073 yards), Curran won two matches to punch his ticket to the Quarterfinals of the 126th BMW Philadelphia Amateur.
Curran, who earned the No. 9 seed in qualifying, took out two-time champion Jeremy Wall of Manasquan River Golf Club, 4&2, in the Round of 32 and Evan Eichenlaub of Saucon Valley Country Club, 3&2, in the Round of 16.
“It means a lot to make the Quarterfinals,” Curran said. “I feel I have done a really good job of staying composed and not getting ahead of myself. I keep reminding myself to enjoy being out here. I love golf. I don’t want to lose sight of that. Sunnybrook is a nice golf course, so I distract myself with the views.”
Starting on the second nine against Eichenlaub, Curran took a 4-up lead at the turn winning Nos. 15-18. After Eichenlaub cut the lead in half through the first six holes of the front, Curran ended the charge with a 15-footer for birdie on No. 7 (par 5, 542 yards) to seal the match. Eichenlaub three-putted for par.
Curran’s season got off to a roaring start by advancing through U.S. Open Local Qualifying at Chester Valley Golf Club, his home course. He competed in Final Qualifying at Woodmont Country Club in Maryland.
“Playing in the U.S. Open Final Qualifying was a great learning experience for me,” Curran said. “For me the biggest takeaway was how composed the professionals are. You can be hard on yourself as a junior. I’m very susceptible to that. The consistency of their game is impressive. They stick to a consistent process at the same time. I tend to rush when I get nervous.”
Golf is a priority for Curran, but he places a priority on getting away from the game as well. He loves playing the guitar, piano and ukulele. He jams to Pink Floyd, The Allman Brothers and Coldplay.
“I love music,” Curran said. “When I was younger, I was one of the best gymnasts in the state. Then I grew and it was no longer feasible. It helps me take my mind off golf. I love the challenge because it takes repetition and hyper-focused practice. I love the process of trying to get really good at something no matter how difficult it can be.”
Curran will get another Saucon Valley member in the Quarterfinals in No. 16 seed Jake Haberstumpf, a 2024 Semifinalist, at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday.
“I can easily get intimidated by someone’s game or their nature,” Curran said. “It causes me to lack self-confidence and self-belief. I have to reassure myself that we’re human, playing golf and that anything can happen. I’ve proven I belong here. I just need to keep building momentum.”
Noah Wallace waited two years for another chance at John Stevenson, and the bracket delivered it.
Their Round of 32 match at the 126th BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship at Sunnybrook Golf Club wasn’t just another pairing; it was a full-circle rematch of the 2024 Junior Boys’ Championship Final at The Ridge at Back Brook, where Stevenson beat Wallace, 2&1. This time, the two needed 20 holes to settle the score.
“I was definitely glad to have a little bit of a rematch,” Wallace, 19, Elkton, Md., said. “I was excited to play him again.”
Stevenson, a rising junior at Drexel University, felt the history too and said the memory of that 2024 win still resonates with him.
“The win in 2024 brought back some good memories,” Stevenson, of Laurel Creek Country Club, said. “Thinking about the win brought me out of some bad golf today.”
For most of the match, Wallace looked ready to flip the result from two years ago. He controlled the first 14 holes and built a commanding 4-up lead with four holes to play.
“The first two‑thirds of the round I was hitting it really, really well,” Wallace said.
But Stevenson refused to fade. With his back against the wall, he mounted one of the day’s best charges.
“I was down four with four to go, and there was nothing left to lose,” Stevenson, 20, Ambler, Pa., said. “I had a really good fight. I played my last four three under.”
The spark came at No. 16 (par 5, 549 yards), where a 20-foot birdie putt kept Stevenson alive.
“It looked like the match was gonna be over,” Stevenson said. “I stepped up and made that putt, and that was definitely a really big swing.”
Wallace, a rising sophomore at Wilmington University, admitted the late surge shook him, especially as his driver tightened up.
“Towards the end, I started to be a little wild with the driver, and that’s kind of when he came back,” Wallace said.
Despite watching his lead disappear, Wallace didn’t let the collapse define the finish. With the momentum squarely on Stevenson’s side, Wallace admitted he felt the pressure mounting. But with the match tied, none of the earlier holes mattered.
They matched pars on the first playoff hole, sending the match to No. 2 (par 4, 456 yards), the 20th hole of the match.
Off the tee, Stevenson found the middle of the fairway while Wallace drove it right and settled behind a tree. Wallace advanced his second only about 50 yards, still in the rough, while Stevenson’s approach found the left greenside bunker. Wallace steadied himself and clipped his third to about 20 feet. Stevenson’s third shot rolled through the green and into the opposite bunker, and his fourth finished 15 feet past the hole. When his bogey putt slid by, Wallace knew all he needed was a two-putt bogey for the win.
“On the last hole, he was plugged in the bunker, and I was kind of like, ‘This is my chance to make a putt and finish it off,’” Wallace, of Chesapeake Bay Golf Club, said.
Stevenson’s comeback fell one swing short, but he left with nothing but respect for the match.
“Noah played some good golf today,” Stevenson said. “He’s a really good player. At the end of the day, he won. He got it done.”
For Wallace, it wasn’t smooth. It wasn’t simple. But after 20 holes, he finally got the win he’d been waiting for.
“It feels a little bit like revenge,” Wallace said. “It is nice to finally get a win against a really good player.”
Wallace would lose to Christian Matt of LuLu Country Club in the Round of 16, 2-up.
BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship
Originating in 1897, the Amateur Championship is GAP’s premier individual event. Albert H. Smith of Philadelphia Cricket Club won the first Amateur Championship, then known as the GAP Individual Championship, by defeating J.D. Winsor, Jr. of Merion Cricket Club in 37 holes. The event’s format switched to medal play in 1938. J. Wood Platt went on to win two consecutive Amateur titles under that format. His brother William “Zimmer” Platt earned the 1940 title at Philadelphia Cricket Club by being the only competitor to finish all 72 holes. The event’s format reverted to match play in 1941. The Amateur Championship wasn’t contested from 1943-45 because of World War II. Overall, 34 courses have hosted the Amateur. GAP Magazine Editor-in-Chief Martin D. Emeno, Jr. and Senior Writer Tony Regina chronicled the event’s history in the Summer 2017 edition of the publication.
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 145,000 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.
