PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa.– Eli Spaulding, a standout at Loyola University Maryland and a GAP newcomer, defeated Jake Haberstumpf of Saucon Valley Country Club, 9&8, to capture the 126th BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship Saturday at Sunnybrook Golf Club (par 72, 7,151 yards).
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The championship marked Spaulding’s first appearance in a GAP event. He is the latest Greyhound to hoist the J. Wood Platt Trophy, joining recent Philadelphia Amateur champions Michael Crowley (2023) and Jeremy Wall (2018-19).
“To win an event this prestigious in the Philadelphia area means a lot,” said Spaulding, 20, of Briarwood Golf Club. “I played well throughout the week. The big thing for me was staying patient and not getting too far ahead of myself.”
Spaulding adds a Philadelphia Amateur title to an already stacked trophy case. The Freeport, Maine, resident is the two-time reigning Maine Amateur champion (2024-25) and the defending New England Amateur champion (2025). He was exempt into the Philadelphia Amateur as a result of qualifying for last year’s U.S. Amateur.
The margin of victory was the second largest in Championship history. It marked the fifth Final to end 9&8 and the first since Gregor Orlando won by the same score at his home club, Philadelphia Cricket Club (Wissahickon) in 2017. Jeff Osberg’s, 10&9, defeat of Nelson Hargrove in 2014 is the largest margin of victory.
“I would take that I have some good golf in me, it just has to be a little more consistent,” said Haberstumpf, 23, of Bethlehem, Pa. of his week. “The bad days have to still be better.”
Haberstumpf will be a senior at Liberty University.
The 36-hole title tilt turned topsy-turvy toward the end of the morning’s 18 holes. The match was tied – both players not in crisp form – when Spaulding, a Loyola junior majoring in finance, took three of the last five holes to forge ahead for good.
He two-putted No. 14 (par 5, 585 yards) from 40 feet for a birdie and hole victory to move 1-up. Haberstumpf made par. On No. 15 (par 4, 419 yards), Spaulding stopped a gap wedge from 135 yards to four feet for another hole-winning birdie. And then on No. 17 (par 3, 220 yards), Spaulding turned the heat up on a windy, yet unseasonably comfortable day, when he drained a 45-foot birdie putt to grab a 3-up lead.
“Through 13 holes we were even. I missed a short putt on 12 and my ball was plugged in the bunker on 13. I told myself walking up to 14 tee, “If before the day you were Tied on the 14th hole of the final match, you’d be pretty happy,’” said Spaulding. “I tried to be grateful for the position I was in and grateful for how I played the last couple of days. That allowed me to make a couple of birdies coming home.”
Spaulding opened the second 18 holes in smashing championship style. He won the first four holes with pin-point approaches and clutch putts to extend his lead to a bubbly 7-up. Spaulding birdied No. 19 (No. 1, par 4, 394 yards) a pitch with his 58-degree wedge from 45 yards to eight feet; parred No. 20 (No. 2, par 4, 460 yards) with a two-putt from 20 feet; made birdie with a magnificent flop shot on No. 21 (No. 3, par 5, 525 yards) from short sided left to a couple feet and then on No. 22 (No. 4, par 4, 459 yards) dropped a 54-degree wedge from 115 yards to 15 feet and, again, rang the birdie bell.
“Obviously 3-up thru 18 holes is not a bad place to be. I didn’t feel the best about my game, though. I think that kind of helped me,” said Spaulding, who competes next week in the Northeast Amateur at Wannamoisett Country Club in Rumford, R.I. “I said, ‘Go and attack the next 18 holes. I wanted to be free, aggressive and let the golf come. I wasn’t quite as focused and didn’t go through my whole process on the first 18. I was like, ‘Alright, stick to my process, and don’t be afraid to make birdies.’”
Mission accomplished.
Spaulding secured the win on No. 28 (No. 10, par 4, 366 yards) with a two-putt par.
In the second round, Spaulding was championship caliber. He hit all 10 greens, registered 16 putts in 10 holes and played them in a bogey-free 4 under.
“Winning isn’t something that you necessarily start the week thinking you’re going to do. You don’t really think that. At least I don’t. I try to play my game and see where I stack up,” said Spaulding. “This tournament has so much history and so much prestige. To win this is a really big deal for me.”
Final
11. Eli Spaulding, Briarwood Golf Club, d. 16. Jake Haberstumpf, Saucon Valley Country Club, 9&8.
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.
