Four Super-Senior hopefuls remain after Day Two of the Brewer Cup at Green Valley Country Club (par 71, 5,939 yards). Semifinalists include Stroke-Play Qualifying co-medalists Christopher Clauson of LuLu Country Club and Tom Humphrey of Wilmington Country Club as well as Michael Vassil of the Country Club of Scranton and Vince Scarpetta, Jr. of Nittany Country Club.
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Amid steaming heat in the morning, Vassil and Scarpetta dispatched past Brewer Cup Champions Don Donatoni (2013-15, 2017-18), of White Manor Country Club, 2&1, and Joe Russo (2019) of Wedgwood Country Club in 23 holes.
“[We] both played pretty solid. [There weren’t] a lot of putts going in for either one of us,” Vassil, 66, of Clarks Summit, Pa., said. “I got a couple up early, and Don closed it back to even just after the turn.”
Vassil led the match immediately. On No. 1 (par 4, 341 yards), he stuck a lob wedge from 75 yards to three feet for an easy three. A par on No. 2 (par 4, 347 yards) followed by a birdie on No. 4 (par 3, 141 yards) secured a 2-up lead after Vassil lost No. 3 (par 5, 480 yards) with bogey.
“I hit all the greens until No. 9 (par 4, 364 yards),” Vassil, the 2012 Senior Amateur Champion, said. “I pulled the drive and ended up with some tree branches in my way. I came up short of the green, chipped it and missed about an 8-footer. That kind of set me back a bit because Don made a good par. I missed a six-footer for par on No. 10 (par 3, 161 yards) and three-putted No. 11 (par 5, 480 yards) for par and I was going backwards.”
A two-putt par on No. 12 (par 4, 234 yards) remedied any discomfort.
“I felt like I just needed to make a solid putt and get back on [track],” Vassil said.
After a par on No. 16 (par 4, 394 yards), Vassil was dormie. On No. 17 (par 4, 356 yards), Vassil matched Donatoni with a birdie for the victory. He hit a gap wedge from 112 yards to seven feet to close out the five-time Super-Senior Brewer Cup champion.
“I’m just going to try and play the same way I played [on Day One] and the same way I played here,” Vassil said. “I’ve been hitting my wedges very well, so there’s plenty of opportunities out here. [I want to] see about making a few more putts.”
Scarpetta’s match featured a similar scene.
Back-to-back birdies locked in an early 2-up lead over Russo. On No. 3 (par 5, 480 yards), Scarpetta lifted a sand wedge 90 yards to 18 feet. He holed the lengthy birdie try. The par three, 141-yard, No. 4 resulted in a two after his 7-iron settled five feet from the hole.
“I was in pretty good shape coming into No. 7 (par 5, 506 yards) and then I made three bogeys in a row and Joe started to make some birdies,” Scarpetta, 71, of Moosic, Pa., said. “I went from 2-up to 2-down pretty fast, my head was spinning.”
A birdie on No. 14 (par 4, 345 yards) came after Scarpetta escalated an 8-iron 142 yards to five feet. A par on No. 15 (par 3, 190 yards) tied the match. After gaining a 1-up lead with a par on No. 17, Scarpetta was in control. An errant tee shot that landed in the right rough resulted in his approach landing in the water. Russo’s ball was sitting comfortably on the green in regulation resulting in a concession from Scarpetta.
The two were headed to extra holes.
The pair halved Nos. 19-22 (Nos. 1-4) with pars. On No. 23 (No. 5, par 4, 382 yards) both players hit the green in regulation. Scarpetta holed his 25-footer for birdie. Russo was unable to convert his 20-foot try.
“I haven’t had good Brewer Cups, so I worked pretty hard coming into this,” Scarpetta said. “I better start hitting the ball better, that’s what I need to do. It was just survival today.”
Super-Senior semifinal matches begin at 7:45 a.m. tomorrow morning. Scarpetta, the No. 4 seed, will face No. 1 seed Clauson who dominated No. 8 seed John Conway of Little Mill Country Club, 9&8. Vassil, the No. 3 seed, will oppose No. 2 seed Humphrey who beat No. 7 seed Tom Bartolacci of LuLu, 5&4.
Senior Division
Play was called for the day at 4:15 p.m. after heavy rain and thunderstorms hit the area. The Senior Division will conclude its quarterfinal matches and then play its semifinal matches Wednesday. The Final will be TBD.
Here’s how the quarterfinal matches stand. Little Mill Country Club’s Adam Armagost defeated Yardley Country Club’s Paul Rogowicz, 5&4. David West, of Philadelphia Publinks Golf Association, is 2-up through 11 holes over Mark Walkush of Sunnybrook Golf Club. Philadelphia Cricket Club’s Pat Dougherty and Lehigh Country Club’s Bob Beck are tied through 11 holes. John Barry of Lancaster Country Club is 2-up through seven holes over George Steinmetz of Spring Ford Country Club.
Play will resume Wednesday at 7:45 a.m.
The Brewer Cup is named in honor of O. Gordon Brewer, Jr., the former president of Pine Valley Golf Club. He is a two-time U.S. Senior Amateur Champion and veteran of 42 USGA Championships. He’s captured two Golf Association of Philadelphia Amateur Championship titles (1967, 1976), a GAP Senior Amateur Championship crown (1997) and a Senior Player of the Year (1997) as well as countless invitational titles. He is a recipient of the USGA’s Bob Jones Award and a member of the GAP Hall of Fame.
Results
Senior Division
Round of 16
1. Mark Walkush, Sunnybrook Golf Club, d. 16. Andrew Sterge, Applebrook Golf Club, 6&4; 8. David West, Philadelphia Publinks Golf Association, d. 9. Brian Groff, Lancaster Country Club, 2&1; 13. Adam Armagost, Little Mill Country Club, d. 4. Bob Gill, Fox Hill Country Club, 5&4; 5. Paul Rogowicz, Yardley Country Club, d. 12. Chris Caba, RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve, 5&3; 2. Pat Dougherty, Philadelphia Cricket Club, d. 15. Jason Barkley, Moselem Springs Golf Club, 6&5; 7. Bob Beck, Lehigh Country Club, d. 10. Michael Quinn, Philadelphia Publinks Golf Association, 5&4; 3. John Barry, Lancaster Country Club, d. 14. Greg Buliga, Yardley Country Club, 5&4 and 11. George Steinmetz, Spring Ford Country Club, d. 6. Steve Walczak, Wilmington Country Club, 3&2.
Super-Senior Division
Quarterfinals
1. Chris Clauson, LuLu Country Club, d. 8. John Conway, Little Mill Country Club, 9&8; 4. Vince Scarpetta, Jr., Nittany Country Club, d. 5. Joe Russo, Wedgewood Country Club, 23 holes; 2. Tom Humphrey, Wilmington Country Club, d. 7. Tom Bartolacci, LuLu Country Club, 5&4 and 3. Mike Vassil, Country Club of Scranton, d. 6. Don Donatoni, White Manor Country Club, 2&1.
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 340 Member Clubs and 100,000 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.
