19th Frank H. Chapman Memorial Cup Super Senior

Lutz adds to life cycle

AMBLER, Pa. – Chip Lutz’s round of 68 was good for the title in the 1998 GAP Middle-Amateur Championship at Talamore Country Club. Though the course has changed over time, Lutz’s game is as sharp as it was that day. On Tuesday, the LedgeRock Golf Club member carded a round of 3-under-par 68 to capture the 19th Frank H. Chapman Memorial Cup Super Senior at Talamore (par 71, 5,804 yards). 

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This was the perennial senior champion’s first official foray into the GAP Super-Senior world. With today’s victory, he became the only player to win a GAP tournament in the respective age divisions GAP conducts championships for: Junior, Amateur, Middle-Amateur, Senior, Super-Senior.

“It’s amazing that I’m able to maintain enough of a game to complete yet another title in the age range of the life cycle that I’m in. I don’t think anybody has gotten close to what I had before and this just extends it to another level,” Lutz, 69, of Reading, Pa., said. “It’s incredibly satisfying to me, especially in my backyard, to be able to tack another one on to what has already been an amazing record for longevity for the game of golf in the Philadelphia section.”

Lutz, who was inducted into GAP’s Hall of Fame in 2023, has won Chapman Cup Senior titles on two occasions (2010, 2013). It was also in 2010 that Lutz began a nine-year streak of Senior Player of the Year awards (2010-2018). He also found national success while on the senior golf circuit. It began with a win in the 2011 R&A Senior Open which Lutz defended in 2012. He added another R&A Senior title in 2016. His most important victory may have been the 2015 U.S. Senior Amateur at Hidden Creek Golf Club.

“I’m trying to hold on as long as possible and not let the old man in,” Lutz, who spends winters in Jupiter, Fla., said. “Some days it’s more difficult than others, but I’ve been very fortunate to be generally healthy and not have too many issues physically. I’ve been keeping my length pretty well.” 

Length aided the humble but powerful Lutz at Talamore where penile bunkering and contoured green complexes are plenty.  

“Instead of playing in the regular senior division and hitting longer approach shots, I’m able to hit more wedges of different varieties and play the game I used to play in the senior division when I was entering into that phase,” Lutz, who retired from the title insurance industry, said.

Starting on the back nine, Lutz opened with a birdie on No 10 (par 4, 340 yards) after his gap wedge from 105 yards settled 6-feet from the hole. Despite the strong start, he made the turn at even par. A three-putt bogey on No. 17 (par 4, 310 yards) was his card’s only blemish.

A typical Lutz rally occurred coming in with birdies on three of his last five.

On No. 5 (par 5, 535 yards) he laid up to 80 yards with a 7-iron. He then stopped a 60-degree wedge six feet from the hole to move to 1 under. On No. 8 (par 3, 159 yards) he drained a 12-footer after his 8-iron settled 12 feet from the hole. His Talamore trail ended with a final red figure on No. 9 (par 4, 300 yards) after he stuffed a 60-degree wedge to four feet.

“I thought that golf ended when you were a senior. Now, I’m realizing there’s still more left,” Lutz said. “[To win] is really awesome to do.” 

Super-Senior Silver Cross Update – With just two rounds to go, Brian Rothaus of Five Ponds Golf Club and Gregory Osborne of Overlook Golf Course are deadlocked at 1-over-par 143. The pair took first and second with rounds of 3-under 68 and 1-under 70, respectively, in the Francis B. Warner Cup Super Senior at Bellewood Country Club in May. Osborne closed the gap with his round of 2-over 73 to Rothaus’ 4-over 75 in the Chapman Super Senior. The Super-Senior Amateur Championship Aug. 27-28 at North Hills Country Club represents the final two rounds that comprise the award.

Frank H. Chapman, a Whitemarsh Valley Country Club member, served as the Association’s secretary-treasurer for 23 years. He died on June 7, 1955 at the age of 88. It is held in his honor.

To meet the needs of its members, GAP separated a Super-Senior Division from its traditional Chapman Cup counterpart.

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.