Exhale, folks.
| Schedule |
The BMW GAP Team Matches schedule is finally here. The 119th playing of such a celebrated cornerstone is set for April 19, 26 and May 3. The Playoff & Challenges take place on Saturday, May 9.
Overall, 157 Member Clubs will field a total of 348 teams. Colonial Golf & Tennis Club and Overlook Golf Course make up the BMW GAP Team Matches rookie class. Greenbriar Oceanaire Golf & Country Club and Reading Country Club return to the competition following a brief hiatus.
Philadelphia Cricket Club, one of the organization’s founding Member Clubs, will field an event-high six teams for the fourth consecutive year, including two in Section II of the top tier (Division AA). Also seated in Division AA is, naturally, the event’s defending champion: Huntingdon Valley Country Club. It secured an event-record 33rd title a year ago in stunning fashion, defeating LuLu Country Club by a scant two points in the Playoff.
Given GAP’s growth, BMW GAP Team Matches schedules in Division B and lower feature a regionalization component. For Divisions AA and A, the rotation of clubs based on finish in the previous year remains the same. The Challenge Matches format doesn’t change, either.
Each team in the BMW GAP Team Matches consists of 12 players. Six players compete at their home course; the remaining six compete at the opponent’s course. All players compete in a singles match and a four-ball match concurrently.
Since 1897, the BMW GAP Team Matches has been contested annually, save World War II (1943-45) and the severe ice storm of 1994. The Association’s forefathers conceived the Matches to promote spirit, fellowship and camaraderie. It started with the four founding clubs – Belmont Golf Association (now Aronimink Golf Club), Merion Cricket Club, Philadelphia Country Club and Philadelphia Cricket – each fielding two teams with six players per side. First known as the Interclub Team Matches, the event changed to the Suburban League Matches in 1915 before adopting its current moniker in 1997.
BMW is the event’s presenting sponsor for the sixth consecutive year.
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 Association’s 288 Member Clubs and 75,000 individual members are spread across the Eastern half of Pennsylvania and parts of New Jersey and Delaware. The GAP’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.
