Amateur Gross – Tanner Strow, Tavistock Country Club
Last year, Tanner Strow finished second in the 2022-23 Winter Series Amateur Gross Player of the Year standings to frequent four-ball partner Joe Zulli of Trump National Golf Club – Philadelphia.
Strow turned the tables in 2023-24, taking his first Winter Series Player of the Year honor. Strow finished with 485 points, 98 ahead of Zulli.
“It feels good to earn the Winter Series Amateur Gross Player of the Year,” Strow, 36, of East Haddonfield, N.J., said. “When you win anything, it is a great feeling. It shows the consistency of my game over a couple month period.”
Strow’s resilience came at Philmont Country Club last November. Needing a par on his last hole the week prior to get a win at Stanton Ridge Golf & Country Club, Strow said he made a bad bogey.
Faced with a 25-footer for birdie to win at Philmont, he buried it to get the victory. A 150-point boon to his POY chances.
“The reason why I love the Winter Series is because it is a great way to keep my game sharp,” Strow, a Tavistock Country Club for the last 25 years, said. “I play in it because I want my game to be ready for the BMW GAP Team Matches and the upcoming season.”
His preparation paid off. He won each of his three singles matches in the BMW GAP Team Matches.
“One of my goals is to play every course in GAP,” Strow, who works for the Department of the Navy, said. “For me it is a great way to start crossing off courses on that list. The camaraderie and people you meet is awesome as well. That’s the driver for me to play in these.”
Amateur Net – Patrick Smith, Sandy Run Country Club
Patrick Smith is keeping the Smith name alive in the Amateur Net Division of the Winter Series.
Since the 2012-13 season, Radley Run Country Club’s Greg Smith has garnered the Amateur Net Player of the Year. Patrick Smith will continue the Smith legacy in this division for the 2023-24 season.
He garnered 337 points to claim his first honor by 30 points over clubmate Brandon Sharp.
“It’s really special to me to be able to earn this honor from GAP,” Smith, 50, of Doylestown, Pa., said. “I’ve been playing in the events for a bunch of years and have enjoyed it. The events are fun to play in.”
His standout performance was a third-place finish at Seaview Hotel & Golf Club’s Bay Course with 34 net stableford points. It gave Smith 130 points toward his POY total.
“I find the Winter Series events an extension of the golf season,” Smith said. “I am someone who likes to play all year round so the events help accomplish that goal. They can be competitive and are a great format considering the changing weather conditions. You become a more well-rounded player, and you definitely hone your skills.”
This honor has pushed Smith to chase more in golf.
“I want to get my handicap down and be more consistent,” Smith, who works in finance, said. “My goal is to play in some more competitive events to get better at golf. At my age you are looking for something to be competitive with. As you get older you lose that. You can be competitive with golf into your later years.”
Senior Gross: Michael Quinn, Philadelphia Publinks GA
A third Winter Series Player of the Year honor stokes a perennial golf fire for Michael Quinn.
“I’d like to snag something [during the regular season], but there are some good players who you compete against in the Winter Series,” Quinn, who also won the Senior Gross POY in 2015-16 and 2018-19, said. “It is great to see what GAP is doing by providing the Winter Series. It’s a great way to keep the swing going during the winter months.”
Quinn, a two-time Frank H. Chapman Memorial Cup winner (2011, 2015), totaled 875 points, 85 clear of closest chaser David West of Philadelphia Publinks GA. Quinn captured events at Philmont Country Club and Wyncote Golf Club. In eight events across the fall and spring legs, he never finished outside the Top 10.
But in an odd twist, those non-wins resonate.
“What is stuck in my mind are the rounds that I didn’t play well. I was disappointed in myself because I’m actually playing, at my age, as good as I’ve ever played in my whole life … from tee to green, chipping and putting, and everything across the board,” Quinn, 74, of Coatesville, Pa., said. “What you do is keep trying. Golf is a hard game. You have to take the good with the bad.”
Senior Net: William Erskine, Philadelphia Publinks GA
William Erskine successfully defended his Senior Net distinction.
“It feels good to win anything that’s GAP related. It’s tough to win unless you’re [11-time Amateur Net Player of the Year] Greg Smith, but other than that, it’s tough to win these things,” Erskine, who also earned the 2013-14 Winter Series Senior Net POY Award, said. “I was really consistent, except for the last tournament. I always have trouble at White Manor Country Club. I thought I blew it there. Thank goodness [Senior Net POY runner-up Jim Muehlbronner] did the same thing I did.”
Erskine tied for 31st at White Manor. Muehlbronner tied for 22nd place. Overall, Erskine accrued 630 POY points across eight events. The Shore Club marked his favorite stop on the Winter Series campaign. He and Thomas Brennan of Moselem Springs Golf Club tied for first in the better-ball competition there.
And it’s the competition that keeps Erskine involved in the Winter Series.
“My game isn’t close to what it used to be when I was younger, but it’s nice that I can play in net events. There are a lot of opportunities in GAP. I love it,” Erskine, 68, of Harleysville, Pa., said.
Erskine is a senior financial analyst for Pragmatics Inc.
Women’s Gross Muffy McCabe, French Creek Golf Club
Muffy McCabe once again finds herself in the Winter Series Player of the Year winner’s circle. The French Creek Golf Club member accrued 460 points to capture her fourth straight and fifth overall Women’s Gross title (2017-18, 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23).
“It’s really humbling because the fields have gotten so much better,” McCabe, 52, of Chester Springs, Pa., said. “It’s a lot of fun because you get to play with so many different people that you don’t normally see in the wintertime.”
Her best performances included first-place finishes in gross stableford events at Seaview Hotel & Golf Club (Bay Course) and Bala Golf Club. Each of her wins added 100 points to her tally.
“I hit a lot of balls into a net and I do a lot of chipping until I can’t feel my hands anymore when it’s freezing. Then I go back inside,” McCabe, who has her own tutoring business, said. “I have designated one bay of my garage to be the hitting net. We have a simulator at the club, so we use that if there’s too much snow on the ground.”
In the five events she’s played, McCabe didn’t finish outside of the Top 3.
“I always feel like Winter Series is so much fun even though you’re playing with your coat on,” McCabe said. “I feel like it’s a different vibe than a summer tournament in a good way.”
Women’s Net Alison Kellock, Flourtown Country Club
Alison Kellock has continued her trend of Winter Series Player of the Year wonder with another Women’s Net title. After playing in four events, Kellock, who calls Flourtown Country Club home, collected 310 points on her way to her fourth straight Women’s Net title (2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24).
“I’m very much honored for sure,” Kellock, 58, of Oreland, Pa., said. “One of the keys for me is the fact that I play in all the tournaments. That is certainly helpful for my point getting.”
Her game shined extra bright during the Stableford Net event at Bala Golf Club. There, her first place finish earned her 100 points. She earned fourth place in each of her other events.
“I play in any weather,” Kellock, who works as a statistical programming and research consultant, said. “I’m pretty hearty. I walk most of the time so it keeps me warm.
“I can always say that no matter what my outcome is in a particular tournament, they’re all a lot of fun to me. I enjoy them even when I’m playing poorly, I have a really good time.”
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 110,000 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.
