Amateur Gross – Joe Zulli, Trump National Golf Club – Philadelphia
Joe Zulli has always had a flair for the dramatic. With two Winter Series Amateur Gross Players of the Year to his credit, Zulli knows how to get it done.
But in the final event of the 2024-25 series, Zulli needed a bit of a miracle. He got it.
Through 11 holes in the final event at Medford Village Country Club in March, was four stableford points behind Tanner Strow of Tavistock Country Club. Trying to make up ground, Zulli went birdie, ace on Nos. 10 (par 5, 517 yards) and 11 (par 3, 145 yards). He holed a 9-iron. Strow, his good friend and closest chaser in the POY standings, went double bogey, par on those holes causing a six-point stableford swing. Securing the honors for Zulli.
He finished with 715 points to Strow’s 615.
“I would say those two holes helped me win the Player of the Year,” Zulli, 40, of Bellmawr, N.J., said. “Overall, I played consistently in each of the events. Avoiding double bogeys is vital in these events. Getting zero points on a hole is a killer. The weather is also pretty cold so I try to keep the same approach.”
Zulli is the first person to win three Amateur Gross Players of the Year. A testament to his consistency and persistence in these events since its inception in 2010-11.
“Any time you win anything in golf it is an honor,” Zulli said. Golf is such a hard sport. It’s even more special because GAP has such great history and impact at the amateur level. A POY means a lot because you have to play well during the course of all the events. The POY race always seems to come down to the last week since I’ve been playing in the events over the years, which makes the last event even more fun.”
Amateur Net – Tanner Strow, Tavistock Country Club
Tanner Strow continues to rack up Winter Series Player of the Year hardware. After claiming his first Winter Series Player of the Year honor as the Amateur Gross Player of the Year last season he added the Amateur Net crown to his collection for the 2024-25 season.
He finished the series with a point total of 256.67.
“Honestly, my all-around game has been more consistent since playing in these Winter Series events, Strow, 37, of East Haddonfield, N.J., said. “Getting the ball in the hole isn’t easy and these events give you more repetition and comfortability in doing that.”
Strow once again partnered up with Zulli to claim the Better Ball of Partners (Net) event at Linwood Country Club in March. Their 1-under-par score was good for a two-shot victory. The last couple of years have been a coin flip. They have alternated gross honors the last three years with Strow taking the net division this season.
A second place finish at Chesapeake Bay Golf Club gave Strow the points needed to win the honor. His 90 points earned were second-most on his season. He earned 100 points with Zulli at Linwood.
“Joe and I work together so it’s nice to spend some time outside of the office,” Strow, who works for the Department of the Navy, said. “We teamed up for the better-ball which he carried us this year. Joe shot even par on a very tough windy and rainy fall day. The reason I won the Amateur Net Player of the year is because I played in enough events trying to grind out the Gross Player of the year against Joe, which came down to the wire.”
Senior Gross: George Steinmetz, Spring Ford Country Club
A sense of surprise shakes Steinmetz when he learns of his Player of the Year honor.
“I played well but I didn’t play in all of the events. I’m humbled and surprised that I won it,” Steinmetz, 64, of Malvern, Pa., said. “I enjoy the events. It’s good to see GAP friends and make new ones. I enjoy seeing the new courses, and I enjoy the people who I play with. The Winter Series events are fun and well run.”
Steinmetz, a two-time Winter Series Senior Gross POY (2020-21, 2021-22), accrued 730 points. He tied for first at Cedarbrook Country Club (alongside better-ball teammate Bob Majczan of Lookaway Golf Club) and North Hills Country Club. He posted Top-5 finishes in events at Back Creek Golf Club, Cobblestone Creek Country Club and Penn Oaks Golf Club.
“My brother (Rich, the head professional at Spring Ford) continues to help me with my game. It’s the usual brother interaction: a lot of help and a lot of ribbing at the same time,” Steinmetz, who owns a pair of Ford dealerships, said. “I’m sure he treats me differently than his normal, instructional students.”
Senior Net: Greg Smith, Radley Run Country Club
Smith is back atop the Winter Series mountain.
Albeit a different section of the stalagmite.
The 10-time Winter Series Amateur Net Player of the Year (2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23) tallied 840 points to take the Senior Net title.
“I had a good experience playing from shorter tees. That seemed to work to my advantage,” Smith, 61, of Kennett Square, Pa., said. “I’m a wounded warrior, so it helps being able to get on par 3s in two shots, par 4s in three and par 5s in four.”
The aforementioned ailment is sciatica, which flared in Smith’s right gluteus muscle in February. He underwent physical therapy and managed the pain to prevail in the Back Creek Golf Club event a month later. Smith takes a steroid to combat sciatica, which is now prevalent in his shin.
“Being a righthanded golfer, when I push off my right side, it flares up unbearably. Even when I warm up, I’m starting to feel it. I take a cart because of this. I don’t walk anymore at my home course anymore,” Smith, a professor of sport management at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, said. “I signed up for a few GAP events this summer, but I can’t practice in between, so it’s just hit and giggle for me.”
Women’s Gross: Alison Kellock, Flourtown Country Club
Kellock is working on evening out her Winter Series Player of the Year records. In the 2024-25 Winter Series, she added a third Women’s Gross title to her tally (2019-20, 2018-19). She currently holds the record for most Women’s Net titles with four (2023-24, 2022-23, 2021-22, 2020-21).
“The gross title is really exciting because there’s a lot of great players out there. It’s getting more and more attention with the women,” Kellock, 59, of Oreland, Pa., said. “For me, a big advantage I have is that I play in all the tournaments, so that’s my way of accumulating points.”
Kellock played in seven events. She added 100 Winter Series POY points to her total with a win at Cobblestone Creek Country Club. There, she collected 23 Stableford Points to edge past Muffy McCabe of French Creek Golf Club. However, Kellock characterizes the Penn Oaks Golf Club event, where she placed third, as her best performance during the season.
“I shot an 80, which is a really good score for me. I also had three birdies, which is also pretty nice for me as well,” Kellock, who works part time in statistical programming and research, said.
The Winter Series is Kellock’s favorite event on the GAP Schedule. Judging by her performance over the years, the tournament programming seems to favor her as well.
“I’m so glad to be able to participate in it,” Kellock said. “I’m glad it’s a mixed event. It gives an opportunity to everybody to play. I think the courses that are selected are terrific.”
Women’s Net: Muffy McCabe, French Creek Golf Club
McCabe, whose steady play year-after-year earned her a record five Women’s Gross titles (2023-24, 2022-23, 2021-22, 2020-21, 2017-18), added a third Women’s Net title to her collection (2019-20, 2018-19) during the 2024-25 season.
“It’s such a nice honor,” McCabe, 53, of Chester Springs, Pa., said. “It’s nice to be able to win anything at all in GAP because the competition gets harder and harder every year.”
McCabe had two first-place finishes each earning her 100 points At Chesapeake Bay Golf Club, McCabe made two net birdies and a gross birdie to win with 30 stableford points. She finished one shot ahead of Cynthia Mimmo of North Hills Country Club. At Back Creek Golf Club, she made a net eagle, a net birdie and a gross birdie to edge past Alison Kellock of Flourtown Country Club with 31 Stableford points.
“I had never seen [Chesapeake Bay Golf Club] before, so I was happily surprised. It was in beautiful shape,” McCabe, who operates her own tutoring business, said. “It’s always fun to go somewhere new, and that’s why I like playing Winter Series.”
McCabe works hard to keep her game sharp during the winter months, even when temperatures are less than desirable.
“I have a net in my garage and I hit a lot of balls in the net, which keeps me from going insane when there’s snow,” McCabe said. “As long as there isn’t snow on the ground and it’s above 40 degrees, I’m usually out playing.”
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 130,000 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.
