The most anticipated time of the year is here. The 2024 GAP Schedule has been delivered.
It features more than 70 events for golfers of all ages and skills. GAP’s tournament season kicks off with Middle-Amateur Qualifying at Five Ponds Golf Club and ends with a pair of Volunteers Days at Rivercrest Golf Club & Preserve and Frosty Valley Golf Resort in October.
April 21, 28 & May 5
Playoff & Challenges: May 11
Huntingdon Valley Country Club 1 won its record 34th title edging LuLu Country Club by 10 points. BMW returns as the presenting sponsor for the 10th consecutive year.
There are four chances at glory for Philadelphia’s best.
New for 2024, the Middle-Amateur Championship and the Joseph H. Patterson Cup are expanding from 36 to 54 holes. Each event will be listed on the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) and eligible for points. The BMW Philadelphia Amateur is already a WAGR ranked event. Click here for more details.
Saturday qualifying for the Middle-Amateur endures (April 13 at Five Ponds). There will be four qualifying events each for the Middle-Amateur and Amateur. There will be three qualifying events each for the Open and Patterson Cup.
The Brewer Cup, the only shared Major between the Senior (55 and older) and Super-Senior (65 or older) collective, will take place July 9-11 at French Creek Golf Club. It is a WAGR event. Senior Majors include the Francis B. Warner Cup at Laurel Creek Country Club on April 29; the Frank H. Chapman Memorial Cup June 4 at Radnor Valley Country Club; 54th Senior Amateur at Rolling Green Golf Club Sept. 3-4. The Super-Senior iterations start with the Warner Cup May 29 at Bellewood Country Club; Chapman Cup June 25 at Talamore Country Club and the 19th Super-Senior Amateur at North Hills Aug. 27-28. The Senior Four-Man Team is July 29 at Indian Valley Country Club. The Senior Four-Ball Stroke Play, with Senior and Super-Senior divisions, visits Schuylkill Country Club Aug. 1.
GAP’s junior opportunities are reserved for individuals 18 years of age or younger who haven’t started their college education. It includes the 110th Junior Boys’ Championship at The Ridge at Back Brook (June 17-19), a WAGR event; Francis X. Hussey Memorial at Rolling Green Golf Club (July 8); Christman Cup at Huntingdon Valley Country Club (July 10); Jock MacKenzie Memorial at Sandy Run Country Club (July 15) and The Deeg Sezna at Blue Bell Country Club (Aug. 5).
The Junior-Junior Boys’ Championship returns to the GAP junior schedule after a two-year hiatus. Last contested in 2021 at Moorestown Field Club, which will also host the event’s 2024 iteration July 23, is open to male GAP members ages 10-13. There is no handicap requirement for this event. The tournament’s format is 18-hole stroke play.
The third iteration of GAP Women’s Week will be celebrated May 29-June 4. As part of the festivities, GAP will host its 6th Women’s Spring Scramble (June 3 at Chester Valley Golf Club). Other events on the women’s schedule include GAP’s 3rd Women’s Championship (June 24 at Overbrook Golf Club) and Mixed Foursomes Championship (Sept. 6 at Medford Lakes Country Club). Overall, females will be eligible to participate in 16 GAP or GAP/USGA qualifying events in 2024.
Parent/Child events feature four divisions: Father-Son; Mother-Son; Father-Daughter and Mother-Daughter. Heidelberg Country Club will host the Middle edition, open to teams with children 19-29 years of age, on May 30. Chesapeake Bay Golf Club hosts the Younger, open to teams with children 18 years of age or younger, on July 1. The Parent/Child-Older will take place at Philmont Country Club on Sept. 26.
GAP will administer qualifying events for 12 USGA (United States Golf Association) championships: U.S. Open Local (May 2 at Country Club of York, May 6 at Union League – Liberty Hill, May 7 at Running Deer Golf Club, May 13 at Elmhurst Country Club); U.S. Senior Open (June 3 at Steel Club); U.S. Senior Women’s Open (June 18 at White Manor Country Club); U.S. Junior Amateur and U.S. Girls’ Junior (June 20 at Huntsville Golf Club); U.S. Amateur Local (July 1 at The Springhaven Club); U.S. Amateur Final (July 22 at Medford Village Country Club), U.S. Senior Amateur (July 22 at Lehigh Country Club); U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur (Aug. 14 at Lookaway Golf Club); U.S. Mid-Amateur (Aug. 19 at Wyncote Golf Club, Aug. 26 at Carlisle Country Club); U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur (Aug. 26 at Riverton Country Club); U.S. Amateur Four-Ball (Sept. 23 at Galloway National Golf Club) and U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball (Sept. 24 at Radley Run Country Club).
U.S. Amateur Championship exemptions
New this year, the winner of the BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship receives an automatic bid into the U.S. Amateur Championship. Last May, the USGA announced revisions to that event’s qualifying model. The U.S. Amateur will move from a one-stage, 36-hole qualifying format to a two-stage qualifying format with an 18-hole local qualifier and an 18-hole final qualifier.
As part of the changes, the USGA announced exemptions into the Championship proper for state, Allied Golf Associations, regional and national amateur champions based on established criteria and historical WAGR event power rankings.
Additionally, the BMW Amateur runner-up as well as the two semifinalists from that championship earn exemptions into the U.S. Amateur Final Qualifying.
All four players are exempt from 2025 U.S. Amateur Local Qualifying.
Also, the 2023 Champion is locally exempt for the 2024 U.S. Amateur.
The Pro-President, open to golf professionals, club presidents, golf chairmen and greens chairmen of GAP Member Clubs is to be determined. The event includes lunch, golf, cocktails, dinner and a presentation. The 19th Player’s Dinner will take place Nov. 13 at Huntingdon Valley Country Club.
The 3rd Net Championship will be at Whitford Country Club on July 29. The field will be divided into four divisions (Amateur Men, Senior Men, Amateur Women and Senior Women). Each division will then be divided, into flights based on USGA Handicap Index.
GAP will be represented in four honorary team events. The 62nd Compher Cup, a bout against the New Jersey State Golf Association, will be played at the Union League Golf Club at Torresdale in Philadelphia, Pa. on April 24. The 60th Williamson Cup, a distinguished Junior competition, will take place Aug. 12-13 at Rehoboth Beach Country Club in Rehoboth Beach, Del. The 35th Senior Challenge Matches showcases eight-man teams from Delaware, GAP, New Jersey and Maryland and will take place Oct. 8 at Bidermann Golf Club in Wilmington, Del. The region’s top amateur and professionals collide during the 32nd Philadelphia Challenge matches Oct. 15 at Saucon Valley Country Club (Grace).
The Association thanks its volunteers for all their hard work throughout the year with a pair of appreciation opportunities. RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve will host one on Oct. 16 and Frosty Valley will host on Oct. 17.
The annual Player’s Dinner moves a few weeks later on the calendar. This year’s recognition of the top performances from the year takes place on Nov. 13 at Huntingdon Valley Country Club.
GAP welcomes its inaugural Adaptive Open. The event will likely take place in late September or early October. Details to be announced. There will be a series of Clinics. Check gapgolf.org for details.
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 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.
