WEST CHESTER, Pa. – In 2016, David Colleran experienced the highest point of his golf career.
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As the years went by, golf had fallen out of favor for Colleran. The joys turned into frustration. Happiness turned to disappointment.
“I was burnt out,” Colleran, 24, of Wayne, Pa., said. “After so many years of competitive golf, if things aren’t going well, the game can feel difficult. I just felt that I wasn’t excited to compete and play golf anymore. I needed to take a step back.”
On Monday, Colleran found his old self and carded a 36-hole total of 1 under to make match play in the 125th BMW Philadelphia Amateur at Aronimink Golf Club.
His rounds of 67 at Aronimink and 74 at Radley Run Country Club (qualifying only) earned him the No. 9 seed.
Colleran took the 2016 Junior Boys’ Championship at Tavistock Country Club in a 5&4 victory over Marty McGuckin.
“Winning the Junior Boys’ Championship was really an accomplishment,” Colleran said. “I made the Championship Flight on the number and was able to build some momentum. I was playing really solid golf at the time. Tavistock is a course that I really love and that week, I had a lot of fun.”
He enrolled at Drexel University with the hopes of providing an extension on his golf career but it was short lived and transferred to Temple University.
“I had a long junior career but a short college career,” Colleran said. “For me, I chose to favor the academic side. I knew I wasn’t going to be a golf professional and I took some time away from competition.”
He gained entry into the Championship proper by qualifying at Blue Bell Country Club.
“I played in some GAP events last year but didn’t have great success,” Colleran said. “I played well in the Pennsylvania Amateur last year so that gave me some confidence to try and get back to playing again. There was definitely some competitive rust and my game felt good coming into today. I was able to hit some good shots and make good decisions.”
In 2021, Colleran won the club championship at Overbrook Golf Club, reigniting his love for the game. After multiple years of not competing, that was the spark he needed.
Colleran turns his attention to Aronimink for the Round of 32 on Monday. His 67 was machine-like. Colleran said a sound strategy and good decision making will be the key around the Donald Ross design.
“I love Aronimink,” Colleran said. “It is my favorite golf course in the Philadelphia area. I am really comfortable there. I really like open golf courses. I also think my driver is one of my strongest clubs and you need it at Aronimink. I’m excited for it.”
Zerfass cracks the Philadelphia Amateur match play code
Matt Zerfass doesn’t have the best Philadelphia Amateur memories. In last year’s championship, his stomach got the best of him.
“It’s really great to make match play,” Zerfass, 21, of Macungie, Pa., said. “I was really excited for the Philadelphia Amateur last year and then I got food poisoning during the stroke-play qualifying, which wasn’t pleasant.”
Zerfass, a rising senior at Villanova University, survived a 6-for-4 playoff to earn the 30th seed in match play.
Zerfass, a Brookside Country Club of Allentown member, will take on two-time champion Jeremy Wall (2018-19) of Manasquan River Golf Club in the Round of 32
He advanced on the second playoff hole, No. 17 (par 3, 224 yards) with a par. He hit a 4-iron into the front-right greenside bunker. An exquisite excavation to four feet sealed his spot. For his mental state, he cashed in the putt.
“I knew that bunker shot wasn’t easy,” Zerfass said. “But seeing what else was going on around me, I figured a bogey would be good enough. The ball came out of the sand perfectly. I couldn’t have hit it any better.”
Now the focus turns from strictly survival to surviving and advancing. Stroke play always determines the best golfer over a period of holes. Match play determines who wins a head-to-head bout.
“I felt I played really well and in match play, it’s anyone’s game,” Zerfass said. “Tomorrow is a new day. There’s a chance that you get someone who is red hot being a lower seed but anything can happen. I played well here today and I feel like I can Tuesday.”
Vital almost makes most of chance
Imagine waking up for something and not knowing if you are even able to participate. That was reality for Michael Vital Monday for the 36-hole stroke-play qualifying portion of the 125th BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship at Aronimink Golf Club (par 70, 6,995 yards) and Radley Run Country Club (qualifying only) (par 72, 6,789 yards).
Vital, who has competed in GAP events since his junior days, was an alternate and got the nod after waiting for a spot to open up at Radley Run. He took the spot of Cael Ropietski.
“I was just hoping that I would get the opportunity to make the cut,” Vital, 19, of Bethlehem, Pa., said. “Once I got it, I was really confident that I could play well today.”
Vital started his day at Radley Run and fired a 71 and backed it up with a 74 at Aronimink.
“My putting was the big difference,” Vital said. “I was able to make a lot of shorter putts, tester putts, and my lag putting was also good which helped me a lot.”
Heading into the 18th hole at Aronimink, Vital was hanging on by a thread and needed to put together a strong hole. He needed to get up and down to get into a playoff and he was able to do just that. Using his 60-degree wedge, Vital was able to place it within 5 feet of the cup, sank the putt, and earned a spot in the playoff. He finished at 3 over.
“Going into that chip, I was a little upset that I missed the green on my second shot,” Vital said. “I really wanted to hit the green there, but I got up to that chip and my caddie told me to hit it long and it was the right option ultimately.”
The mentality going into the playoff was the same as it was when the day started for Vital, he was confident. With only four spots left and six golfers vying for those spots, nothing was going to be given.
It was a sudden-death playoff that would follow a rotation of Nos. 10, 17 and 18. On the first playoff hole, Vital hit a clutch 18-footer that kept him in the hunt.
“I needed that putt, I knew I needed it,” Vital said. “I wasn’t able to hit a chip like I did on No. 18 so to be able to make that putt and give myself a chance, it felt really good.”
After the dust had settled, Vital was not able to advance. The playoff capped off an emotional roller coaster of a day. From starting the day not knowing if he was going to be able to compete, to ending it by being in a playoff, Vital held his head high.
“I did all I could,” Vital said. “It didn’t end the way I wanted it to, but that’s golf and golf is a lot like life in that way where you can do everything right and it still doesn’t go your way.”
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.
