17th Francis B. Warner Cup Super Senior

West wins Warner Super Senior in first appearance

LEBANON, Pa. — David West isn’t wasting any time making himself known within GAP’s super-senior circles. 

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At the 17th Francis B. Warner Cup Super Senior at Lebanon Country Club (par 72, 6,126 yards), the Philadelphia Publinks Golf Association member made a splash with a 2-under-par 70 to earn his first super-senior title. The Warner Super Senior marks West’s first super-senior event.  

“[Winning] validates what I did all winter long,” West, 65, of Ocean View, Del., said. “It inspires me to keep [practicing] and looking forward to the next one.” 

The Warner Cup Super Senior is split into two divisions not including the overall title: Super Senior (65 years of age or older) and Legends (70 years of age or older).

For the second year in a row, Overlook Golf Course’s Greg Osborne captured the Legends division with an even-par 72. He edged past Commonwealth National Golf Club’s Jim Gavaghan, by way of a USGA scorecard tiebreak, to finish solo second in the overall division.

West, who played in the day’s 9:30 a.m. group, went out in a bogey-free 33. His front nine was sweetened by a trio of birdies on Nos. 3-5. 

On No. 3 (par 3, 112 yards), West stopped a pitching wedge just 6-feet away from the hole. On No. 4 (par 4, 370 yards) the same pitching wedge, this time from 119 yards, settled 6-feet away again. On No. 5 (par 4, 333 yards) West’s lob wedge from 55 yards stopped 15 feet away for a final red figure on the front side. 

West held steady coming in. A birdie on No. 10 (par 5, 490 yards) came after his 3-wood approach from 240 yards found the green 40 feet from the hole. Two putts moved him to 4 under. Bogeys presented on Nos. 12 (par 3, 189 yards) and 18 (par 4, 380 yards) to bring West to his final number.   

West was the only player in the field to manage an under-par score. 

“I kept the ball below the hole. It looked like there were a lot of greens out there that had a lot of back to front,” West, a retired chemicals and packaging salesman, said. “If you got above the hole you were going to be putting very defensively, and I was not.”  

With today’s victory, West’s name resides in both the senior and super-senior sections of GAP’s tournament history books. In 2023, West finished runner up in the Brewer Cup. A year prior, he captured the Delaware Senior Four-Ball Championship alongside partner Tom Finn of DuPont Country Club. In 2017, he earned medalist honors in the senior division of the Brewer Cup.

West also competes on the national level. His resume includes five U.S. Mid-Amateurs, a U.S. Senior Amateur and a U.S. Amateur Four-Ball. He hopes to qualify for another Mid-Am this year having earned a place in the field several times before.  

It’s difficult for West to observe a clear development in his game throughout different stages of life. Getting better no matter the age is paramount to him.

“The ball doesn’t know who’s hitting it,” West said. “I was able to work indoors on a simulator quite a bit. When it’s cold, I try to utilize that. It helped me with a couple club changes.” 

The most notable equipment change for West is switching from a blade putter to a mallet putter. During Wednesday’s round, he committed to using a claw grip for the first time. It’s safe to say the change paid off for him. 

“I just started fooling around with it,” West said. “Anatomically, by the way the hand hangs, it just makes sense.”

Super-senior event eligibility means more opportunities for West to feed his competitive spirit. He recognizes that tournament golf is a test of whether or not his practice is paying off.

“When you play competitive golf, it’s a different mindset,” West said. “My focus is definitely a little sharper, and that’s why I will continue to play it.” 

In addition to practicing and playing competitively, West has surrounded himself with other areas of golf in his retirement. For the past seven years, he’s served as a caddie at Applebrook Golf Club. Within the past two years, he’s helped out part time at COBRA Golf fitting days. On Wednesday, West will start another part-time role working outside operations at Bear Trap Dunes Golf Club.

“The people are great, it helps me exercise, and it keeps me around golf,” West said. 

The next event on GAP’s Super-Senior schedule is the 20th Frank H. Chapman Memorial Cup Super Senior set for June 30 at White Manor Country Club.

Francis B. Warner of Philadelphia Cricket Club served as GAP secretary-treasurer for 18 years. After his death in 1933, the Association started the Francis B. Warner Cup as an ongoing tribute in his memory. To meet the needs of its members, GAP, in 2022, separated a Super-Senior Division from its traditional Warner Cup counterpart.

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.