2025 U.S. Mid-Amateur Qualifying: Cedarbrook

Mattare medals

BLUE BELL, Pa. – In 2018, Matthew Mattare holed out a gap wedge from 115 yards for eagle on the first playoff hole of U.S. Mid-Amateur Qualifying administered by GAP at Cedarbrook Country Club. 

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On Monday, the Cedarbrook charm continued. This time, the Jersey City, N.J. resident carded a sizzling 6-under-par 66 to take medalist honors in U.S. Mid-Am Qualifying at Cedarbrook Country Club (par 72, 7,042 yards).

There were five qualifying positions available for the Championship proper. Douglass Ergood, Jr. of Mount Laurel, N.J., John Voetsch of New York, N.Y. and Gregor Orlando of Haverford, Pa. also advanced in regulation. Scott McNeil of Springfield, Pa. survived a 4-for-1 playoff for the final qualifying position. The cutline stopped at 2-under-par 70. The 44th U.S. Mid-Am will take place Sept. 13-18 at Troon Country Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.  

“They made a ton of changes since I had last been here,” Mattare, 39, said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been to a course that they’ve renovated where it elevated it as much as they did here.” 

Course changes didn’t affect Mattare in his rout to the medal. Stellar ball striking from tee to green for the Saucon Valley Country Club member resulted in 16 greens in regulation.

Mattare teed off on Cedarbrook’s back nine in the day’s 8:10 a.m. group. He got off to a hot start with three birdies in his first four holes. He two-putted No. 10 (par 5, 490 yards) after his 6-iron from 205 yards settled to 40 feet. On No. 12 (par 5, 560 yards), he stuffed a pitching wedge from 144 yards to five feet. He made a two on No. 13 (par 3, 154 yards) after steering an 8-iron to 12 feet.

His card’s only blemish occurred on No. 14 (par 4, 456 yards) after he missed the green short right and failed to get up-and-down. He corrected his mistake with a birdie on the next, No. 15 (par 4, 446 yards), after stopping a gap wedge from 122 yards to one foot.

Fireworks occurred again for Mattare on Cedarbrook’s front nine with an eagle on No. 2 (par 5, 528 yards). 

“I was in the greenside bunker, I had 14 yards and I had a good lie,” Mattare, said. “[I] hit a great shot. It was going in dead center the whole time. It went in like a putt.” 

He got to his final number with a birdie on No. 4 (par 4, 347 yards) after his lob wedge from 105 yards settled to 20 feet.

Competitive golf occupies a special place in Mattare’s life. He’s a two-time GAP Major Champion with titles in the 2016 Middle-Amateur Championship and the 2017 Open Championship. He also added a William Hyndman, III Player of the Year honor to his credit in 2017. Since meeting the age eligibility requirement, Mattare has appeared in five U.S. Mid-Ams (2012-14, 2016, 2018). He made the Quarterfinals in 2012, and was Stroke-Play Qualifying medalist in 2013.  

“I love golf, but I love to compete,” Mattare, an alumnus of the University of Notre Dame, said. “There aren’t a ton of things like. You get this sense of achievement because you can do all the prep in the world, but you still have to go out under the gun and execute in tournament golf.”

In 2023, Mattare missed a four-footer in driving rain on Llanerch Country Club’s 18th hole to win the Joseph H. Patterson Cup in regulation. The missed putt forced a 4-hole aggregate playoff with Austin Barbin of Chesapeake Bay Golf Club and Logan Paczewski of Huntsville Golf Club. Paczewski emerged as champion that year. 

“The last couple years have been really tough in terms of performance on the course. I haven’t felt like I was far off, but I could just never get anything over the finish line,” Mattare said. “After a couple years of shaken confidence, it’s nice to know I can still go out there and fire a good round.” 

Like many mid-ams, Mattare works hard to keep his game in shape while juggling family and career responsibilities. He and his wife Amy are busy caring for their 14-month-old son Matthew. 

“You learn it when you come out of college and you don’t get to play all day. You learn it when your job goes from a job to a career. Then you learn it again when you’re balancing a family,” Mattare, who works as Vice President at Morgan Stanley, said. “I’m lucky that I have a lot of people that are very supportive, including my wife.”

Ergood, in his first year of Mid-Am eligibility, qualified after carding a 5-under-par 67. His low round included an eagle on No. 2 (par 5, 528 yards). The Tavistock Country Club member capitalized on a big drive by steering a 9-iron from 160 yards to seven feet and canning the ensuing putt. 

“On the back nine, I knew I was playing good,” Ergood said. “Sometimes, you feel like you want to take your foot off the gas pedal and I was proud of myself I just stayed on it.”

Ergood previously qualified for the 2022 U.S. Amateur and the 2017 U.S. Junior Amateur.

Gregor Orlando of Haverford, Pa. qualified with a 3-under-par 69. The Philadelphia Cricket Club member carded seven birdies against four bogeys to get to his number.  

“Today was just one of the days where I really felt it. I was hitting great golf shots and actually ended up making some putts,” Orlando, 34, said. “[Qualifying] means a lot. It means I can still play. I can still keep up with the younger guys that are 25, so that’s pretty exciting for myself.”

This year’s Mid-Am will mark Orlando’s sixth USGA Championship. He’s played in four U.S. Mid-Ams (2016-17, 2021-22) and a U.S. Amateur Four-Ball (2024). 

McNeil made a birdie on No. 1 (par 4, 392 yards), the first playoff hole, after his 58-degree wedge from 56 yards stopped seven feet away. The 1912 Club member previously qualified for the Mid-Am in 2014 and the U.S. Amateur Public Links in 2012. 

“I didn’t hit it great. I hit it good enough,” McNeil, 39, said. “The putter was the great equalizer today which is the opposite of what usually happens.”

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.