NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. – Someone is receiving the ultimate college graduation gift.
Class of 2025 members Patrick Isztwan of Huntingdon Valley Country Club (University of Richmond) and Drue Nicholas of Galloway National Golf Club (Drexel University) compete for the 125th BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship Friday at Aronimink Golf Club. The victor will secure his first J. Wood Platt Amateur Trophy and a place in the annals of GAP’s flagship championship.
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Isztwan was all gas no brakes in his Wednesday Quarterfinal and Semifinal matches. He defeated both opponents, first Dustin Stocksdale of Briarwood Golf Club and then Logan Paczewski of Huntsville Golf Club, 5&4.
This is Amateur Final – The Sequel for Isztwan. In 2023, at his home club, Isztwan made an improbable run to the Title Match as the No. 32 seed before falling to Michael Crowley of Briarwood Golf Club, 7&6.
The 36-Hole Final starts at 7:30 a.m. with the second 18 holes beginning at 12 p.m.
“I definitely think I’ll know what to do and how to handle it better when things come up,” said Isztwan in reference to his first Final appearance. “I mean that was my first 36-hole match and I think looking back on it, I was a little unprepared for that. I’ll know a little better what to do this time and hopefully that works out for me.”
Isztwan walked in May holding a bachelor’s degree with a concentration in finance. He starts at Wealth Enhancement as a financial advisor assistant in August.
The power hitter hopes to log a piece of history before life gets in the way.
A total of 16 HVCC members have won 25 Amateur titles since 1897. Both GAP records. Conor McGrath in 2021 is the last Huntingdon Valley member to take the championship.
“You know at Huntingdon Valley we take golf very seriously. We take a lot of pride in it,” said Isztwan, 21, of Huntingdon Valley, Pa. “To be able to have a chance to put my name on a trophy like that and with names like that, it’s definitely a privilege.”
In the semifinal, Paczewski started quickly with a 20-foot curler for birdie on No. 1 (par 4, 420 yards) to take a 1-up lead. Isztwan’s response came in a flurry. Isztwan won five of the next seven holes to lead 4-up at the turn. The key sequence of the match proved to be No. 8 (par 3, 240 yards). Isztwan, 2-up at the time, was in the rough long of the green behind the collection area. He skipped a chip onto the putting surface that stopped 25 feet short of the cup. The Isztwan door seemingly ajar wasn’t. He rolled the par putt into the heart of the cup. Paczewski’s tee shot, a hybrid, landed 20 feet left of the cup. The birdie chance looked at the hole but rolled six feet past. His ensuing effort missed, too. Isztwan moved 3-up.
“That was probably my best shot of the day. That hole is really hard and it was into the wind today,” said Paczewski, 21, of Dallas, Pa. “It took a turn from there. It’s golf. It happens.”
Paczewski won No. 10 (par 4, 440 yards) with a par. However, any hopes of a comeback were short-lived. Isztwan responded on the uphill No. 11 (par 4, 422 yards). He found the right fairway bunker before lifting a prodigious 9-iron out and onto the left side of the green. Isztwan made par and Paczewski, from the middle of the fairway, made bogey.
“It’s exciting. Aronimink is such a special place. There is a lot of history here and the golf course is amazing,” said Isztwan, who was Amateur Qualifying medalist and Silver Cross Award winner in 2024. “It’s exciting to get to see it another day. It’ll be a fun match.”
Nicholas one step closer to GAP Grand Slam halfway mark
Drue Nicholas is a past GAP Major champion.
His 2022 Joseph H. Patterson Cup victory caught the GAP world by surprise and so did his BMW Philadelphia Amateur record.
Prior to this year, he competed in two others and failed to make match play. A clutch birdie on the final hole of regulation during Stroke-Play Qualifying, No. 9 (par 5, 560 yards) at Aronimink Golf Club, pushed him in.
After 34 holes of golf Wednesday he is 36 holes away from being halfway to the GAP Grand Slam.
Nicholas, the No. 27 seed, marched his way to the final day with a 2-up victory in the Quarterfinals over Huntingdon Valley’s Andy Butler.
In the afternoon, Nicholas outlasted 2024 Quarterfinalist Evan Eichenlaub of Saucon Valley Country Club in the Semifinals, 3&2.
“I am really happy to make the Final,” Nicholas, 22, of Egg Harbor Township, N.J., said. “I know what this championship means. I know how important Philadelphia Golf is. I watched my Drexel teammate Jeff Cunningham make the Final in 2022 so I am happy to be in this position. I am excited.”
After making the turn deadlocked with Eichenlaub, Nicholas needed to channel his best nine. Victories on Nos. 10 (par 4, 440 yards) and 11 (par 4, 442 yards) pushed him to a 2-up advantage. He made a savvy save on No. 10 for par after Eichenlaub dumped his second shot in the water. Nicholas crisped a gap wedge off the crunchy Aronimink turf to five feet on No. 11.
“I was kicking myself on the front nine of the match against Evan because it was a pillow fight and we didn’t play well,” Nicholas said. “On the back nine, I found something. My stomach was turning a little bit because I knew where I stood.”
Nicholas inserted the proverbial dagger on No. 14 (par 3, 210 yards) after hitting a 4-iron to 20 feet. He buried the putt.
“I think for me there were a couple holes in the afternoon where I got a little fast and I definitely think that affected me,” Eichenlaub, 19, of Bethlehem, Pa., said. “The birdie Drue made on No. 14 was a hard one to swallow. Not being able to make par from the greenside bunker on No. 15 was the turning point. I chalk this week up to be a success. I just want to keep advancing deeper into this tournament. There’s only one more stage to get to.”
This week is monumental for Nicholas off the golf course as well. On Thursday, the day before the 125th Philadelphia Amateur Final on Friday, Nicholas will graduate from Drexel University with a degree in finance.
Nicholas will look to become the first Galloway National member to win the Philadelphia Amateur and the first person from a South Jersey Shore club to win since GAP Hall of Famer Howard Everitt did so in 1957 out of Atlantic City Country Club.
“I am just happy to be here in all honesty,” Nicholas said. “I am sure my family will be here Friday. Whatever happens in the Final is what it is. I want to play well but I am happy to be in this position. The Philadelphia golf culture is a real brotherhood. You come to these events and see guys you know. I know what it means to be a competitive amateur in Philadelphia. It is a tight-knit group and I think a lot comes with that.”
NOTES–The winner of the BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship receives an automatic bid into the U.S. Amateur Championship, an official USGA Exemption Event. The Philadelphia Amateur is one of 69 Allied Golf Association tournaments where a player receives an automatic berth. Additionally, the BMW Philadelphia Amateur runner-up as well as the two semifinalists from that championship earn exemptions into the U.S. Amateur Final Qualifying.
Semifinals
8. Patrick Isztwan, Huntingdon Valley, d. 20. Logan Paczewski, Huntsville, 5&4; 27. Drue Nicholas, Galloway National, d. 18. Evan Eichenlaub, Saucon Valley, 3&2.
Quarterfinals
8. Isztwan, Huntingdon Valley, d. 17. Dustin Stocksdale, Briarwood, 5&4; 20. Paczewski, Huntsville, d. 21. Joe Tigani, Fieldstone, 3&2; 18. Eichenlaub, Saucon Valley, d. 23. Scott Ehrlich, Waynesborough, 3&2; 27. Nicholas, Galloway National, d. 19. Andy Butler, Huntingdon Valley, 2-up.
BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship
Originating in 1897, the Amateur Championship is GAP’s premier individual event. Albert H. Smith of Philadelphia Cricket Club won the first Amateur Championship, then known as the GAP Individual Championship, by defeating J.D. Winsor, Jr. of Merion Cricket Club in 37 holes. The event’s format switched to medal play in 1938. J. Wood Platt went on to win two consecutive Amateur titles under that format. His brother William “Zimmer” Platt earned the 1940 title at Philadelphia Cricket Club by being the only competitor to finish all 72 holes. The event’s format reverted to match play in 1941. The Amateur Championship wasn’t contested from 1943-45 because of World War II. Overall, 34 courses have hosted the Amateur. GAP Magazine Editor-in-Chief Martin D. Emeno, Jr. and Senior Writer Tony Regina chronicled the event’s history in the Summer 2017 edition of the publication.
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.
