124th Patterson Cup: Round 2

LedgeRock’s Kovach takes Patterson in Playoff

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HADDONFIELD, N.J. — Brock Kovach has his fair share of championship what-ifs and maybes. A GAP title had eluded him since he began competing in Association tournaments at age 13. Friday at Tavistock Country Club (par 71, 6,844 yards), Kovach, now 30, changed those fortunes. He captured the 124th Joseph H. Patterson Cup, presented by Provident Bank, in a sudden-death playoff, defeating Evan Eichenlaub with a par on the second extra hole, No. 18 (par 4, 440 yards). Both players birdied the first playoff hole, No. 10 (par 4, 342 yards).

The duo finished regulation tied at 7 under for 36 holes. Play was suspended Thursday evening after the completion of Round 2 due to darkness.

 “It’s incredible. I’ve been wanting one of these for a long, long time. I’ve been around the top of the leaderboard [for a while],” said Kovach of LedgeRock Golf Club. “It’s really special. GAP has meant so much to me from being a junior golfer all the way up through amateur now the mid-am life. So it feels incredible. That’s the easiest way to describe it.”

Kovach’s top prior GAP Major finish was a tie for sixth place in the 2025 Middle-Amateur Championship. His first competition was the 2009 Junior-Junior Boys’. Kovach fell to Cole Berman at Merchantville Country Club in the final that year. In a full circle moment, the last time the Patterson Cup visited Tavistock, in 2014, Berman hoisted the cup.

Eichenlaub, 21, of Bethlehem, Pa., a senior at George Washington University, was also in search of a first GAP Major title. He was a 2025 Amateur Championship semifinalist.

Heavy rains Wednesday put the Patterson Cup schedule on tilt. Only half the field completed its opening round that day. The second half of the field completed Round 1 yesterday morning. The scheduled 54-hole event was reduced to 36 holes. The cut fell at 1-over with 54 players advancing. Round 2 started at 3 p.m. The leaders teed off at 4:30 p.m.

It is the lowest cutline, in relation to par, in tournament history. Two-over par was the previous low-cut mark (2025 Waynesborough Country Club/2024 Concord Country Club) since the Joseph H. Patterson Cup moved to a one-venue, two-day format in 2009 with a cut.

Eichenlaub and Kovach traveled vastly different journeys to extra time.

Eichenlaub and Matt Zerfass of Lehigh Country Club entered the second round tied at 5 under and in the final pairing. Kovach, who carded an opening 1 under, started his last 18 holes in the first group.

Kovach turned at 2-under overall and still a bit of an afterthought when second-nine lightning struck. Kovach birded Nos. 10 and 11 (par 4, 424 yards) and saved par on No. 12 (par 4, 411 yards) from 10 feet after missing the green long. He then carded four straight birdie circles to shoot to the top of the leaderboard. The thunder coming on the treacherous No. 16 (par 3, 187 yards) with a flighted 5-iron to eight feet for birdie.

“I played pretty much the round my life based on the moment and where I was on the leaderboard,” said a thoughtful Kovach. “It looked like I had a chance to win. It looked like I had a chance to be in a playoff. It looked like I might lose. I was trying to not think about what any of that could mean, but it’s hard not to think about what comes with winning the Patterson Cup.

“It was a weird drive home. But you’re just trying to eat, recover and get in bed. That’s all you can really do. I didn’t get much sleep. I tried to come out this morning with a good attitude and hit that reset button. It’s been the year of the playoff for me.”

Kovach had a hiccup on No. 17 (par 4, 500 yards) with a bogey after his tee shot found right-side tree trouble. He almost bounced back in style on No. 18 (par 4, 440 yards) when his 45-foot birdie putt skirted the edge of the cup. He made par to record a tournament-best 65 and finished regulation at 7 under. It was time to wait.

Eichenlaub made two first nine birdies, and exchanged a bogey and birdie on hole Nos. 11 and 12 to stand at 7 under. On the shortish par 5, 15^th (548 yards), Eichenlaub unexpectedly lost a shot when an errant drive and second shot resulted in a bogey. Not to be outdone by Kovach, Eichenlaub, with darkness in full effect on No. 17 (par 4, 500 yards), lifted a 4-iron from 209 yards to 14 feet. He canned the left-to-right slider. On 18, Eichenlaub knocked a 9-iron from 163 yards to 33 feet. With headlights illuminating portions of the putting green, Eichenlaub lipped out his 33-foot birdie putt for the win.

“Not at all,” said Eichenlaub on knowing his position on the leaderboard prior to that potential winning putt. “I was just trying to get it to the hole. I mean, it was dark and uphill. I tried to put it on a good line with good speed. I thought I made it when it was five feet from the hole.”

The playoff began at 7:30 a.m. Friday. Both players found the fairway on No. 18. Two wedges and two birdies moved the action to No. 18. Kovach, who had honors, found fairway. Eichenlaub’s drive got caught up in the left rough. It was Eichenlaub’s turn again and his 5-iron from 203 yards flew into the left greenside bunker. Kovach had 193 yards and lifted a 6-iron to the left side of the green, 50 feet from the hole. Eichenlaub’s sand splash stopped on the bunker’s grassy face. He would make double.

Kovach’s first putted pressed the breaks four feet past the hole. The par secured the win.

The victory adds to an already remarkable Kovach year. He won his first Pennsylvania Golf Association title in April at the Dressler in a four-hole playoff. He competed with Eric Edwards, a former George Mason University teammate, in the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball. The two fell in an 8-for-3 playoff to advance to match play. Soon thereafter, he became engaged to girlfriend Kelly Pruitt. The couple is getting married next October.

“It’s been a whirlwind,” said Kovach, who works for Arch Insurance Group. “It almost feels better kind of winning in the playoff, like that extra step you went. There were definitely moments where I thought [winning a GAP championship] wouldn’t happen. But over the last couple years, I’ve been putting my name near the top way too many times for it to not happen. It feels great to come out on top.”

Silver Cross Award

Four majors, a William Hyndman, III Player of the Year and now the Silver Cross Award. In just four years, Drue Nicholas of Merion Golf Club has already etched his name deeply into the GAP history books. 

The Silver Cross is presented to the player with the lowest aggregate score in the qualifying rounds of the BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship and the Joseph H. Patterson Cup.

Nicholas captured his first Silver Cross with a 5-under-par 279 total, two shots clear of Eichenlaub.

The Silver Cross was shortened to 72 holes due to one round of the Patterson Cup being washed out.

Nicholas led the Silver Cross from the outset after capturing medalist honors in the 126th BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship Stroke-Play Qualifying. He carded a pair of 69s at Sunnybrook Golf Club (3 under) and The 1912 Club (1 under), respectively. In the Patterson Cup, Nicholas posted rounds of 1-under 70 and even-par 71.

In 2025, Nicholas fell just short of the Silver Cross, finishing two shots behind winner Hunter Stetson of Aronimink Golf Club.

“I lost it last year, so to win felt great,” Nicholas, 24, of Philadelphia, Pa., said. “This week was kind of vanilla in terms of my performance, but [the Silver Cross is a good] way to finish my season.”

Nicholas credits his success to being consistent and hardworking.

“I put myself in a lot of good spots,” Nicholas said. “Sometimes I get luckier than others, but I think it’s consistently putting myself in great spots. If you’re at the top of the leaderboard enough times, something might work out for you.”

Nicholas takes his talents to the national scene next week with the U.S. Amateur Championship at his home club starting Aug. 10. Philadelphia Country Club will play as the stroke-play co-host. Nicholas qualified at Llanerch Country Club. He starts the U.S. Amateur with the opening tee shot of the championship off No. 1 at 7 a.m.

Provident Bank
Founded in Jersey City in 1839, Provident Bank is the oldest community-focused financial institution based in New Jersey and is the wholly owned subsidiary of Provident Financial Services, Inc. (NYSE:PFS). With assets of $25.20 billion as of March 31, 2026, Provident Bank offers a wide range of customized financial solutions for businesses and consumers with an exceptional customer experience delivered through its convenient network of more than 140 branches across New Jersey and parts of New York and Pennsylvania, via mobile and online banking, and from its customer contact center. The bank also provides fiduciary and wealth management services through its wholly owned subsidiary, Beacon Trust Company, and insurance services through its wholly owned subsidiary, Provident Protection Plus, Inc. To learn more about Provident Bank, go to www.provident.bank or call our customer contact center at 800.448.7768.

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.