2026 U.S. Mid-Amateur Qualifying: Carlisle

Rehoboth’s Whitby medals, Cerbara, McHenry qualify

CARLISLE, Pa. – This week, Merion Golf Club and Philadelphia Country Club (Stroke-Play Qualifying) host the world’s finest amateur players as they vie to become the 126th U.S. Amateur champion.

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For most, the journey will end by way of missed cuts and match play bow outs. For one, it will conclude with hands closed around the Havemeyer trophy. 

Some 110 miles West, the road to a different national amateur championship begins. In U.S. Mid-Amateur Qualifying at Carlisle Country Club (par 72, 6,344 yards), Jay Whitby of Rehoboth Beach, Del. carded a 5-under-par 66 to earn the day’s qualifying medal. 

GAP Members, Stephen Cerbara of Langhorne, Pa. and Ward McHenry of Spring City, Pa. each carded rounds of 67 to grab the remaining two qualifying positions.

“The conditions set up perfect for me,” Whitby, 39, said. “I don’t spin the ball a ton, so it was easy for me to kind of control the ball around here,” Whitby, 39, said. “It was the perfect storm. I played well and made some putts. One of those days.” 

The 45th U.S. Mid.-Am. Will take place Sept. 26 – Oct. 1 at Sand Valley Resort (Lido) in Nekoosa, Wis. 

Two separate weather delays, totaling 4 hours and 15 minutes, affected the timeline of Monday’s qualifying round. Early-morning thunderstorms, containing heavy rains, made for soft and scorable conditions. 

Whitby is a decorated champion in Delaware events. His resume includes victories in the Delaware Amateur (2006, 2015-17) and the Delaware Open (2013). Work and family play a more prominent role in his life these days. Competitive golf has taken a back seat. His previous championship form was on display Monday.

“I just went out here and tried to hit fairways,” Whitby, who owns a Buick and GMC dealership, said. “Being able to get the ball in the fairway makes all the difference in the world playing to some of these flags”

The Rehoboth Beach Country Club member began his assault on Carlisle with four birdies in his opening six holes.

On No. 2 (par 4, 253 yards), he followed a 7-iron from the tee with a sand wedge from 96 yards to five feet. 

A trio of birdies followed on Nos. 4-6. 

On No. 4 (par 4, 356 yards)he lifted a lob wedge from 85 yards to 5 feet. On the next (No. 5 (par 4, 338 yards), he stopped a gap wedge from 110 yards to 20 feet. On No. 6 (par 3, 134 yards), he flighted a pitching wedge from 127 yards to 10 feet. 

He converted on two more red-figure opportunities coming in. On 11 (par 4, 305 yards) he selected a 4-iron from the tee and followed it up with a gap wedge from 111 yards. He canned the 35-footer to finish the job. On No. 15 (par 5, 484 yards), his 20-degree hybrid from 220 yards landed in the right greenside bunker. He put the next one to three feet. 

“It’s really been a struggle this year. My handicap is on a Soft Cap right now,” Whitby said. “I’ve been in some dark places with my golf game, so I really had no expectations.” 

A recent trip across the pond might have turned things around. 

“I completely lost my game earlier this summer and was driving it all over the place, which is very uncharacteristic of me. Normally I keep it in the fairway,” Whitby said. “[I] went to Ireland for a week, [and] played six days in a row. I got a little bit of that out of my system.” 

Whitby traveled to Northern Ireland with 16 fellow members from Rehoboth. While the group played all the bucket list courses in the area, Royal Portrush Golf Club was his favorite. 

“It was a fun trip,” he said. “It wasn’t tournament golf, but it was nice to get it six days in a row.” 

Monday marks Whitby’s 3rd time qualifying for the Mid.-Am. His USGA resume includes two U.S. Amateur Four-Balls and three USGA Men’s State Team Championships.

With a month-and-a-half to go until the championship, Whitby plans on increasing his practice time and testing his game in Delaware Open Qualifying and hopefully in the Championship proper. 

Cerbara, a Huntingdon Valley Country Club member, is plus money when it comes U.S. Open Local Qualifying. On Monday, the 28-year-old reinstated amateur made it to his first U.S. Mid.-Am. 

“Any opportunity to qualify for a USGA event is obviously an amazing feeling,” Cerbara said. “I’m excited to get out there and play against some of the best and see how I stack up against them.”

Cerbara’s card featured an eagle on No. 9 (par 5, 504 yards) to slide him into red figures. He did the trick by holing a 40 footer after a 7-iron from 180 yards.

A pair of birdies on Nos. 14 (par 4, 395 yards) and 15 (par 5, 484 yards) secured him a championship invitation. 

On the former, he hit a 54-degree from 118 yards to six feet. On the latter, he two-putted after hitting a 7-iron from 180 yards to 30 feet. 

“I’m going to practice as much as possible and work on course management,” Cerbara said.

McHenry, a Spring Ford Country Club member is also a first-time USGA-championship qualifier, despite his efforts in qualifying for other championships he never made it over the hump. 

“I hit it really good, and I was able to keep it out of the trees which was huge,” McHenry, 26, said. “I made a few putts where I needed to.”

The recent Virginia Tech graduate characterized No. 3 (par 4, 421 yards) as a key hole on his score card. There, he had to stew on an 8-foot birdie look during the 2-hour afternoon weather delay. A confident stroke resulted in circle on his card. 

“I try to get out when I can,” McHenry said. “I practice during the weeks and play on the weekends and play in some tournaments. Basically all my outages at work are playing golf tournaments.” 

He’ll save some PTO for the Mid.-Am.

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 140,000 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.