MALVERN, Pa. – John Barone’s GAP Major success in 2026 would leave a lot to be desired.
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Missed cuts in the GAP Middle Amateur, Philadelphia Open and Joseph H. Patterson Cup was disappointing. A run to the quarterfinals of the BMW Philadelphia Amateur was rewarding.
Of late, frustration was starting to set in.
Barone is a gamer, his best shows up when he needs it to. Monday at Chester Valley Golf Club (par 70, 6,609 yards) was no different for the Temple University graduate. He medaled in the U.S. Mid-Amateur Qualifying at Chester Valley with a 66.
“To play good golf you have to make sacrifices, some big and some small,” Barone, 30, of South Philadelphia, Pa., said. “Golf is how I like to spend my free time. So when you are missing 75 percent of your cuts in GAP majors you start to ask yourself if it’s even worth taking the days off work and spending your weekends playing and practicing. A day like today is what makes all of that frustration worth it.”
Tyler Stahle (68) of Cherry Hill, N.J., and Philadelphia Cricket Club, Andy Butler, of Philadelphia, Pa. and Huntingdon Valley Country Club (69) and Troy Vannucci of Marlton, N.J. and Little Mill Country Club (69), rounded out the remaining qualifying spots. Stahle and Butler will be making their third USGA appearance, Vannucci earned his sixth appearance.
The 45th U.S. Mid.-Am. Will take place Sept. 26-Oct. 1 at Sand Valley Resort (Lido) in Nekoosa, Wis.
Starting on the second nine, Barone was 2 over through six holes. Needing a spark, he dunked a 25-footer for birdie on No. 15 (par 3, 168 yards). From that point, The 1912 Club member’s fire stayed hot.
“I find that more often than not that the ignition to getting hot is a long putt that drops,” Barone said. “When I got to one over, I knew I had holes left to play. Making that putt on No. 15 was the turning point of my round.”
He torched the first five holes of his second nine, the front at Chester Valley. His five consecutive figures vaulted him to 4 under. A ball-striking clinic that had him convert putts of 10, five, four, six and 15 feet for birdie. Pars on the remaining four holes secured him the top spot.
“When I am in the groove like that I focus on keeping my pre-shot routine simple,” Barone said. “Trust it, take a breath, let it fly and let it go.”
This will be Barone’s fifth USGA championship. He previously played in the 2021 U.S. Amateur at Oakmont Country Club and three U.S. Mid-Amateurs (2021, 2022 and 2024) at Sankaty Head Golf Club, Erin Hills Golf Course and Kinloch Golf Club. He got into the 2024 edition at Kinloch as an alternate.
“I feel like at Kinloch, I wasn’t prepared for it,” Barone said. “I didn’t play golf for a couple of weeks leading up to the event since I got in as an alternate. I hope I’ll be able to prepare more for this one.”
Jarmas has been on a sporty run the last few weeks. He’s coming off of a club championship title at The 1912 Club in mid-July. He fired a 67 in the first group of the day.
Barone and Jarmas hung out on the back patio at Chester Valley working while awaiting their fate. It will be Jarmas’s first USGA appearance. The duo teams up annually for the Harold Cross Invitational at Philadelphia Cricket Club.
“I was an alternate for a U.S. Junior a long time ago,” Jarmas, who works as an in-house attorney for Asplundh Tree Expert, LLC, said. “Making a USGA championship has been a gap in my golfing resume that I have been looking to close. I’ve been thinking a lot about why I want to play tournament golf at this point in my life. I want to play to get better because playing tournament golf does just that. My goal today was to try and get a little better and not take golf so seriously.”
Jarmas played his college golf at Princeton University and has a Pennsylvania Open title (2017) and a Philadelphia Amateur (2012) runner-up to his credit.
“I try to remind myself when I am feeling nervous that I have been here and succeeded in these situations,” Jarmas, 34, of Bala Cynwyd, Pa., said. “For me, I always need to have a direction I can work in with my game. I need to have a feel that I am working with that gives me confidence. My short game has always been reliable so I trust my ability to get into the hole when things aren’t going my way.”
Jarmas said when he played his practice round at Chester Valley on Sunday he saw Nos. 1-4 as holes he could take advantage of. He played those four holes in three under.
“I am super excited to see The Lido,” Jarmas said. “I am a big C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor fan. When I was in college I was fortunate enough to play National Golf Links of America. I am really excited to see the golf course. Secondly, I am excited to compete on that level because I haven’t done it before. My game feels like it is on a national championship level.”
This past Saturday, Jarmas fired a course-record tying bogey-free 62 (8 under) at The 1912 Club with Barone in his company. Safe to say this qualifier came at the right time.
“Joining The 1912 Club a few years ago has been a huge help for my game,” Jarmas said. “Having that high level of competition and a hard golf course each time you tee it up has pushed me to get better. Having a number of GAP major champions that are members to play against and be in Division AA in the GAP Matches has really helped. We have a lot of good players there. I am excited for John and I to represent the club.”
| Qualifiers | |
| Name, city, state | Score |
| John Barone, Philadelphia, Pa. | 66 |
| Greg Jarmas, Bala Cynwyd, Pa. | 67 |
| Tyler Stahle, Cherry Hill, N.J. | 68 |
| Andy Butler, Philadelphia, Pa. | 69 |
| Troy Vannucci, Marlton, N.J. | 69 |
| Alternates (in order) | |
| *Matthew Mattare, Center Valley, Pa. | 70 |
| *Sean Vowells, Chatham, N.J. | 70 |
| Failed to qualify | |
| *Matthew Porter, Middletown, N.J. | 70 |
| Gregor Orlando, Haverford, Pa. | 71 |
| Hayden Moffat, Philadelphia, Pa. | 71 |
| Colin Smith, West Chester, Pa. | 71 |
| Reid Rathburn, Duluth, Ga. | 71 |
| Steve Wilcox, Westfield, N.J. | 72 |
| David Hurly, Newtown Square, Pa. | 72 |
| Davis Weil, Ridgewood, N.J. | 72 |
| Lowery Thomas, Nashville, Tenn. | 72 |
| Sam Pancoast, Baltimore, Md. | 72 |
| Robert Robertson, Flourtown, Pa. | 72 |
| Deven Ramachandran, Stamford, Conn. | 72 |
| Robert Maguire, Pottstown, Pa. | 73 |
| Sean Semenetz, Maple Glen, Pa. | 73 |
| Ryan Tall, Collegeville, Pa. | 73 |
| Tom Timby, Doylestown, Pa. | 73 |
| Nelson Hargrove, Haverford, Pa. | 73 |
| Josh Isler, West Chester, Pa. | 73 |
| Ben Shields, Towson, Md. | 73 |
| Zack Amole, Downingtown, Pa. | 73 |
| Mark Sommerfeld, Canada | 73 |
| Niko Gianelos, West Chester, Pa. | 73 |
| William O’Neill, Morristown, N.J. | 73 |
| Alexander Kim, Conshohocken, Pa. | 73 |
| Jack Sterbenz, Medford, N.J. | 74 |
| Josh Anderson, Morgantown, Pa. | 74 |
| James Arbes, Westfield, N.J. | 74 |
| Brian Gardner, Pottstown, Pa. | 74 |
| Ryan Gelrod, Okatie, S.C. | 74 |
| Joey Russo, Sewell, N.J. | 74 |
| Stephen Kalish, Westfield, N.J. | 74 |
| Mac Ryan, King Of Prussia, Pa. | 74 |
| Matthew Barnes, Bethesda, Md. | 74 |
| Mark Benevento Jr., Ocean City, N.J. | 75 |
| Amory Davis, Santa Fe, N.M. | 75 |
| Rich Owsik, Bryn Mawr, Pa. | 75 |
| JP Kircher, Hamilton, N.Y. | 75 |
| Stephen Seiden, Newtown Square, Pa. | 75 |
| Brock Kovach, Wyomissing, Pa. | 75 |
| John Meyers, Basking Ridge, N.J. | 75 |
| James Braunsberg, Plymouth Meeting, Pa. | 75 |
| Alexander Hicks, Stone Harbor, N.J. | 75 |
| David Miller, Malvern, Pa. | 75 |
| Adam Bracy, Edgewater Park, N.J. | 75 |
| Craig Roland, Philadelphia, Pa. | 76 |
| Joseph Dulka, West Chester, Pa. | 76 |
| Buddy Hansen IV, Blue Bell, Pa. | 76 |
| Braxton Gillespie, Grand Bay, Ala. | 76 |
| Andrew Curran, Media, Pa. | 76 |
| Nicholas Verrecchio, Philadelphia, Pa. | 76 |
| Robert Olseski, Wayne, Pa. | 76 |
| Joseph Gunerman, Alexandria, Va. | 76 |
| Brian Hart, Oceanport, N.J. | 76 |
| Vance Welch, Edgewater, Md. | 76 |
| Nick Vecellio, Fogelsville, Pa. | 76 |
| James Vukanovich, Chatham, N.J. | 76 |
| Scott Forrester, Cheltenham, Pa. | 76 |
| Brandon Capone, Columbus, N.J. | 77 |
| Zach Arsenault, Merchantville, N.J. | 77 |
| Chris Lange, Bryn Mawr, Pa. | 77 |
| Ambrose Abbracciamento, Philadelphia, Pa. | 77 |
| Brian Crum, Falls Church, Va. | 77 |
| Geoffrey Cooper, Erdenheim, Pa. | 77 |
| Christopher Pitts, West Deptford, N.J. | 77 |
| Daniel Galbreath, Huntingdon Valley, Pa. | 78 |
| John Voetsch, New York, N.Y. | 78 |
| Matt Graeff, Blue Bell, Pa. | 78 |
| David Hicks, Cherry Hill, N.J. | 78 |
| Jim Sullivan, Glenside, Pa. | 78 |
| Brad Mcfadden, Bryn Mawr, Pa. | 78 |
| Benton Kircher, Rochester, N.Y. | 78 |
| William Howard, West Chester, Pa. | 78 |
| Matthew Grossman, Bryn Mawr, Pa. | 78 |
| Addison Owens, West Chester, Pa. | 78 |
| Matthew Bastian Jr., Rose Valley, Pa. | 79 |
| Corey Fitzgerald, Coatesville, Pa. | 79 |
| Matt Lashinger, Jupiter, Fla. | 79 |
| Nicholas Fioravante, Mohnton, Pa. | 79 |
| Mitchell Stead, Malvern, Pa. | 79 |
| Jack Melville, Maple Glen, Pa. | 79 |
| Dan Arison, Berwyn, Pa. | 79 |
| Nicholas Orlando, Havertown, Pa. | 80 |
| Eric Williams, Honesdale, Pa. | 80 |
| Quinn Hanley, Philadelphia, Pa. | 80 |
| Andrew Trask, Wayne, Pa. | 80 |
| Conner Charlebois, Philadelphia, Pa. | 80 |
| Justin Spaeth, Plymouth Meeting, Pa. | 80 |
| Joe Garner, Wilmington, Del. | 80 |
| Marc Oliveri, Lancaster, Pa. | 80 |
| Ben Litt, New York, N.Y. | 80 |
| Zane Tallant, Catonsville, Md. | 81 |
| Brian Cooper, Millersburg, Pa. | 81 |
| Bobby Wurtz, Philadelphia, Pa. | 81 |
| Erik Ragusa, Philadelphia, Pa. | 81 |
| Sam Varano, Schwenksville, Pa. | 81 |
| Michael Dunphy Jr., Philadelphia, Pa. | 81 |
| Nicholas Heller, Mattoon, Ill. | 81 |
| Michael Hall, Cherry Hill, N.J. | 81 |
| Kevin Silvestri, Marlboro, N.J. | 81 |
| Jake Stoutland, Philadelphia, Pa. | 82 |
| Beau Guarino, Marlton, N.J. | 82 |
| John Murphy, Cape May Court House, N.J. | 83 |
| Josh Notes, Columbia, Md. | 83 |
| Andrew Kennedy, Wayne, Pa. | 84 |
| Robert Clemens, Aston, Pa. | 84 |
| Kevin Bondi, Dresher, Pa. | 86 |
| Ryan Wolbach, Douglassville, Pa. | 86 |
| Scott McLaughlin, Furlong, Pa. | NC |
| Chris DiMaio, Mendham, N.J. | NC |
| Eric Howle, Chelsea, Ala. | DNF |
| Kevin Rhoderick, Knoxville, Tenn. | DNF |
| Daniel Hallissey, Ireland | NS |
| John Fizer, Trenton, N.J. | NS |
| *determined in playoff | |
| NC – no card | |
| DNF – did not finish | |
| NS – no show |
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.
