20th Super-Senior Amateur: Round Two

Inspired Mestre completes life cycle

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Oscar Mestre didn’t need any extra motivation to concur all in the 20^th Super-Senior Amateur Championship. A victory would complete a GAP life cycle of sorts, winning championships as a Mid.-Am., Senior and Super Senior. The longevity a personal point of pride.

However, after finding himself in a three-way tie at the conclusion of Round 1 Tuesday, Mestre received a special phone call. It was iconic Philadelphia media personality Harry Donahue wishing him well. It was deeply moving to Mestre considering Donahue, host of the locally produced “Inside Golf” television show, is currently battling some health difficulties.

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“Harry’s going through a lot of stuff and he calls me up. It energized me,” said Mestre, 65, of Berwyn, Pa. “The fact that in his battles, he can find the time to reach out to me is incredibly humbling. The last thing he said to me on the phone was do it for Harry and Bernie [Parent, the Flyers famed goaltender who died Sept. 21]. I got a photo with Bernie at the Snider hockey outing last week.”

Donahue’s coach speak worked. Mestre, of Overbrook Golf Club, carded a closing 70 at Bala Golf Club (par 68, 5,283 yards) to secure a first GAP Super-Senior victory by a stroke. Don Donatoni of Hershey’s Mill Golf Club, a previous five-time Super-Senior Amateur Champion, placed second.

Mestre’s GAP Super-Senior win capped a magical super-senior rookie season. It was his second Major victory in two months having captured the Delaware State Super-Senior in mid-August. That was noteworthy considering Mestre attended the University of Delaware and is a member of its Athletic Hall of Fame. He was also the GAP President when the Delaware State Golf Association merged with the Golf Association of Philadelphia. Additionally, Mestre also qualified for his third U.S. Senior Amateur.

A two-time GAP Senior Player of the Year (2019, 2021), this win officially stamped him the GAP Super-Senior Player of the Year.

“I really tried hard to work on my physical conditioning,” said Mestre of the reason for his consistency. “I’m shorter, smaller than a lot of my competitors. I tried to get stronger, work on my core and reengage my legs. As you get older, you realize you have to work on your legs and work on your balance. The stuff that used to come naturally doesn’t come naturally any more.”

Donatoni, a five-time Super-Senior Amateur Champion (2013, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022), finished at 4-over par.

“I am extremely pleased that I was able to play well enough to be in the hunt. I hit the ball well yesterday, putted extremely well and that kept me in contention,” Donatoni, 77, of West Chester, Pa., said. “Driving here today, I was thinking there are a lot of really good players within one or two shots of the lead. I’m going to have to go low if I’m going to win.”

Bala grinded on the field both days. It played marginally easier Wednesday with a 76.7 scoring average. Those conditions provide leaderboard volatility, and thru nine holes Donatoni had risen up the board and had a one-shot lead on Mestre and Mike Owsik of The 1912 Club. A host of big names: Chip Lutz, Greg Osborne and Joe Weiscarger lurking. Names wilted as holes passed and on No. 16 (par 3, 97 yards) Mestre stood tied with Owsik. Owsik was in the group directly in front.

“Why not now,” Mestre said. He lifted a 56-degree wedge that landed right of the stick and spun below the cup and stopped at 10 feet. In the jar the next one went. A one-shot lead with two to go.

In the meantime, Donatoni, in that Owsik group, did his best Donatoni.

He birdied Nos. 16 (par 3, 97 yards) and 17 (par 4, 288 yards) to tug on Mestre’s cape. On the former, Donatoni stuck a 50-degree wedge to six feet and sunk the left-to-right breaker. He finessed a wedge from 65 yards to 12 feet under a tight front-left hole location. Donatoni firmly wrapped the uphill birdie putt into the cup.

Mestre, though, showed no give and on No. 17 left a 15-foot birdie putt a revolution short. An easy par sent him to the last, up one.

On No. 18 (par 4, 362 yards), Mestre’s tee ball sailed right, but clear of the trees splitting that and the 14^th fairway.

An adrenalin infused 52-degree wedge from 122 yards landed eight feet short of the hole. The rip-chord engaged when it hit the green and the ball trundled all the way into the front collar 80 feet away. Mestre did what champions do. He proved all class with the testy uphiller. He bumped a 4-rescue onto the surface and watched it rolled up to a foot.

Applause from the back deck ensued.

“This to me is just a continuation. You want to be good, competitive and successful at every level [Mid.-Am. Senior and Super-Senior],” said Mestre. “The longevity or consistency or whatever you call it feels pretty good. You never know when your time is up. To be competitive at all those levels is very rewarding.”

Super-Senior Silver Cross Award
Donatoni edged both Mestre and 2024 Super-Senior Player of the Year Gregory Osborne of Overlook Golf Course by three strokes for the Super-Senior Silver Cross Award. It is the seventh (2013-16, 2019-20) in his collection.

“I knew I had a three-shot lead in the (Super-Senior) Silver Cross, which means a lot to me. It’s a testament to your consistency of play in the Majors,” Donatoni said. “That was on my mind. If I’m not going to play well enough to win the championship, if I can hang on and win the Silver Cross, then it would be an awesome day.”

The Super-Senior Silver Cross Award is comprised of the Francis B. Warner Cup, Frank H. Chapman Memorial Cup and Super-Senior Amateur Championship.

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.