21st Marston Cup presented by Graffen: LuLu

Amole earns second Marston title in playoff

GLENSIDE, Pa. — Zack Amole is comfortable within the competitive golf landscape. On Tuesday at LuLu Country Club (par 71, 6,404 yards), the French Creek Golf Club member showcased his steely tournament form once again in a thrilling sudden-death playoff that lasted two holes. His efforts resulted in a second Marston Cup title (2024). The 21st Marston Cup is presented by Graffen.

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In addition to Amole, the playoff contenders included: Bradley Roberts of Mercer Oaks Golf Course, Kyle Ginty of Manufacturers’ Golf & Country Club and Sean Glynn of USGA/GAP GC. The collective tied in regulation at 2-under-par 69. Sean Leonard of Tavistock Country Club also finished at 2 under, but was unavailable for the playoff. 

“It’s great. It says I can compete a little bit yet,” Amole, 42, of Downingtown, Pa., said. “When you win it once, and it was pretty recent, you feel like you can do it again.” 

The Marston Cup is open to individuals 40-54 years of age. Each player received a tee gift courtesy of Graffen from on-site representatives.

The title chasers’ first playoff hole was the par-3, 159-yard 12th hole. The setting, which features a balcony overlooking the rear of the tee box where a gallery typically forms during such events, creates a stadium effect. Ginty, who teed off first, found the left greenside bunker. A precarious position as the hole location was middle left. The remaining competitors found the green with putts ranging from 20 to 35 feet. Ginty splashed out, but failed to make his ensuing 20 footer. Amole, Glynn and Robberts each two-putted to extend the playoff. 

The next hole, No. 13 (par 4, 452 yards), runs parallel to the back of the clubhouse. With out-of-bounds stakes immediately left, the tee shot can provide a compelling mind twist to players who naturally work the ball from right to left. Glynn and Roberts found the right fairway bunker and the right rough, respectively. Amole, who had some trouble off the tee in regulation resulting in a double bogey, made a necessary correction. 

“I hit it out of bounds in regulation. I told the guys I was exorcising a couple of demons,” Amole said. “I hit a decent tee shot [in the playoff] and I got away with something that was in the fairway.”

Amole’s opponents each missed the back-to-front sloping green on their approaches. Amole confidently hit a 9-iron from 155 yards to 16 feet. Glynn and Roberts made bogey. Amole made par to fend of his foes. 

“Because I was hitting it so good earlier, I felt like if I made a couple good swings early I’d probably put some pressure on somebody,” Amole said.

Amole finished his morning round with a pair of birdies. In fact, he played his last five holes in 3 under. On No. 14 (par 4, 394 yards), he canned an 8-footer after lifting a gap wedge from 118 yards. On No. 17 (par 5, 505 yards), he two-putted from 30 feet after his 6-iron from 207 yards settled short of the green. He ended his round by holing a 6-footer on LuLu’s closer after middling a 7-iron from 172 yards. 

“I’ve been hitting it pretty well recently, so I was expecting a pretty good round,” Amole, who played professionally on mini-tours from 2007-2012, said. “I’ve played here a bunch with other events and qualifiers, so I knew the course a little better than some of the others I would think.” 

Finding the time to work on his game amid work and home responsibilities means prioritizing specific parts of his game during limited practice sessions.

“If I only have an hour a day to really do anything, I’m trying to work on things that I’m weak on,” Amole, who works in insurance underwriting for USAA said. “I’ve been trying to use an app that suggests things to practice and work on.” 

The name of the aforementioned app is called Clippd. After the user inputs playing stats such as, greens in regulation, fairways hit, scrambling, etc., the app’s AI component creates tailor-made practice programs designed to improve the player’s weakest areas. 

Amole was put on to Clippd two years ago by his cousin Ryan Heisey. Heisey assistant coaches Arizona State University’s Women’s Golf team. 

“How many 7-irons can you hit on the range. I can go to the range and hit balls mindlessly and not get anything out of it,” Amole said. “What I noticed with the app was that I still hit it far enough to where it doesn’t matter if I’m in the fairway or the rough, but if I hit a couple more fairways it seems like I get better strokes gained.”

Each day, more tasks are becoming AI driven. In Amole’s case, AI is driving him toward more tournament hardware.

The Marston Cup honors Max Marston of Merion Cricket Club and Pine Valley Golf Club, who in 1923, emerged as America’s best amateur golfer. GAP Magazine highlighted Marston’s career year in its Summer 2023 edition. 

Graffen

In business in since 1963, we understand the value of preparation, consistency and smart decision making – principles that apply both on the golf course and in business. We provide managed IT services, cybersecurity protection, cloud solutions and voice productivity tools that help organizations stay secure, connected and productive. 

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 110,000 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.