22nd Deeg Sezna: Blue Bell

Four teams take titles

BLUE BELL, Pa. – Teamwork made dreams work Monday during the 22nd Deeg Sezna at Blue Bell Country Club (par 71, 6,086 yards). 

| Scorecards | History | photo gallery |

The event’s Junior Division was headlined by co-champions who matched with rounds of 1-under-par 70. The seasoned Deeg duo of Kurt Meyers and Colby Komancheck of RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve added to their résumé that already features two Junior-Junior Division titles (2021, 2022). The Deeg first-timers, Kevin Lafond of the host club and LuLu Country Club’s Michael Johnson, relied on one another and some home-course knowledge to earn their share of the championship hardware.

Meyers and Komancheck make it a point to play golf with one another. It’s a sometimes difficult feat according to Meyers since Komancheck is often preoccupied with a summer full of competitive events. Given the duo’s success, they try to keep their schedules clear for The Deeg.

“Having won this before, we know what it takes to win,” Meyers, 70, of Wayne, Pa., said. “We definitely left a few out there, but we definitely saved enough [to win].” 

Taking advantage of complimentary play styles aided the duo in their quest for the title.

“We were in position all day long,” Meyers said. 

“We hit a lot of greens, probably around 15 or 16,” Komancheck, 14, of Royersford, Pa., and a rising sophomore at Malvern Preparatory School, added. “It’s hard to make very many big numbers when you’re always putting.” 

The Komancheck/Meyers campaign finished the front nine at even par. A key birdie on No. 17 (par 5, 470 yards) got them into red figures. After Meyers’ drive landed in the fairway, Komancheck blasted a 3-wood from 240 yards that settled on the back collar of the green. The team clocked two putts from 25 feet for birdie. 

The pair are fond of competing together. They said learning course management strategies from one another is also an important part of their rounds.

Lafond and Johnson are relatives. Lafond is cousins with Johnson’s wife. They played together for the first time this year.  

“Mike presented [the tournament opportunity] to me a couple months ago at a family gathering, and I thought it was a great idea,” Lafond, 19, of Blue Bell, Pa., said. “We had a great time.” 

Lafond’s member knowledge aided the team off the tee. Before day’s end, the pair never missed a fairway. 

“We both hit it really well,” Lafond, a rising sophomore at St. Joseph’s University said. “We put ourselves in the right spots.” 

Birdies on Blue Bell’s back nine, the duo’s front nine, was the key to their success. On No. 12 (par 3, 151 yards), Johnson’s 9-iron stopped 15 feet away. Lafond stepped up and converted the lengthy try. On No. 14 (par 5, 463 yards), Lafond hit a 3-hybrid from 225 yards that settled right of the green. Johnson’s chip shot settled 15 feet away for another Lafond cleanup. On No 17, Lafond’s tee ball bounced off the cart path and into the center of the fairway. Then, Johnson’s pitching wedge from 148 yards stopped 15 feet away again. This time, the pair two putted for birdie.

Lafond looks up to Johnson. From 2010-2014, Johnson represented La Salle University on the Men’s Golf team. During his time there, he regularly led the team in scoring. In 2012, he qualified for the U.S. Amateur. In 2014, his senior year, he became the first Explorer to earn All-Atlantic 10 honors. In 2022, he qualified for the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball with his partner Kevin Davis. 

“Mike has been through all the tournaments, he knows the ins and outs of all these big pressure events,” Lafond said. “It’s nice to have someone to go to that’s a call away to have that kind of conversation with.” 

“If I can help him be more efficient in what he’s doing, that is the end goal,” Johnson, 32, of Dublin, Pa., said. “[I want to] teach him about the mistakes I’ve made, and what has worked really well.”

Junior-Junior Division

Ben Feld knows the Sokol family well. Feld and Brad Sokol, the family’s patriarch, are friends and Green Valley Country Club clubmates. Through their friendship, Feld was introduced to Brad’s sons Henry and Jack who are also Green Valley members. Last year, Feld played with Jack in The Deeg. This year, Feld and the Sokols decided to switch things up.

It’s safe to say the change paid off. This year, Feld and Henry carded a 5-under-par 66 to take the Junior-Junior Division title at Blue Bell (par 71, 5,484 yards).

“We hit a lot of greens. We had pretty stress free pars all day,” Henry, 13 of Villanova, Pa., said. “Overall, Ben putted really well.” 

“I drove it pretty good, and he hit a lot of shorter clubs close and gave me chances to make some birdies,” Feld, 33, of Cherry Hill, N.J., added. “We didn’t make a lot of them until the very end. We made four of the last five thanks to him hitting really good approaches.” 

The pair made the turn at 1-under, and caught fire with birdies late in the closing nine. On No. 14 (par 5, 396 yards) Feld’s drive found the fairway. From there, Henry hit a pitching wedge from 105 yards to 10 feet. Following Feld’s drive on no No. 15 (par 4, 345, yards), Henry hit a 50-degree wedge from 85 yards to five feet for another red figure. After Henry’s 5-hybrid from 165 yards, the duo two putted from 40 feet on No. 17 (par 5, 437 yards). The team closed their round with a birdie on No. 18 (par 4, 346 yards) after Henry’s pitching wedge from 91 yards settled 15 feet away. 

“These kids are really mature and they ask so many great questions that it’s just a lot of fun to be around,” Feld said. “I love being able to have a small part in somebody improving and reaching their goals.”

Mixed Division

The Deeg is all about mentorship. Julia Hashem and Damon Barbacci of Coatesville Country Club have the perfect relationship for the event. 

This summer, Hashem was looking for a mentor and coach to help her lower her Handicap Index and prepare her to pursue a career in professional golf management. Barbacci, a lifelong amateur who says he spent time as a coach at the International Golf School during the 1980s-90s, agreed to help Hashem accomplish her goal. The duo’s hard work has paid off. This season, Hashem’s Handicap Index has dropped from a 15.6 to a 10.4. 

“Damon has been extremely helpful to me. Not only with the swing aspect, but also with the mental part of the game,” Hashem, 17, of Coatesville, Pa., said. “He really helps out with strategies as well.”

The team’s efforts were on full display today. With a card of 3-over 74, they captured the event’s Mixed Division (par 71, 5,484 yards). 

Both Damon and Julia said they were able to take advantage of well-hit tee shots and capitalize on some “ham-and-egg” opportunities during their round. 

Before day’s end, the team carded three birdies. On No. 5 (par 4, 303 yards), Barbacci hit a drive that left Hashem just 30 yards away from the hole. She confidently cozied a 56-degree wedge to a foot for the team’s first birdie. On No. 16 (par 3, 155 yards), Hashem’s six iron settled two feet away for another easy red figure. The pair’s final birdie came on No. 17 (par 5, 437 yards). Hashem’s 7-wood from 175 yards stopped 20 yards short. No problem, Barbacci played a pitch shot to two feet for another circle on the card. 

“Her short game has come a long way,” Barbacci, 53, of Downingtown, Pa., said. “For me it’s really been fun because she has so much talent, so I can ask her to do something and she can do it. We’re trying to repeat that over and over again so she gets comfortable knowing she can do different things.”       

The Deeg Sezna celebrates the mentorship of the older generation for its younger counterparts. It is named in honor of Davis “Deeg” Sezna, Jr. of Hartefeld National, who lost his life on Sept. 11, 2001 in the attack on the World Trade Center in New York City.

Deeg, an avid golfer long a mentor to his younger brothers Teddy and Willy, and a recent graduate of Vanderbilt University with a degree in economics, was in his sixth day of work on the 104th floor of the South Tower when the terrorists struck.

To memorialize his name, the Golf Association of Philadelphia and his father, Davis Sezna, Sr., established the Deeg Sezna, pairing a junior player and an older amateur in a better ball competition, with a minimum age difference of 10 years and the stipulation that the younger player be 21 or younger. The goal is to give experienced golfers quality time with the next generation, and vice versa.

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.