27th Christman Cup: RiverCrest

Sako takes Christman crown

PHOENIXVILLE, Pa. – Brick by brick, Seiji Sako has added height to his fortress of junior golf success. A Top-10 finish here, a match-play appearance there, etc. have all provided their own significance.

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On Tuesday at RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve (par 71, 6,518 yards), the McCall Golf Club member stands proudly on the turret of said structure with a trophy cradled in his arms. Sako is the 27th Christman Cup champion. He triumphed over Lannon Boyd of Overbrook Golf Club with a par on the first sudden-death playoff hole (No. 1 (par 4, 340 yards). The pair finished regulation tied at 4-under-par 67.   

“It’s been a great summer for me,” Sako, 18, of Bala Cynwyd, said. “I think I’ve had a lot of great finishes, but I haven’t really put all the rounds together. I know this one got cut short, but it still feels good to get one done.” 

This year’s event was shortened to 18 holes due to inclement weather. The field began Round 2 before horns signaled an immediate suspension of play at 3:45 p.m. Players were notified of the round’s cancellation, and the tournament reverting to Round 1 scores, at 5 p.m. Boyd and Sako agreed to wait out the weather delay to decide a champion. The playoff commenced at 5:45 p.m.

Sako, unbeknownst of how the weather would impact his championship pursuits, laid a strong foundation with a pair of birdies in his opening holes. Starting on RiverCrest’s back nine, he speared a 52-degree wedge from 104 yards to 20 feet on No. 10 (par 4, 375 yards) and followed it up by driving the green and two-putting from 40 feet on No. 11 (par 4, 335 yards). That same driving strength shined on No. 16 (par 5, 550 yards) when he left himself a 9-iron from 177 yards that he put to 15 feet before two-putting.  

On the front side, another pair of circles followed on Nos. 2 (par 5, 520 yards) and 3 (par 3, 167 yards). On the former, he two-putted after hitting a 7-iron from 207 yards to 30 feet. On the latter, he steered a 9-iron to 3 feet. He grabbed a final red figure on No. 9 (par 4, 307 yards) when he splashed out from the right greenside bunker to five feet after teeing off with a 5-wood. 

“I played very solid. At no point was double ever in question which is something I’ve done well recently,” Sako a recent graduate of Lower Merion High School, said. “ I got off to a good start today and held it.”  

Boyd, who played in the group immediately ahead of Sako, did his work on No. 16 by canning a 50-footer for eagle after rifling a 5-iron from 204 yards.

Following the two-hour weather delay, the pair took advantage of the necessary warmup time and headed to No. 1. Boyd had the honor. A slight miss hit sent his ball toward the left treeline some 20 yards short of the green. Sako, who cited strong driving accuracy throughout the day, drove the green leaving himself a 20 footer for eagle. Boyd attempted to extricate himself from the trees and onto the green, but instead landed in the left greenside bunker. Boyd chipped out of the wet sand, but settled long and right of the green. His next chipped finished in kick-in range. Sako three-putted to take the Christman crown. 

“Not the swing off the tee, and not much I could do on the punch shot either,” Boyd, 18, of Wayne, Pa., said. “[Seiji] is a great player and a good friend. I’m happy for him.” 

The summer of Seiji has been a prevalent theme as of late. In the 126th BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship at Sunnybrook Golf Club in June, he earned a match play position by surviving a 10-for-9 playoff. He bowed out in his Round-of-32 match against John Barone of The 1912 Club, 3&2. The next week in the 112th Junior Boys’ Championship at Chester Valley Golf Club, he qualified for the Championship flight and prevailed in his Round-of-16 match before falling to eventual champion Jackson Lane of Riverton Country Club in the Quarterfinals, 6&4. Last week, he made the cut in the 122nd Open Championship at Lancaster Country Club. He finished T34. 

“I think I’ve gotten to a point in my game where I don’t need my a-game to shoot under par,” Sako said. “‘Not flashy’ is the way I describe my game right now. I’m driving it in play and making a lot of boring pars and then using my length to birdie the par 5s is my formula right now.”

Development and progression may be the buzzwords that define Sako’s golf life as of late, but they also speak to him professionally. Since March, he’s worked part time at Cobbs Creek Golf Campus in the pro shop and on the driving range. At work, he never misses an opportunity to marvel at the restoration work being done to bring back Cobbs’ championship golf course.  

“It’s amazing what they’re doing over there. They’re turning a patch of dirt into a golf course,” Sako, who will attend Penn State University (Main Campus), said. “Actually seeing it happen and being kind of a part of it is pretty cool.”

So is winning GAP junior titles.  

The Christman Cup is named in honor of J. Fred Christman, former GAP Executive Committee member (1980-89) and Director of Competitions (1989-99). He chaired the organization’s Junior Committee and thereby oversaw the administration of its Junior schedule annually. “Fred has been part of the glue that has held this organization together, making things work and handling many tough situations. Certainly, with the exception of Jim Sykes, no other individual has been as closely identified with GAP activities and players as Fred regardless of their status on the Executive Committee or staff,” former GAP President Ray Cross (1997-99) wrote in a letter published in the October 1999 edition of Philadelphia Golfer. Christman died on Sept. 14, 2019 at the age of 86.

Harry Hammond update: 

With just one round to go in the Harry Hammond award race, Sako holds a one-shot lead over Boyd and Colby Komancheck of RiverCrest. The Harry Hammond is emblematic of the qualifying round of the Junior Boys’ Championship, the Christman Cup and the Jock MacKenzie Memorial, which will take place July 28 at Sandy Run Country Club. 

Notes: 

Bryce Ciochetto of GAP Youth on Course carded an ace on No. 13 (par 3 , 210 yards). He used a 5-iron. It is his first hole-in-one in a competitive round and his third overall.

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.