31st Women’s Coal Scuttle Championship

Huntsville wins third straight Scuttle title

EXETER, Pa. — Danielle Dalessandro pulled into the parking lot and walked to the first tee Wednesday. No practice swings. No practice putts. No stretching.

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“It was definitely not as planned, but I had to send a few work emails for real estate. I needed to get a contract signed, so it was kind of like, ‘Send it out. Get it signed. I’ll still make my tee time,’” Dalessandro, a real estate agent, said. “It was kind of a win-win. A little bit of a loss for me, but a win on the [contract end] hopefully.”

And a win for Dalessandro’s golf home. With a par on No. 18 (par 4, 289 yards) at Fox Hill Country Club (par 73, 5,363 yards), Dalessandro delivered victory for Huntsville Golf Club in the 31^st GAP/AGA Women’s Coal Scuttle at Fox Hill Country Club (par 73, 5,363 yards). Huntsville (71 points) upended clubhouse leader Berwick Golf Club (69) by two points.

Dalessandro (31 points), Kasey Saraka (22), Bernadette McHugh (18) and Elyse Wilson (12) represented Huntsville Wednesday. It marked the club’s sixth title in the last eight years (2016, 2018-19, 2021-23).

Wyoming Valley Country Club’s Molly Gorman earned individual medalist honors with 32 points. The Women’s Coal Scuttle format is Stableford. The top three of four scores count toward the team total.

“It’s awesome. That’s what makes today great. It’s a team event,” Dalessandro, 28, of Moosic, Pa., said. “When you’re out there, you don’t just give up because you’re playing for a team. It keeps you going.”

Dalessandro, despite her hustle-and-hit introduction, kept going. She kept going despite a 5-over-par 41 on her outward tour. Playing in the day’s last group, Dalessandro needed to three points in her final two holes to keep Huntsville’s Scuttle streak going.

The three-time individual medalist (2018-19, 2022) lived up to her résumé. On No. 17 (par 4, 324 yards), Dalessandro landed a 9-iron from 120 yards on the front of the green. She cozied an uphill, left-to-right slider — “a doozy of a putt” — into the safety zone for 4. On No. 18 (par 4, 289 yards), Dalessandro again relied on her 9-iron, this time from 118 yards. Punch fade desired. Double cross instead. She found herself on the front-left edge and soon faced a 12-footer for par to nudge Huntsville in front. Dalessandro buried the left-to-right breaker.

A round of applause from the patio. Cheers and hugs from her teammates.

“We were down one of our top players, Barb Pagana. She’s in Pinehurst (N.C.). She’s a huge asset that we unfortunately didn’t have today, but Elyse came in and really stepped up today,” Dalessandro said. “We needed it.”

Wilson received a phone call Saturday to step in.

“I haven’t slept since then,” she said jokingly.

The moment Dalessandro arrived at the scoring table Wednesday, Wilson looked in her direction and gave the horns gesture. Not to be confused with a rock-and-roll gesture. You know, the one you typically see at a rock concert.

Stags up, in honor of Dalessandro’s alma mater, Fairfield University.

“She’s a total rock star. A rock star stag,” Wilson, 44, of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., said.

“I like the women who play at Huntsville. We’re a pretty tight-knit crew,” Dalessandro said. “It’s a lot of fun playing with those ladies.”

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 340 Member Clubs and 100,000 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.