33rd Delaware Mid-Open: Bear Trap Dunes

Rosal wins in a playoff and Millichip takes Women’s Division

OCEAN VIEW, Del. – Matt Rosal played in GAP events for fun. He never considered his game to be strong enough to win a big championship. 

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Monday at Bear Trap Dunes (par 72, 6,756 yards), Rosal became the first amateur since Peter Barron, III in 2020 to win the Delaware Mid-Open. 

The Wild Quail Golf & Country Club member claimed the 33rd edition with a bogey on the second playoff hole, No. 9 (par 5, 564 yards) of Bear Trap’s Grizzly nine. The championship was contested on the Grizzly-Kodiak rotation.

He and 2023 Delaware Mid-Amateur champion Greg Sadowski of Philadelphia Publinks Golf Association, finished regulation at 1 over. Mike Chanaud of the host club took low professional honors for the fourth consecutive year with a 72.

“I could be at work right now but instead I am out playing golf,” Rosal said. “I had a great day playing with other guys from Wild Quail. My expectations were to go out, have fun and enjoy playing a new course. I wanted to see how I held up under pressure and how I would manage these winds. Turns out, I did well.”

With sustained winds between 20-30 miles per hour throughout the day, Bear Trap held firm. The scoring average on the day was 85.62. No players under par and no hole played to an average of par or better. 

Sadowski canned a 12-footer for par on the first playoff hole, No. 1 Grizzly (par 4, 431 yards), and Rosal extended the playoff with an eight-footer of his own. On the second playoff hole, No. 9 Grizzly, Rosal three-putted for bogey and the win after Sadowski struggled around the green.

“I knew for a fact that regardless of whether Greg made his putt or not on the first playoff hole, I was going to have to make mine,” Rosal, 28, of Smyrna, Del., said. “I warmed up a lot on the putting green prior to the playoff. My putting stroke was feeling good. I just switched to the broomstick in June and it has worked wonders. The reason I won today was because of the putter.”

Without two par saves on the final two holes of regulation, Rosal wouldn’t have even had a chance. He canned a 10-footer and a four-footer for par, respectively, to get in the clubhouse.

“This whole year has been up and down,” Rosal said. “I worked hard to be able to come back here and play golf again. We just had our club championship at Wild Quail and I was leading on the second day but blew it. Winning today just shows God’s plan. Winning this tournament was meant to be.”

Rosal is a Caesar Rodney High School graduate as well as a George Washington University grad with a degree in accounting. He works as a Certified Public Accountant. He hasn’t been able to add any trophy numbers with respect to his post high school golf victories but now there’s a number in that ledger. 

While his profession and degree scream numbers. His true passion is words and creativity.

“When I was in college, I wrote a blog called the Odyssey Group,” Rosal said. “I wrote about what I learned after watching professional golf tournaments. I documented stuff. I feel like blogging helped me today. I am trying to think more creatively and get off screens. You need to think for yourself. Your phone isn’t going to hit the shot for you.”

This victory offers so much more than the eye can see. Exemptions into all the GAP Majors as well as the Delaware Amateur and Open. A bustling 2026 calendar awaits Rosal.

“Whenever I play next, just because I won the last tournament I played in, I won’t have any distinct advantage,” Rosal said. “The biggest takeaway is how my body reacts to pressure. Winning this tournament gives me a lot of confidence going forward. This gives me the feeling that I can actually compete here and that I belong. Before I just played and tried to have a good time. I didn’t think I would ever win something like this.”

Women’s Division

Barbora Millichip completed her great triumvirate.

After a round of 82 Monday at Bear Trap Dunes (Grizzly-Kodiak) (par 72, 5,553 yards), Millichip claimed the Delaware Women’s Mid-Amateur for the third-consecutive year. She claimed the fifth edition by four shots.

She triumphed in 2023 at The Peninsula Golf & Country Club and in 2024 at Bayside Resort Golf Club.

“The wind made it really difficult out there,” Millichip, 47, of West Caln, Pa., said. “It felt harder to feel my swing. Over the weekend my game felt good and my wedge game was solid. That wasn’t the case today. There’s a lot of trouble out there. High grass, water and fast greens. But I was happy with how I fought out there. It wasn’t easy to score.”

Millichip said over the weekend her game felt great and she was hitting her wedges close to the hole. With sustained winds at 20-30 miles per hour with stronger gusts, that game didn’t stay with her.

Playing Bear Trap for the first time, Millichip stayed focused on keeping the ball in play. One shot at a time. She said staying concentrated helps her stay out of trouble.

“My biggest thought out there was to stay calm,” Millichip said. “The wind affects all parts of your swing, your game and your mind. Mentally, I was trying hard to concentrate and not panic. I knew there were going to be bad holes. If I had a bad hole it was just that, a bad hole. I wasn’t going to let my round be ruined as a result. I wanted to remain positive.”

Her highlight of the day came on No. 14 (par 4, 325 yards). She hit a 50-degree wedge from 90 yards to 25 feet and canned the putt. She bounced back after an 8-over-par front nine with a 2-over-par back nine. 

Millichip said this event was at the perfect time of year and location for her. The Honeybrook Golf Club member is on her way to Outer Banks, N.C. for a trip.

“Winning a tournament three times in a row is super fun,” Millichip said. “I can’t be unhappy about it. When you’ve won the tournament multiple times in a row, you feel pressure. That pressure makes it interesting but winning any golf tournament means a lot to me. It’s a great feeling.”

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 Association’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.