34th Delaware Mid-Open: Rock Manor

Dalton wins in a playoff and Whitley Coleman takes Women’s Division

WILMINGTON, Del. – Kyle Dalton knows every square inch and blade of grass at Rock Manor Golf Club.

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For 12 years he was the General Manager at the club. Monday at his former home (par 71, 6,342 yards), he became the first person from Rock Manor to claim the Delaware Mid-Open, taking the 34th edition.

Dalton, a professional, defeated amateur Rij Patel of the Country Club of York with a birdie on the second playoff hole No. 18 (par 3, 178 yards).

He canned a 35-footer for birdie as a full moon lighted the green, to claim the title. He recently won the Delaware 27-Hole Challenge at Bear Trap Dunes with Vince Scarpetta, III.

“I wanted to finish this tournament today at all costs,” Dalton said. “I knew Rij had a pretty long drive and it didn’t make sense for us to come back Tuesday if we could help it. Having the experience I have on the greens, I knew how that putt was going to break, even if we were playing in the dark. I just trusted the feeling I had out there.”

Dalton and Patel finished regulation at 71. Patel claimed the Mid-Amateur Division of the Mid-Open.

“I would say I had a pretty solid and very consistent year,” Patel, 28, of Hunt Valley, Md., said. “I checked off a lot of boxes this year with results so that has been nice. I was happy with how I had a constant build in my season and kept getting better. I was happy Kyle wanted to keep playing and try to finish this today. It just didn’t work out. I love playing GAP events and am happy to support them as much as I can.”

After making consecutive bogeys on Nos. 9 (par 5, 500 yards) and 10 (par 4, 359 yards), Dalton said he needed to get himself in gear or risk a disappointing finish. He did just that with birdies on Nos. 11 (par 5, 509 yards) and 14 (par 3, 173 yards). He chipped it to three feet on No. 11 and then canned a 40-footer on No. 14.

“I played this course probably 600 or 700 times,” Dalton, 41, of Wilmington, Del., said. “So I am pretty familiar with all of the nuances and places you need to be. I wouldn’t have had a chance today without my lag putting. I was getting all of them close and making the putts inside of six feet.”

Dalton went to Clemson University and went through the PGA Professional Golf Management (PGM) program. Things are different these days with his young daughter. 

“Having a baby has changed my life for sure,” Dalton said. “I have probably played the least amount of golf this year than I have for a while but I felt like I played pretty good. So Brooke, my little one, has brought me some good vibes and good luck. She has shown me that while golf is important there are more important things. I am trying to just enjoy the game. Winning this one feels pretty good.”

Women’s Division

Angie Whitley Coleman’s golf year was a self-proclaimed mixed bag. 

Monday at Rock Manor (par 71, 5,358 yards), she ended the year on a high note by claiming the 6th Delaware Women’s Mid-Amateur with an 81. 

“This season hasn’t been what I hoped it would be,” Whitley Coleman, 62, of Wilmington, Del., said. “I think it was pretty mediocre. This is a really great way to end the year. I always appreciate wins. I really appreciate hitting quality shots and executing well.”

Her lone birdie came on No. 5 (par 4, 210 yards). A couple of pars on the last two holes secured victory.

“I didn’t really start playing until I was 41,” Whitley Coleman, of DuPont Country Club, said. “When I was in college at Fisk University, it had a program where I got introduced to the game in my business program. At the time, I didn’t have any money, but I told myself when I did later in life, I would pick up the game. I was working for MBNA and they owned Deerfield Golf Club at the time. One of my bowling teammates asked if I wanted to take lessons and that sparked my interest in getting more actively involved.”

Whitley Coleman said that she had lost her passion for the game a few years ago when her father Paul died. He was her biggest supporter and while he wasn’t a golfer himself, she always appreciated the relationship they had. Whitley Coleman said she finally feels like herself again on the golf course and sees a bright future.

“I am excited to get this win,” Whitley Coleman said. “I am happy to be able to head into the offseason positively and try to keep the momentum going in 2027.”

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 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.