35th Delaware Mid-Open: Bayside

Chanaud secures three-peat, Garner and Millichip take Mid-Am divisions

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SELBYVILLE, Del. – When you check the leaderboard in the early stages of an event, there’s a chance you are going to have to scroll to find Michael Chanaud. 

His starts are slow, but his recoveries are radiant. 

Chanaud caught fire once again. After playing his first three holes in 3 over, he played his final 15 holes in 6 under to claim his third consecutive Delaware Mid-Open title Monday at Bayside Resort Golf Club (par 72, 6,705 yards).

He took the 35th edition by two shots over Chris Osberg after a 69.

“It’s pretty cool,” Chanaud, 30, of Ocean View, Del., said. “This year has been crazy. A lot of ups and downs and some crazy runs. Finishing the year off by winning this tournament is huge because it was a frustrating year because I didn’t win any Philadelphia PGA Section events, which is something I wanted to do.”

At Fieldstone Golf Club in August for the Delaware Open, he was 2 over through three holes in the opening round and shot 7-under-par 64 with 10 birdies. There’s no number too low. 

“For me, the first five holes are so hard here at Bayside,” Chanaud, an assistant professional at The Peninsula Golf & Country Club, said. “For some reason, I started slow this year. But I know I have the firepower to recover. The front nine here was into the wind and all of the holes go in the same direction. So I knew once I got to the back nine, I’d have a better chance to go low.”

He made the turn in 1 over. Then on the back nine, champion Chanaud came to play.

His birdie barrage began with a birdie on No. 11 (par 5, 509 yards). A 5-iron approach from 200 yards rolled just over the back. He converted a 4-footer to secure the red figure. On No. 12 (par 4, 398 yards), he ripped a 6-iron from 178 yards to 25 feet. He’d can a 35-footer on No. 13 (par 3, 123 yards) for his terrific trifecta. 

His final red number came on No. 16 (par 4, 408 yards). He finessed a 9-iron from 145 yards to a foot, locking up his three-peat. New goals are on the horizon.

“For me, my biggest goal is to get my Class A certification and become a PGA professional,” Chanaud, the 2023 Delaware Open champion, said. With that, I’ll be able to play in the Section Championship in Philadelphia and hopefully have a chance to play in the PGA Professional National Championship and maybe the PGA Championship. I want to teach more. That’s where my focus lies.”

As he came back to Bayside after picking up his 5-year-old Weston, Chanaud was beaming from ear to ear. A prideful paternal pounce.

“My son means everything to me,” Chanaud said. “He’s always excited when he sees a trophy come home. He loved my Delaware Open trophy check last year. It makes me happy to see him happy.”

Mid-Amateur Division

Joe Garner never thought his wait would end. He just wanted to leave.

For five hours, Garner sat on a barstool, chatted with other competitors, sat on the concrete walking path adjacent to Bayside’s bocce courts, scrolled through his phone and carelessly wandered around the clubhouse hoping for the best.

“I thought there was a chance I could win this thing looking at the leaderboard,” Garner said. “It is only human to want to leaderboard watch. I kept one eye on it at all times. There were a lot of different bullets I had to dodge with many good players giving it a run. A ton of people chatted me up and for me that was helpful to keep my mind off of what it might mean to win.” 

At 5:45 p.m., his five-hour wait ended. After a round of 73, Garner claimed the Delaware Mid-Amateur by one shot Monday at Bayside (par 72, 6,705 yards).

“Winning this means a lot,” Garner, 30, of Wilmington, Del., said. “It’s come as a result of a lot of hard work and practice. 99% of the time you don’t get anything out of it. You could put in hundreds and hundreds of hours and have nothing to show for it. Winning means the world to me.”

Garner started competing in GAP events this year and said his highlight was making the cut in the Delaware Open at Fieldstone. He’ll have much bigger goals in the future.

Garner’s front nine included four birdies, three bogeys and two pars. A wild run to a 1-under-par front nine. He made consecutive red figures on Nos. 2 (par 5, 535 yards) and 3 (par 3, 192 yards) as well as on Nos. 8 (par 4, 414 yards) and 9 (par 3, 341 yards). All four of those birdie putts were 10 feet or longer. He made putts on those holes from 15 feet, 10 feet, 15 feet and 20 feet, respectively.

His only misstep was on No. 16 (par 4, 408 yards) after finding tree trouble off the tee leading to a double bogey. 

Bayside and its intimidating tee-shot windows held firm. That didn’t bother Garner. He put in the time prior to the round that reaped strong dividends.

“I owe my success to having solid targets off the tee,” Garner said. “I spent a couple of hours on Google Maps planning my round. You have to get creative with your lines here. Sometimes you have to bite off more than you think to shorten the holes. Putting a good move on it is also important. You don’t want to have mid-irons into these greens.”

The scoring average was 85.89.

A great end to his season will only get better for Garner and his wife, Alexis. Their first child is on the way.

“This is kind of like a see you later round of golf,” Garner said. “My priorities are going to change quite a bit. To be able to have a trophy to put on my mantle while I am holding my child is awesome. My wife is awesome. She is my teammate in an individual sport. She’s really encouraged me to compete and play more. I owe a lot of this to her.”

Garner, a self-proclaimed range rat and weekend dew sweeper at DuPont Country Club, won’t stop here.

“Now that I know what I am capable of I want to keep going,” Garner, who works at Citibank, said. “Knowing now that there is a greater than zero chance I win is huge for my confidence. I just want to get better. I love seeing the results. For the longest time, making a cut or getting a Top 20 felt like a win. I am so incredibly proud and grateful for this win.”

Women’s Division

Barbora Millichip stopped worrying about the results and the breaks. She started to focus on what she could control. Hitting quality golf shots.

Millichip, aided by her long drives and timely putting, claimed her second consecutive Delaware Women’s Mid-Amateur title after a round of 75 Monday at Bayside (par 72, 5,357 yards).

“It’s really nice to win this event in consecutive years,” Millichip, 46, of West Caln, Pa., said. “For me, each round has its ups and downs. I am happy that I played well on a tough golf course.”

She made the turn in 1 over highlighted with birdies on Nos. 4 (par 4, 276 yards) and 8 (par 4, 338 yards). She bombed her driver and had a couple of flip wedges. She would convert putts of 15 feet and eight feet, respectively. 

Her highlight came on the picturesque 10th (par 4, 341 yards). With the Ocean City, Md. skyline in the background, the Honeybrook Golf Club member hit a pitching wedge from 120 yards and buried a 35-footer.

She played the final eight holes in 3 over. In the past, she would have let it bother her.

“For me, I wanted to focus on not getting too crazy after I made a mistake,” Millichip said. “It is easy for things to turn bad when you lose your mental attitude. I just wanted to keep trusting my game.”

Her game is solid and so is her outlook. She will go for the three-peat in 2025.

“Keeping my head down and grinding no matter what has been helpful,” Millichip said. “I like to stay even keeled and let things play out for good or bad. I’ve been working hard at my game. It is cool to play well again.”

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 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.