35th Jock MacKenzie Memorial

The Sheehan sweep: Talamore titan takes two titles

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ORELAND, Pa. — In a summer of close calls, it seems fitting — and bizarrely ironic — that a callout allowed Patrick Sheehan to call up a couple of wins Monday.

The Talamore Country Club member (pictured above with Citadel Senior Financial Advisor Joseph Herron) carded a 2-under-par 70 to capture the 35^th Jock MacKenzie Memorial, part of the GAP Junior Series presented by Citadel, at a spectacular Sandy Run Country Club (par 72, 6,469 yards). He also earned the prized Harry Hammond Award with a remarkable score of 6-under-par 208. The Harry Hammond Award is emblematic of the Junior Boys’ Championship Qualifier, Christman Cup and Jock MacKenzie.

Sheehan’s haul almost never happened. His name didn’t occupy the Jock MacKenzie Memorial tee sheets prior to the weekend. Huntsville Golf Club’s Brett Ostroski withdrew from the event, opening a spot for the next individual on the waitlist.

Sheehan’s call came.

“I didn’t even know about the Harry Hammond Award.”

Patrick Sheehan

“Another tournament that I forgot to sign up for, and another email to Chris (Roselle, GAP Tournament Director) asking if I can be put on the waitlist,” Sheehan, 18, of Doylestown, Pa., said. “It was nice to get that text on Saturday that someone withdrew and I could get into the Jock MacKenzie. I had nothing to do today. It’s kind of weird. I never played in this event before, so I never knew too much about it.”

In the realm of the unknown, Sheehan didn’t realize he stood tied for the Harry Hammond Award lead with Loch Nairn Golf Club’s Austin Barbin after 36 holes. He, coincidentally, finished second to Barbin in both the GAP Junior Boys’ Championship (a 5&4 loss in the Final) and The Christman Cup (one stroke back in the weather-shortened event at The 1912 Club). Barbin is competing in this week’s U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio.

“I didn’t even know about the Harry Hammond Award. I saw that I was leading [after 36 holes] in a tweet at The Christman Cup, and I was confused about what it was. I looked it up,” Sheehan, who will attend Penn State University in the fall, said.

Looking up the Harry Hammond and Jock MacKenzie leaderboards Monday, Sheehan’s name occupied the first line. Four-straight birdies separated the willful walloper from his chasers.

On No. 8 (par 5, 540 yards), Sheehan knocked a wedge 91 yards to 14 feet above the flagstick. He buried the downhill, left-to-right breaker. Sheehan’s monstrous drive on the gettable par 4, 324-yard No. 9 landed long left. A heavy flop shot made a birdie appear far less likely. Sheehan defied those golf odds by executing a brilliant chip-in. On the par 3, 128-yard 10^th hole, Sheehan’s 52-degree wedge shot set up an eight-footer for birdie. His par-5 mastery continued on the next hole (490 yards), where Sheehan launched a 4-iron 260 yards to the green’s front edge. Two putts for birdie No. 4.

After logging a bogey from 40 yards out on No. 14 (par 4, 428 yards), Sheehan, whose distance affords an advantage, responded with accustomed par-5 proficiency on the next hole (490 yards). His 8-iron from 193 yards bounced onto the green and stopped 30 feet below the hole location. Sheehan rolled his eagle attempt up the slope and into tap-in birdie territory.

Heading into Sandy Run’s closer (par 4, 337 yards), Sheehan held a two-stroke edge over Kennett Square Golf & Country Club’s William Bennink. A bogey there following a conservative 4-iron into the left fairway bunker merely meant a margin of one and nine stroke victories in the Jock Mackenzie and Harry Hammond, respectively.

Rolling Green Golf Club’s Andreas Aivazoglou, who carded an even-par 72 Monday, placed second in the Harry Hammond Award race. Bennink, 18, of Kennett Square, Pa., finished one back of Sheehan with a 1-under-par 71. He converted a 30-footer for birdie on No. 18 to solidify sole runner-up status.

“That’s one of the biggest fist pumps I’ve given on the golf course, for sure. I was so happy,” Bennink, who will attend Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill., said. “My goal since last summer was to win a substantial tournament. I gave it a good shot today, so I’m really proud of that.”

A sense of pride is apparent in Sheehan, though he shies from showing it. He’s like the guy who eats his meal at the table, gives others time to indulge and then picks at the discarded yet delectable portions waiting for a mouth to call home.

“How could you not want more?” Sheehan said. “I’ve had a lot of good finishes, but I’m disappointed in the second-place finishes that I’ve had because I knew there was something there. I knew I could’ve won them, but then there was something in my game that wasn’t all there.”

With his Junior Division curtain call cultivating two trophies, a humbled humility finally cracks the surface.

“It’s nice to get a win because I haven’t won anything this summer. I like where my game is heading as I get ready for college,” Sheehan, identified as a “Player on the Rise” in the Spring 2019 edition of GAP Magazine, said. “That’s a good thing.”

NOTES
Jack Homer carded a 4-over-par 40 to capture the event’s Junior-Junior (par 36, 2,790 yards) Boys’ Division.

“I drove it beautifully. I only missed one fairway,” Homer, 12, of Wilmington, Del., said. “Despite my shaky start on my first hole (No. 10, par 3, 114 yards), I bounced back and played the next eight in 2 over. I’m very pleased with the way I bounced back.”

On the aforementioned 10^th hole, Homer, an incoming seventh grader at The Tatnall School, pulled a gap wedge into the right greenside bunker. His ball plugged, and the Wilmington Country Club member walked away with an unfortunate 5. Nevertheless, he also walked off Sandy Run’s grounds with a keepsake — one he attributes, in part, to the golf guidance of grandfather Tom Ciconte.

“I’d like to thank him because he taught us most of the golf. He’s been a big part of our golf game,” Homer, brother of twins and fellow golfers Jeffrey and Matthew, said.

In the Junior Girls’ Division (par 72, 5,572 yards), Merion Golf Club’s Lauren Jones successfully defended her title, carding a 6-over-par 78.

“It’s exciting. Sandy Run is an awesome golf course. I love coming out here every year, and I love supporting the GAP,” Jones, 16, of Newtown Square, Pa., said.

Jones, an incoming junior at The Episcopal Academy, points to a chip-in birdie on the par 4, 377-yard 14^th hole as the day’s highlight. Her 8-iron from 150 yards leaked right of the flagstick. Jones then executed a 30-yard chip that tracked and dropped.

Monday’s win comes on the heels of a U.S. Girls’ Junior invitation. Jones carded a tournament-best 1-over-par 73 in a qualifying event two weeks ago at Steel Club.

“I’m so excited to go and compete [in the U.S. Girls’ Junior at SentryWorld in Stevens Point, Wis.]. My mom (Loraine) competed in the 1993 U.S. Women’s Amateur, so I think it’s cool to keep building that legacy,” Jones said.

North Hills Country Club’s Gabrielle Courtney (par 36, 2,790 yards) won the Junior-Junior Girls’ Division with a score of 66. Courtney, 13, of Lafayette Hill, Pa., is an incoming freshman at Mount Saint Joseph Academy.

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 274 Full Member Clubs and 75,000 individual members are spread across the Eastern half of Pennsylvania and parts of New Jersey and Delaware. The GAP’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.

Citadel
Citadel is a credit union that has provided banking, investments, and insurance services to the Greater Philadelphia community for more than 80 years. At over $3 billion in assets, Citadel is one of the area’s largest locally owned, not-for-profit financial institutions, proudly serving residents of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties. Citadel has been ranked number one among all credit unions in Pennsylvania for providing value to customers by Callahan & Associates, and was named one of the best performing credit unions in the nation by SNL Financial. To explore products and services, visit www.CitadelBanking.com.