56th Senior Amateur Championship: Round 2

Frazier bags his 10th GAP Senior Major Title

BLUE BELL, Pa. – Jeff Frazier has been collecting GAP trophies for the past six years like his life depended on it.

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The Carlisle Country Club crusher continued his winning ways by defending his Senior Amateur Championship title Wednesday at Blue Bell Country Club (par 71, 6,542 yards). He claimed the 56th edition with a two-round total of 2 under.

Kennett Square Golf & Country Club’s Mike Sanfrancesco finished second at 1 under.

With the victory, Frazier becomes the third player to successfully defend his title. Chris Fieger, Sr. (2019-20) and Allan Sussel (1985-86) were the first two. Additionally, Frazier claimed his 10th GAP Senior Major title and completed the Senior Grand Slam for the second time. He holds three Brewer Cup and Chapman Cup titles as well as two Senior Amateurs and Warner Cups. 

In winning he claims his fourth consecutive Senior Silver Cross Award by nine shots over Glenn Smeraglio of LuLu Country Club. The Senior Silver Cross includes the Warner Cup, Chapman Cup, and the two rounds of the Senior Amateur.

Sitting at 2 over through his first six holes, Frazier wasn’t batting an eye at it not being his day. 

“It wasn’t easy for me earlier in the round,” Frazier, 61, of Mechanicsburg, Pa., said. “I was several back but I knew that my best golf was coming at some point. I just didn’t know when. I played really well coming down the stretch, but I didn’t play aggressively. I just made pars and sometimes that is harder to do. I played tough. Winning another GAP Senior Major is really rewarding for me.”

His time came on Nos. 7 (par 5, 509 yards), 8 (par 4, 442 yards) and 9 (par 5, 521 yards). His birdie trifecta vaulted him back into red figures. At 2 under, he was still a shot behind Jack Carrigan of Chesapeake Bay Golf Club at the turn.

The highlight of those three red figures coming from making a 25-footer with his putter from the rough on No. 8. Eerily similar to his 18-footer for birdie on No. 15 at Berkshire Country Club last year that pushed him to victory.

“This year, I didn’t play confident in a couple of events including the U.S. Senior Amateur qualifying and the Pennsylvania Senior Amateur,” Frazier said. “I was disappointed to not get the job done in those events. Losing lights a fire underneath my butt. It really makes me mad when I come up short. Recently, I have been playing with confidence. It has me playing great golf.”

On that same hole at Berkshire in the Pennsylvania Senior Amateur this year, Frazier made a triple bogey. He missed out of a playoff by three shots.

Blue Bell’s tight corridors and thought-requiring design fit Frazier’s strengths. Keep the ball in play and in front of you. His big numbers never come. He can always recover.

“I thought the course was tougher today,” Frazier said. “The wind seemed to be hurting you on every hole. But when the wind switched to helping, holding the greens was so hard. I putted better today and made a couple of putts. There were times where a good shot ended up in a bad spot. Playing well today required a lot of patience. I hit the driver as much as I can and am never afraid to hit it. The leaderboard was really tight today. Jack [Carrigan] and Jamie [Slonis] played well but made a couple of mistakes. The same could have been said for me. On another day, they could have been at the top.”

His back nine of even par was all that he needed. Steadfast. Strong. Savvy. He rolled in a three-footer at the last to win yet again.

“I feel like I am solid in all aspects of my bag from top to bottom,” Frazier said. “To be able to keep plodding my way around the course takes discipline. My best game can come out at any time. For me that is what gives me confidence if I am in a rut. I don’t worry about it much anymore. My mentality has always been tenacious. I have a lot of belief in myself. I focus on what I can do to win and stay locked in on it. I am a very competitive person. I have had enough rounds turn around for me. It is almost comforting. I am happy to win another Senior Amateur.”

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 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.