59th Delaware Open: Day Two

Rucinski relives his adolescence, wins at former home

WILMINGTON, Del. – Ryan Rucinski’s heart exploded out of his chest. His head sunk into his hands as film projected a motion picture of his golf dreams through his watery, yet sealed-shut eyes.

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A Fieldstone Golf Club member for nine years, Rucinski wanted the stars to align, but he knew it wasn’t that simple.

Rucinski, an assistant professional at Wilmington Country Club, imagined what his dream would look like for the last three years. When he opened his eyes, he saw Fieldstone. In his hands was the Delaware Open trophy. No this isn’t heaven, it’s Fieldstone, his Field of Dreams. 

A bogey-free final round of 66 vaulted Rucinski to the 59th Delaware Open title Tuesday at Fieldstone (par 71, 6,608 yards). He finished the 54-hole championship at 9 under. He was the only person to break par in all three rounds.

The host club’s Joe Tigani claimed low amateur honors after a 54-hole total of 6 under.

“I wanted to win this tournament for a while,” Rucinski, 27, of Greenville, Del., said. “I have been close in a lot of Delaware Amateurs and Opens for years. I’ve had my own personal battles on the course for years not performing how I wanted to. Coming back to a place I am familiar with and have great memories at, motivated me. To win my home Open is an unreal feeling.”

He held off two-time champion Zac Oakley, an assistant professional at nearby Bidermann Golf Club, by one shot. 36-hole leader Michael Chanaud of The Peninsula Golf & Country Club fell out of contention with a final-round 78.

After second-round 70 in the morning of a 36-hole marathon day, Rucinski thought he didn’t do enough. In the afternoon, he did. 

His championship charge began with a birdie on No. 2 (par 5, 579 yards). He spun a sand wedge from 120 yards to five feet.

The Wilmington University graduate didn’t know it at the time but his Championship moment would come on the next par 5, No. 5 (par 5, 530 yards).

He slung a 3-hybrid from 240 yards with a majestic high draw to 10 feet. Facing a putt of the most treacherous variety, he willed it in on a final whisper. 

Rucinski took the lead for good on No. 10 (par 5, 550 yards). But not without panic. Just over two minutes into his three-minute search, playing partner Jay Whitby found his ball buried in the rough. Unfazed, he extricated a layup and stuffed a sand wedge from 115 yards to 10 feet.

The next six holes were full of missed opportunities. On Nos. 12, 14, 15 and 16, he had putts inside 10 feet to separate from the pack. He missed them all. He didn’t need to putt on No. 17 (par 4, 436 yards) after his 58-degree wedge from 108 yards stopped inches from the hole.

With a chance to eliminate stress, Rucinski three-putted the last for par after missing a 6-footer for birdie.

“I was definitely getting nervous coming down the stretch with Zac making a push,” Rucinski, the 2013 Delaware Junior Boys’ Champion, said. “I couldn’t get anything to fall. I just was trying to hit every shot the best I could. Even when I three-putted the last for par I still wanted to keep my head held high because I knew I did my best.”

About 30 minutes later, when Oakley missed a 10-footer for birdie to force a playoff, all Rucinski could do was collapse. Wilmington co-workers, family and friends surrounded him.

“Wilmington has meant so much to me,” Rucinski said. “[Director of Golf] Michael Shank took me in with open arms and I am so grateful for him and everyone at the club. I enjoy taking care of our membership. It is nice to know I can support them and they can support me. It is everything I could have asked for.”

Rucinski started his working career after graduation in the insurance business. Eight months in he left. He felt he was losing sight of who he was.

“Once I turned professional, things were looking good for me,” Rucinski said. “But ultimately, injuries, fitness challenges andweight loss were things that held me back. I knew I needed to get back to what I loved. I thought about legacy, my dad and my grandfather. The amount of time they spent with me as a kid taking me to the course and spending time with me was something I didn’t want to waste.

“I think a lot about the sacrifices that my parents and my grandparents have made for me to chase my dream. It feels great to finally do something that can show them that everything we did was worth it and wasn’t a waste of time.”

A past BMW Philadelphia Amateur medalist and Silver Cross award winner in 2018, Rucinski has some championship mettle, but no hardware to show for it. Now he has the $3,500 low professional prize and the trophy proving he made the right choice.

“When I won the Silver Cross at GAP, I felt the exact same way that I do now,” Rucinski said. “Being on a list with Jay Sigel and J. Wood Platt was crazy and to now be on a list with Blaise Giroso, Pete Oakley, the late Chris Anderson and Justin Martinson is pretty amazing. Justin and I got to know each other at Hartefeld National where we had 20 guys always banging balls on the range. A lot of what I do is because of Justin. When I saw that the Delaware Open was coming back to Fieldstone, I thought about his win in 2009 and how much that inspired me. I knew I needed to win here.”

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 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.