60th Delaware Open: Day 2

Shattuck takes third title in rout

SELBYVILLE, Del. – Braden Shattuck turned the 60th Delaware Open at Bayside Resort Golf Club upside down and out of reach in 18 holes.

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He entered Round 2 two shots behind Chesapeake Bay Golf Club assistant golf professional Austin Barbin. After the completion of the second round, he led Barbin by nine shots.

A course-record 64 turned the championship on its side. The Vince Carter video saying “it’s over” played on repeat. Nine birdies graced Shattuck’s card. The center of his clubfaces worn in. Blood poured out of his opponent’s hearts after he ripped them out.

It is his third course record. He also owns the records at Rolling Green Golf Club (62) and Concord Country Club (60), where he spent a year as an assistant golf professional.

The scoring average in Round 2 was 76.3. Shattuck bettered it by 12 shots.

“I didn’t know my 64 was the course record,” Shattuck, 31, of Wilmington, Del., said. “That’s news to me. I played well and kept the ball in front of me. After seeing the golf course in the first round, I made a few mistakes off the tee and into the greens not knowing where the penalty areas were. I did a better job with my tee-shot strategy and my iron play into the greens.”

Shattuck played his final 36 holes in 10 under to claim the Delaware Open for the third time (2018, 2021). His 54-hole total of 13 under was good enough for a 10-shot rout at Bayside (par 72, 7,287 yards).

He shot a bogey-free 70 in the final round.

Shattuck takes home $3,500 for being the low professional.

Jake Griffin of the Amateur Golf Society took low amateur honors with a 54-hole total of 1 over.

“It feels great to win this tournament, especially three times,” Shattuck said. “I feel lucky to do so at a golf course I haven’t played since I was 15. It was like playing a new golf course. Bayside is so challenging from tee to green with a lot of water and penalty areas you have to navigate. The green complexes are tricky, so I am very happy.”

Shattuck was machine-like on the final day. Driver in the fairway, iron or wedge on line with the flagstick with the right distance. The putt either burned the edge or went in. On repeat for the whole day.

“My game has gotten increasingly consistent,” Shattuck, the Director of Instruction at Rolling Green, said. “One of the factors that really helps is that my body hasn’t been injured or inflamed. I haven’t had any issues there. I have been working hard with my trainer to make sure I am staying on top of my flexibility, core strength and leg strength. Health has been a major factor in just being able to consistently practice. This year, I’ve made a concerted effort to practice consistently on a day-to-day basis, which can be hard to do working in the golf business. The last time my body felt this good was 10 years ago.”

Just last week, he claimed the Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship, a missing hole in his resume at Concord. He is 24 under in his last six rounds of tournament golf.

“I’ve always wanted to win the Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship,” Shattuck said. “I finished second for a number of years. I figured I was due. Personally, winning that was a huge accomplishment.

“I love competing and I love tournament golf so playing this week was a no-brainer. Just because I have a good week, there is no reason for me to take off. I just want to keep playing.”

The historical significance of Shattuck’s win is twofold. He is the fourth player to win the Philadelphia and Delaware Opens (Harold Perry, Pete Oakley and Rick Osberg). He is the fifth player to win at least three Delaware Open titles (Chris Anderson, Osberg, Oakley and Joey Maxon).

“We have such good competition in the Philadelphia area,” Shattuck said. “I feel lucky to be able to accomplish both of those things. GAP has a great reputation in the country so it means a lot to be part of that history.”

Shattuck has been the standard for golf professionals in GAP and beyond since his GAP Open win in 2023. He won the PGA Professional National Championship that year as well. Numerous Section trophies and big checks have graced the passenger’s seat of his truck. But his motivation doesn’t stop there.

“I really don’t view myself as a stalwart in Philadelphia,” Shattuck said. “It is easier to compare yourself to players who are better. Compared to PGA TOUR players, I stink. It is all relative. I always try to get better and just see how good I can be.”

His goal for the rest of the year is to get through Korn Ferry Tour Q-School. He’s made second stage before but never the final stage. 

“I think it is really hard to play consistently in the tournaments that matter,” Shattuck said. “To be able to stay consistent throughout the last two weeks gives me the confidence to know I am working on the right things. I don’t need to deviate from that.”

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 130,000 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.