SELBYVILLE, Del. – The 60th Delaware Open heads to Bayside Resort Golf Club for the second time (2013) Aug. 25-26.
Bayside Resort swapped years with this year’s original host Cripple Creek Golf & Country Club. Due to heavy rains that hit the golf course over the course of a few days causing turf loss, Cripple Creek will take the 2027 edition Bayside was scheduled to have.
“We firmly believe our golf course is ready to test the best players in our region at any time,” Brian Rashley, Bayside’s General Manager, said. “It has been a goal of ours to get the Delaware Open back to Bayside, so when this opportunity presented itself our staff, agronomy team and membership rallied behind it. There are so many outstanding golf courses in the Southern Delaware Region, so drawing more attention to this area will hopefully not be a lift just for Bayside, but for the entire Coastal Region of Delaware.”
In last year’s edition at Fieldstone Golf Club, Ryan Rucinski won at the course he grew up playing at. His 9-under-par 54-hole total was good enough for a one-shot victory over professional Zac Oakley of Bidermann Golf Course.
“Being able to win last year at Fieldstone really meant a lot,” Rucinski, 28, of Wilmington, Del., said. “When I look back on it, to be able to win the Delaware Open on the course I grew up at was truly surreal. The support of the entire Delaware golf community during and after the win was the most memorable.”
Rucinski’s game has been trending in the right direction. He recently won the Philadelphia Assistant PGA Professional Championship at Whitemarsh Valley Country Club.
Bayside is a Jack Nicklaus signature design known for its bay views, pine forests, hole variety and challenging setup. The club is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
“I played in the 2013 Delaware Open there and finished in the Top 10,” Rucinski said. “I was young then. I played some junior golf events there. I know you have to be hitting driver a lot and there are a number of tough holes there.”
Rucinski is looking to become the fifth player in the history of the event to win consecutive titles. The others include: Richard Osberg (1974-77), Pete Oakley (1986-87), Joey Maxon (1998-99) and Chris Anderson (2003-04).
“I think for me I do too much with my golf swing or with what I need to be doing,” Rucinski, an assistant professional at Wilmington Country Club, said. “I find when I just go out and play golf, I have my best results. This year my game has been pretty consistent with respect to my swing and execution. I don’t want to force a win. If I go through my process, I feel like I’ll have a good result.”
The field will be cut to the low 36 scores and ties for the final 36-hole day.
The low professional receives $3,500.
“The wonderful part of Bayside is to succeed you need to be able to hit every club in your bag,” Rashley, 38, of Selbyville, Del., said. “Bayside will expose weaker areas in a players’ game over the course of the 18 holes. Players will get to enjoy gettable par 4s, long par 3’s and everything in between. Knowing when to attack and when to play smart will give those players a great advantage. With Bayside’s location, the wind is always a factor, and a calm day can easily present a one-club wind. Managing the course and Mother Nature will not be an easy task, but those who do it best will most likely be atop the leaderboard late in the final round.”
Past champions in the field include: Rucinski (2024); Michael Chanaud of Bear Trap Dunes (2023); Dave McNabb of Applebrook Golf Club (2005, 2012); Chris Krueger of Kings Creek Country Club (1994); Zac Oakley of Bidermann Golf Club (2015, 2022), Eric Onesi of Hartefeld National Golf Club (2010); Braden Shattuck of Rolling Green Golf Club (2018, 2021) and Jay Whitby of Rehoboth Beach Country Club (2013).
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.
