6th Women’s Spring Scramble: Chester Valley

Three teams take titles

MALVERN, Pa. – On Sunday, the eyes of the golfing world were on Lancaster Country Club as Yuka Saso captured the 79th U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally. On Monday, GAP’s gaze shifted 50 miles east to a sun-saturated Chester Valley Golf Club (par 70, 5,136 yards) for the 6th Women’s Spring Scramble.

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The event, which typically signifies the beginning of the GAP Women’s Schedule, featured 20 teams representing 29 GAP Member Clubs. The competition’s format was a Net Scramble. Flights were created based on combined team Handicap Indexes.

Topping the First Flight leaderboard with a net score of 14-under-par 56 were 2023 Spring Scramble titleholders: Grace Battista, of LuLu Country Club, Jackie Beck of Lehigh Country Club, Mary Kate Lynch of Steel Club and Katrin Wolfe of Northampton Country Club.

“We putted really well. We had a lot of one-putts,” Wolfe, 40, of East Stroudsburg, Pa., said.

“We gave ourselves some opportunities out there,” Battista, 33, of Wayne, Pa., added.

On No. 6 (par 4, 312 yards), the group made a birdie. A net dot melted the three into a two. Aided by Lynch’s drive, which landed past the stream, Wolfe was able to stop a 9-iron from 111 yards 15 feet from the hole. Battista finished the job.

The team is also looking to defend their title in GAP’s Four-Player Team.

“We had a ball,” Beck, who serves on the Association’s Executive Committee, said.

“We laughed a lot out there,” Battista added.

The Coatesville Country Club team of Lisa Clark, Katie Kinsman, Anita Lockhart and Bernadette Sardella took the Second Flight with a 12-under 58.

“This is our third year doing this,” Lockhart, 63, of Downingtown, Pa., said. “First year, not so good. Second year, a little better. Third year, winner. ”

“It was a wonderful day,” Kinsman, 55, of Coatesville, Pa., added.

The team capitalized on a net eagle on No. 4 (par 4, 340 yards). Lockhart’s “crushed” drive down the center of the fairway was followed up by Clark’s 7-hybrid from 130 yards which settled off the green 35-feet from the hole. Sardella stepped up and drained the lengthy putt.

“It was a great team effort,” Sardella, 60, of Downingtown, Pa., said.

St. Davids Golf Club’s Carolyn Masciantonio and Kirsten Dineen teamed up with Carley Boyd and Kathy Sonier of Overbrook Golf Club to capture the Third Flight title with a net score of 13-under 57.

“We ham and egged it the whole time,” Boyd, 42, of St. Davids, Pa., said. “There was never a hole that was just one of us, everyone [was] contributing.”

“[We] had a lot of fun,” Sonier, 54, of St. Davids added. “It was a beautiful course and a beautiful day.”

The group’s hole of the day was No. 14 (par 5, 370 yards). Boyd got things started with a big drive that settled in the fairway. She kept things going by hitting the team’s choice approach shot, a gap wedge which landed 58-yards short of the green. Dineen’s sand wedge stopped 30-feet from the hole, and she drained the putt for net eagle.

“It was a fun opportunity to be able to play together,” Sonier, 54, of St. Davids said.

The next women’s event on the GAP Schedule is the 3rd BMW GAP Women’s Championship at Overbrook, June 24. Registration closes June 10.

NOTE:

BMW, sponsor of the GAP Team Matches, Philadelphia Amateur and the Women’s Championship, made a special appearance at the event. Throughout the day, players were invited to sign-up to test drive some of BMW’s newest models and receive gifts from BMW staff. A BMW M8 Gran Coupe was parked on Chester Valley’s 10th hole (par 3, 146 yards) anticipating the possibility of a new owner if any competitor aced their tee shot.

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 340 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.