74th Men’s Coal Scuttle Championship

Wyoming Valley reclaims Men’s Coal Scuttle

CLARKS SUMMIT, Pa. — Wyoming Valley Country Club reasserted its dominance in the Men’s Coal Scuttle Championship Sunday.

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It issued an impressive 26-stroke victory in the event’s 74^th edition at Glen Oak Country Club (par 72, 6,536 yards). Wyoming Valley (5-over-par 577) trailed Berwick Golf Club by a stroke following Round One at Berwick.

How the script flipped. Berwick finished tied for fifth at 39-over-par 611. Huntsville, sparked by a 4-under-par 68 courtesy of Nick Werner, surged to second place at 31-over-par 603.

Eric Plisko led the Wyoming Valley charge. He defeated Nick Werner in a sudden-death playoff to earn individual medalist honors. Both finished the 36-hole affair tied at 3-under-par 140.

Wyoming Valley is a Men’s Coal Scuttle tour de force of late, winning seven consecutive titles (2015-21). Glen Oak stopped that streak by prevailing the past two years. There is zero doubt the true titan is back atop the mountain.

“It’s nice to get the trophy back to Wyoming Valley. This is such a great tournament. It means a lot to our club and to the members of our club,” Plisko, 38, of Hanover Township, Pa., said. “Everybody played great today. We look forward to this tournament every year.”

“Anytime you win, you feel fortunate to win. And you always wonder will you ever get to have the great feeling of winning again. I have to say this is quite a treat,” Weiscarger, 66, of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., said. “This course was fantastic. I love Berwick. It’s a hidden gem. Both clubs, and [GAP Director of Northeast Operations] Patrick Lloyd, should get credit for a true championship setup for two days.”

Plisko, Weiscarger (3-over-par 146), John Olszewski (3-over-par 146), Bob Shoemaker (7-over-par 150) and Curtis Tokach (10-over-par 153) represented Wyoming Valley.

“For the team and for the club itself, what I’m most proud of is we won with another team member in Curtis Tokach. Curtis plays with his mom and dad five times a week, and they walk. Practice makes perfect,” Weiscarger said. “I’m glad that we got more youth and impressed by how good Curtis is. We just have a lot of deep balance. We have so many interchangeable players. If you make the low five on championship weekend, then you’ve accomplished a lot.”

Plisko, who also medaled in 2019 and 2021, is a team staple. His Scuttle leadership was on display at Glen Oak. Plisko used three consecutive birdies to accelerate the Wyoming Valley steamroller: a 10-footer on No. 5 (par 4, 405 yards), a 50-degree 125 yards to 15 feet on No. 6 (par 4, 388 yards) and a pitching wedge 145 yards to two-putt paradise on No. 7 (par 5, 458 yards).

“I finally found my groove and found my pace. I was swinging it well. I was hitting it well. I just had to get the pace right,” Plisko said.

By that point, Wyoming Valley lead Berwick by 11 strokes. Outright medalist honors appeared apparent for Plisko. However, back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 17 (par 3, 205 yards) and 18 (par 5, 544 yards) brought a deadlock with Werner. Plisko failed to get up-and-down from the right greenside bunker on No. 17. His 50-degree wedge from 115 yards on Glen Oak’s closer stayed atop a perilous slope. He missed a 20-footer to save par.

The playoff against Werner demonstrated Wyoming Valley’s Scuttle destiny. On No. 1 (par 5, 542 yards), the first playoff hole, Plisko holed out for eagle.

“I really didn’t have a good lie in that bunker. I think I was the first person in that bunker today. It still had the rivets. I said, ‘I’ll play a little chunk and run.’ It came out exactly how I thought it would come out,” he said.

Arms raised in the air. A smile on his face. The Scuttle returns to Wyoming Valley. The club holds 16 titles overall.

“I’m so happy for all of us who play. It’s something we take dear to heart,” Plisko said.

The Men’s Coal Scuttle Championship, open to all GAP Member Clubs, is a 36-hole tournament. The low four of five scores count toward the team total.

Established in conjunction with the Anthracite Golf Association’s founding in 1951, the Men’s Coal Scuttle Championship is a cornerstone event in which clubs compete against one another to determine regional supremacy. The inscription on the trophy reads as follows:

Once a year and never more
It is writ’ in ancient lore
Four golfing champs shall gather round
And in this scuttle shall be found
Nectar rare to cost them nil
Save the art to drink their fill
The losers must, without rebuttal,
Pay all the cost to fill the Scuttle.

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 Association’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.