75th Men’s Coal Scuttle: Round Two

Huntsville captures Men’s Coal Scuttle Championship

HANOVER, Pa. — Academia twisted Logan Paczewski’s golf brain and game. He played collegiately at Rutgers University for two years, then transferred to George Mason University. His business credits, however, didn’t line up with the school’s curriculum.

| Round One recap | History | Scoring portal | Photo gallery |

“I was put in a tough position. I could’ve finished school, but I was going to kill myself with playing golf, with the expenses that it was going to cost. We figured it was the best choice for me to come home, finish off school online at Penn State (Wilkes-Barre),” Paczewski, 21, of Dallas, Pa., said. “College golf was tough on me. Now I’m starting to play better. I was stressed with school. It’s tough. You have to make the lineup. Week in and week out, the first thing you want to do is make sure your game is solid. It’s hard to do both, school and golf. I like focusing on school first, and getting golf out of the way after that.”

Paczewski is in a better place with golf. So, too, is his Huntsville Golf Club home. Led by a renewed Paczewski, Huntsville filed a 2-over-par 574 to capture the 75^th Men’s Coal Scuttle Championship at Wyoming Valley Country Club (par 71, 6,153 yards). Paczewski carded a 7-under-par 136 to earn individual medalist honors.

Clubmate Alex Anderson finished second at 4-under-par 139. Jason Barkley (153), Dom Castrignano (151) and Earl Thompson (154) rounded out the Huntsville team.

Huntsville bested Fox Hill Country Club by seven strokes. It is the club’s fourth Men’s Coal Scuttle Championship (2004, 2010, 2012).

“We were kind of curious when the last time Huntsville won was. We potentially thought 2005,” Anderson, 29, of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., said. “It’s nice that we will host on Sunday next year and hopefully run it back. I think we put the best team we could field forward, and everyone did their part.”

“Wyoming Valley won eight of the last 10 years. It feels good to give it back to them on their own course. We’re going to try to do it again next year. It’s nice to bring it home,” Paczewski, the 2022 Joseph H. Patterson Cup Champion, added.

Huntsville led Glenmaura National Golf Club by nine strokes entering Sunday’s final round at Wyoming Valley. Paczewski planted the flag at home (par 72, 6,853 yards) by carding a 5-under-par 67. He opened eagle-birdie-birdie and inked a career-best 30 (6 under) on the front nine. Paczewski hit a wedge 155 yards to 20 feet and canned the downhiller on No. 1 (par 5, 482 yards). He made a 10-footer on No. 2 (par 4, 391 yards) and a five-footer on No. 3 (par 3, 160 yards). Sharp iron play continued on Nos. 5 (par 3, 185 yards) and 7 (par 4, 410 yards): a 12-footer for birdie on the former, a six-footer on the latter.

“I’ve been searching. Golf is a game where you’re going to have your ups and downs. I played in the Lehigh Valley Amateur last week. I had a down week,” Paczewski said. “But I came here on Saturday, had a good attitude and stayed positive. I came out and was 8 under through 14 holes. Golf is the best game there is.”

Paczewski’s power ported to Wyoming Valley. He registered 16 greens in regulation. Highlights included back-to-back birdies on Nos. 11 (par 5, 509 yards) and 12 (par 5, 536 yards), where a 6-iron and hybrid, respectively, resulted in eagle opportunities from 20 feet.

Anderson complimented his teammate with a fiery finish of his own. He knocked a wedge 40 yards to five feet for birdie on No. 17 (par 4, 398 yards), a wedge 70 yards to 15 feet on No. 18 (par 4, 354 yards).

“We knew the Wyoming Valley crew and the Fox Hill guys were going to play hard here. We were looking at it from a match-play standpoint, where everyone was about 2.5 shots up against their opponents. We just had to make putts and convert,” Anderson, a Huntsville member of 15 years, said.

Coincidentally, Anderson lost to Paczewski by three strokes in Huntsville’s men’s championship, a 54-hole stroke play event, two weeks ago. He is cool with a runner-up repeat.

After all, it came with a long-awaited trophy for Huntsville.

“A lot of courses in this area are great golf courses, but Huntsville is one of the few where from practice facility to the challenge of the course, you can really improve your game. The camaraderie … we have a bunch of close-knit guys. You can’t beat it,” Anderson, who works in sales for Gartner, a research and advisory company, said.

That camaraderie is for Paczewski to enjoy year-round now. He is pursuing a degree in business management, taking online classes at Penn State. His school schedule affords more flexibility for Huntsville trips.

At peace in school, at peace in golf, and giving Huntsville a piece of hardware for its halls.

“Every time I come out to the golf course, it’s a new day. I’m going to take it one shot at a time. I’m going to go through it like I play every tournament,” Paczewski said. “Yes, it’s a team event. I’m trying to do my best for my team. I’m going to hit every shot to the best of my ability.”

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 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.