Bidermann’s Jeremiah tops Patterson Qualifier at Makefield

  YARDLEY, Pa.–Bill Jeremiah’s game has been quiet the last couple of years. He said a previously unknown physical condition adversely affected his play. In the second and final 111th Joseph H. Patterson Cup Qualifier, presented by Liberty Mutual Insurance, on Thursday at Makefield Highlands Golf Club (par 71, 6,907 yards), Jeremiah pronounced himself, and his game, healthy and ready to go. Jeremiah, 44, of West Grove, Pa., carded an even-par 71 to earn medalist honors and one of the 28 available positions.

  The cutline fell at 77 with 31 players advancing to the championship proper on Aug. 8-9 at Cedarbrook Country Club.

  Jeremiah did not elaborate on his health condition other than to say, “I can’t wait [for the Championship]. I’m feeling good.” Jeremiah, a former golf professional, was reinstated as an amateur in 2002. In 2010, he announced his presence on the Golf Association of Philadelphia scene with a runner-up finish in the Middle-Amateur Championship. He also was the 2010 Patterson Cup Day 1 leader.

  “Eighteen-hole qualifiers are tough,” said Jeremiah. “Most of the time you’re just trying not to make a big number. I made four birdies and four bogeys. I’m very happy to make it to the tournament.”

  This will be Jeremiah’s fourth consecutive Patterson Cup.

  Jeremiah opened his round with a birdie on No. 1 (par 4, 457 yards) after knocking a 5-iron from 188 yards to six inches. An errant drive resulted in a bogey on No. 3 (par 3, 156 yards) before Jeremiah lifted a lob wedge from 60 yards to seven feet for a second birdie on No. 5 (par 4, 330 yards). A couple of bad swings resulted in three bogeys in a five-hole stretch before Jeremiah, who is in the Marine Lubricant business, righted the ship.

  He netted a two on the lengthy par 3, 14th (224 yards) after smashing a 5-iron to 25 feet. He added another birdie on No. 16 (par 4, 456 yards) after dropping a 7-iron from 166 yards to 15 feet and drained the putt.

  “It’s been a couple years since I’ve hit the ball well and putted well,” said Jeremiah. “At Fieldstone [in the 2013 GAP Middle-Amateur] I hit the ball great but had 36 putts each day. This month I’ve been starting to make some putts.”

  For the record, he had 29 putts today.

  The Joseph H. Patterson Cup is the second oldest Championship in the Golf Association of Philadelphia. The Patterson Cup started in 1900 and has been held in every year other than the World War II era (1943-45). Many of the Association’s great champions — J. Wood Platt, William Hyndman, III and R. Jay Sigel, to name a few — have their name engraved on the trophy.

  Since 1912, Liberty Mutual has been committed to providing broad, useful and competitively-priced insurance products and services to meet its customers’ ever-changing needs. Liberty Mutual’s delivery on this commitment is the reason it is now the third-largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. based on 2010 net written premium.

  Founded in 1897, the Golf Association of Philadelphia (GAP) is the oldest regional golf association in the United States and serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. Its 143 Member Clubs and 57,000 individual members are spread across parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. As Philadelphia’s Most Trusted Source of Golf Information, the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.