Christian Matt got his summons a day ago. P.J. Acierno, the LuLu Country Club 1 captain, called and required his presence for Saturday’s BMW GAP Team Matches Playoff. Squad staple Jon Rusk injured his back gardening earlier in the week, and Matt was to be the replacement.
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Matt secured all nine points available in his group to lead a dominant effort by LuLu 1 in its return to the top of the BMW GTM Mountain. LuLu1 finished with 69.5 points to dispose fellow finalists Philadelphia Cricket Club 1 (55 points), Huntingdon Valley Country Club 1 (50.5 points) and The 1912 Club (40.5 points).
It is the club’s third BMW GTM victory, winning titles in 2021 and 2024.
“I was waiting, kind of voicing my opinion that I want to play all week,” said Matt, 22, of Spring House, Pa. “I’ve been grinding and shooting some decent scores out here. Last night, [team captain] P.J. [Acierno] called and said, ‘Alright kid, you got your chance.’ He jokingly said, ‘You better not disappoint.’”
Matt, a soon-to-be Saint Joseph’s University graduate, entered the BMW GTM caldron on fire. Playing for LuLu2 in the final week, Matt defeated Steve Cerbara of Huntingdon Valley Country Club, winning a full point on the back nine and overall.
The Monday prior Cerbara carded a 63 to earn medalists honors in U.S. Open Local Qualifying at Medford Village Country Club.
“I saw [Cerbara] the morning of, and I was like, ‘Oh gosh, I get to play you today,’” said Matt, who joined LuLu last fall. “We had a really good match. It came down to 18. I made a good putt. I made an eight-footer for par on the final hole to close him out.”
On Saturday, Matt said he used a lot of pars and made very few mistakes to gain the advantage. He noted an eight-foot birdie on No. 10 kept his mojo going. A birdie on No. 15 with a 7-iron from 183 yards to six feet, in essence, secured the sweep.
“I talked to everyone and they go, ‘I don’t know how you can’t have him in the Top 12,’” said Acierno, 32, of Conshohocken, Pa. “He was confident. I was confident in him. I saw him throughout the day, smiling, and giving me the thumbs up.”
In addition to Matt’s nine points, Acierno contributed 8.5 point at home.
On the road, LuLu 1 scored a minimum of four points in eight of its nine road matches. Aaron Fricke led the way with 8.5 points at The 1912 Club.
The Playoff format, different from the regular season, features three players from each participating club at each venue. Each player competes in a three-way match. This was the 124th iteration of BMW GAP Team Matches.
This year’s Playoff was a repeat of last year’s clash. LuLu finished fourth that year behind Huntingdon Valley, Cricket, and 1912.
“We just wanted to close it out and have something to celebrate,” Acierno said. “We like our celebrations over here, so any chance we get to have a little LuLu party, we’ll take it.”
BMW GAP Team Matches
The genesis of GAP’s founding in 1897, the BMW GAP Team Matches started with Belmont Golf Association (Aronimink Golf Club today), Merion Cricket Club, Philadelphia Country Club and Philadelphia Cricket fielding a first and second team with six players per side. Merion Cricket’s top squad earned the traditional winner’s wooden plaque. First known as the Interclub Team Matches, the event changed to the Suburban League Matches in 1915 before adopting its current moniker in 1997. BMW has served as the event’s presenting sponsor since 2015. The BMW GAP Team Matches has been contested annually since 1897, save World War II (1943-45), a severe ice storm (1994) and the COVID-19 pandemic (2020).
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 140,000 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.
