MOHTNON, Pa. — A pair of Super-Senior babyfaces will meet in the Final, which begins tomorrow at 12:45 p.m. Frank Polizzi of Whitemarsh Valley Country Club and Michael Rose of Talamore Country Club posted two triumphs apiece Tuesday to advance. Polizzi overwhelmed Ken Gaskill of Philadelphia Publinks GA, 7&6 and eliminated 2009 titleholder Jay Howson, Jr. of St. Davids Golf Club, 3&2, in the semifinals.
“To be a finalist in a tournament dedicated to Gordon Brewer is fantastic,” Polizzi, 66, of Plymouth Meeting, Pa., said. “It’s a thrill just to get there, and to play against a player like Mike Rose is a double-thrill. I’m really looking forward to it.”
“Making match play the first year of the Brewer Cup was very important to me, and now as a Super-Senior, I wanted to make it, especially playing with Gordon yesterday,” Rose, 65, of Huntingdon Valley, Pa., said.
Polizzi dipped into his resolve tank frequently against Howson. He carded birdies on a pair of par 3s to create a 2-up lead thru 10 holes. Polizzi drilled a pitching wedge to 15 feet on No. 2 (par 3, 121 yards), an 8-iron to 12 feet on No. 10. Following a double bogey on No. 11 (par 4, 387 yards), Polizzi birdied the par 5, 527-yard 13th hole to regain a two-hole edge. He halted a 30-yard wedge shot three feet from the jar.
Rose’s fuel needle is inches away from E. He upended two-time reigning Brewer Cup Champion and Super-Senior Player of the Year Charles McClaskey of Back Creek Golf Club, 1-up, in the quarterfinals before prevailing over Charles Whipple of Huntingdon Valley Country Club, 3&2. Rose emerged from a five-for-one playoff just to qualify for match play.
“I got a little lucky there, and when you play Charlie McClaskey, and you both shoot 80, you know you’ve had a lucky day there,” Rose said. “Charlie is probably the best Super-Senior out here or ever that we’ve had. I always believe that in a long match play event, it’s sometimes the match that you play bad in and win as opposed to the match you play good in and win. You’ve got to be a little lucky, and I’ve been known over the years to have the luck of the Rose factor.”
Rose and McClaskey entered No. 18 All-Square when Rose played his drive onto the adjacent 17th fairway. He then knocked a 9-iron 134 yards to seven and canned the birdie putt.
In his match against Whipple, Rose executed four critical sand saves to fashion a 2-up advantage after nine holes, which he clung onto throughout. On the par 4, 408-yard No. 5, Rose extricated himself from the fairway bunker with a 5-iron and two-putted from 35 feet to halve the hole.
“I didn’t expect to get on the green,” he said. “I didn’t putt tremendously, as is my norm. I used a short putter yesterday in the qualifying round, a long putter in the playoff and a different long putter today. I have no confidence and haven’t been putting well.”
This is the fifth annual Brewer Cup.
The tournament is named in honor of O. Gordon Brewer, Jr., the former president of Pine Valley GC, is a two-time U.S. Senior Amateur Champion and veteran of 42 USGA Championships. He’s captured two Golf Association of Philadelphia Amateur Championship titles (1967, 1976), a GAP Senior Amateur Championship crown (1997) and a Senior Player of the Year (1997) as well as countless invitational titles. Three years ago he was recognized for his contributions to the game with the USGA’s Bob Jones Award.
The Brewer Cup is open to Senior players with a handicap index of 7.0 or less.
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 145 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.
Semifinals
8. Rose d. 5. Charles Whipple, Huntingdon Valley CC, 3&2.
3. Polizzi d. 2. Jay Howson, Jr., St. Davids GC, 3&2.
Quarterfinals
8. Rose d. 1. Charles McClaskey, Back Creek GC, 1-up.
5. Whipple d. 4. John Owens, Tavistock CC, 19 holes.
2. Howson, Jr. d. 7. John Rowe, Whitemarsh Valley CC, 19 holes.
3. Polizzi d. 6. Ken Gaskill, Philadelphia Publinks GA, 7&6.
