Brookside’s Maguires capture 105th Father & Son (Older)

  ORWIGSBURG, Pa. — Sciatic nerve pain slowed Alexander Maguire, Sr. and his golf game late this summer. He’s regaining speed, if Thursday is any indication. | Scorecards | Photo gallery | History |

  Maguire teamed with his son Bo to take the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s 105th Father & Son (Older) at a serene Schuylkill Country Club (par 72, 6,436 yards). The Brookside Country Club members carded an even-par 72 to top a 24-team field in the Championship Flight. Alexander, Sr. and his son and his son Alexander, Jr. also won the the Father & Son tournament (18 & over) title in 2008.

  The event’s format is selective drive/alternate shot.

  “For a month and a half, I couldn’t swing a club right. I actually started playing left-handed with a driver because it didn’t hurt,” Alexander, Sr., 74, said. “I did play yesterday and I broke 80 for the first time in a while. I felt fine today.”

  “He hit it within 20 feet on all the par 3s. That wasn’t our problem,” Bo, 30, added.

  A 4 over inward nine was the problem resonating in Bo’s mind. It was more of an inconsequential nuisance in the end. The Maguire team, which played in the morning, prevailed by two strokes.

  Starting on the back nine, the Pottstown, Pa. residents grabbed a birdie on No. 11 (par 3, 166 yards), where Alexander, Sr. stopped a 7-iron at 12 feet. A three-hole birdie stretch showcased their early command of exquisite Donald Ross greens. On No. 15 (par 4, 446 yards), Bo drained a 25-footer following Alexander’s wedge setup. He swept in a four-footer on the next hole (par 3, 128 yards) after his dad cleared a guarding bunker with soaring 9-iron. On the par 5, 495-yard 17th hole, the team capitalized on Bo’s length. After using his monstrous drive, Bo flipped a wedge 50 yards to eight feet. The Maguire team turned in a remarkable 4 under.

  “It’s funny. We made every putt on the front but missed every one on the back,” Alexander, Sr. said.

  “On the front nine, I’m saying, ‘These greens are easy to make putts on. They’re rolling nice,’” Bo said. “And then it got ugly on the other side. Nothing went in.”

  It didn’t get ugly, but it certainly wasn’t fashionable. A three-putt on No. 1 (par 4, 395 yards) and four-putt on No. 2 (par 4, 350 yards) added squares (bogeys) to the scorecard. A par 5 (No. 3, 492 yards), however, intervened to slow the skidding. Once again Bo’s driving distance spearheaded a birdie conversion. He splashed the team’s third shot out of the front bunker into gimme range. Back-to-back bogeys forced the Maguire team to settle for an even-par score. A three-putt from the front of the tiered No. 7 (par 4, 387 yards) and “chop shot” on No. 8 (par 550 yards) extinguished a subpar finish.

  “Today was good except for the back nine. We had fun,” Alexander, Sr. said. “It was fun until we started putting terribly.”

  “The greens are cool here. There’s a lot of undulation and a lot of places where you have to put the ball in the right area,” Bo said. “Brookside has a lot of back-to-front sloping greens but not a lot of hills in the green. This course has a lot of hills and subtle breaks.”

  The Maguires work in the same office as investment advisors. Bo is taking classes at Temple University, his father’s alma matter, toward earning CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) status.

Super-Senior Division
  Gregory and Jay Howson, Jr. returned to the Father & Son winner’s circle after a seven-year absence. The St. Davids Golf Club members carded an even-par 72 to take the tournament’s Super-Senior (par 72, 6,086 yards) title. They won back-to-back trophies in 2008-09.

  “It feels great to be back again,” Gregory, 46, of Malvern, Pa., said. “We kept it together on the back nine. We were 2 under at the turn and made two birdies and four bogeys on the back.”

  “We put ourselves in position on every hole with our drives. Between us, we drove it very well,” Jay, 78, of Malvern, Pa., said.

  The Howson team only missed one green heading out, sprinkling birdies of five and three feet on Nos. 2 (par 4, 320 yards) and 8 (par 5, 480 yards), respectively. Jay’s magnificent 4-hybrid from 156 yards on No. 13 (par 4, 402 yards) stopped a potential downward spiral. Gregory cleaned up the birdie putt.

  The Father & Son (Older) tournament is for those father and son teams with sons 30 years of age and older.

Golf Association of Philadelphia
  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 153 Full Member Clubs and 57,000 individual members are spread across parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. 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.