POTTSTOWN, Pa. — A right thumb injury never felt so good to Scott McLaughlin. The Commonwealth National Golf Club member cut the appendage on a saw while working on trees at his parent’s home last night.
He bandaged it to stop the bleeding, but the color red stayed with McLaughlin Monday at Bellewood Country Club (par 71, 6,493 yards). He carded a 4-under-par 67 to earn medalist honors in a Golf Association of Philadelphia Amateur Championship Qualifier.
“If it was the left thumb, I wouldn’t have been able to play today because I hold onto the club that way,” McLaughlin, 34, of Hatboro, Pa., said. “I had no expectations coming in. I wasn’t sure if I was even going to be able to swing. It [the injury] affected me a little bit early on, and then I guess I kind of got used to it. It wasn’t bad at all.”
McLaughlin led a field of 102 players hoping to earn one of 29 qualifying spots and ties available for the Championship proper, set for June 9-11 &14 at White Manor Country Club.
The cut line dropped to 74 by day’s end.
McLaughlin totaled 26 putts en route to the top spot.
“My short game really saved me,” he said. “In these qualifiers, you just want to make pars and let the birdies come as they are, and that’s what I did today. The course was great. The greens were very hole-able.”
Tight wedges created multiple scoring chances for McLaughlin Monday. On No. 4 (par 4, 418 yards), he hit a lob wedge 85 yards to 10 feet for birdie. McLaughlin knocked a gap wedge to 10 feet for a 2 on the par 3, 130-yard No. 6. On the next hole (par 5, 526 yards), he powered a 3-iron from 235 yards to the front of the green and lagged a 25-footer into kick-in range.
McLaughlin added a pair of birdies coming in to secure medalist status. He converted an uphill 18-footer on No. 13 (par 4, 364 yards) after knocking a gap wedge 117 yards. McLaughlin capped a sensational round with a 4 on the par 5, 515-yard 18th hole. He hammered a 3-iron 238 yards to 30 feet and two-putted. McLaughlin’s lone blemish occurred on No. 1 (par 4, 383 yards), where he flew the green with a lob wedge from 90 yards. He chopped out of the hazard and two-putted.
McLaughlin’s performance Monday is a welcome change from a year ago. He needed a birdie on the 18th hole at Yardley Country Club to qualify for the GAP Amateur Championship. McLaughlin drove the green and three-putted for par.
“I really wanted to play in the Amateur last year; I love Aronimink [Golf Club, the host site],” he said. “I was really disappointed not to make it.”
Excitement now replaces that disappointment. McLaughlin posted a Top 10 finish in the Patterson Cup when White Manor hosted in 2011. He looks forward to returning to the venue.
Monday’s qualifier was the first of three used to determine who will play in the Championship proper. The next will be held Saturday, May 17 at Running Deer Golf Club.
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 150 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.
Qualifiers
Name, club
Scores
Scott McLaughlin, Commonwealth National Golf Club
67
John Samaha, Old York Road Country Club
69
Marc Mandel, Philadelphia Cricket Club
69
Patrick Ross, Huntsville Golf Club
69
Michael Cook, Applebrook Golf Club
70
Mariano Medico, Fox Hill Country Club
70
Alex Blickle, LedgeRock Golf Club
70
Ryan Worthy, Merion Golf Club
70
J.T. Barker, Saucon Valley Country Club
70
Anthony Sebastianelli, Glen Oak Country Club
70
James Braunsberg, Blue Bell Country Club
71
Bo Maguire, Brookside Country Club
71
Scott McNeil, Philadelphia Publinks GA
71
Philip Rothermel, Golden Oaks Golf Club
72
Rodney James, Golden Oaks Golf Club
72
David Liotta, Whitemarsh Valley Country Club
72
John Foley, Spring Ford Country Club
73
Doug Fedoryshyn, Concord Country Club
73
Steven Minnick, Jr., Bala Golf Club
73
Bobby Kershner, Spring Ford Country Club
73
Ben Feld, Green Valley Country Club
73
Tim Westfall, RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve
73
Joseph Fabrizio, Jr., Aronimink Golf Club
73
Zachary Dilcher, Inniscrone Golf Club
73
Brian Fisher, Philadelphia Publinks GA
74
Mark Coassolo, Brookside C.C. of Allentown
74
Peter Moran, Edgmont Country Club
74
Brendan Worthy, Merion Golf Club
74
Michael Moffat, Commonwealth National Golf Club
74
Andrew Willner, Phoenixville Country Club
74
Byron Whitman, Berkshire Country Club
74
Kevin Frost, Philadelphia Cricket Club
74
Jason Kowalski, Yardley Country Club
74
Sean Coyle, Llanerch Country Club
74
Joe Kerrigan, Jr., Llanerch Country Club
74
Failed to qualify
Ryan Carroll, Chester Valley Golf Club
75
Thomas Hyland, Little Mill Country Club
75
Evan Thornton, Berkshire Country Club
75
Scott McKean, Chester Valley Golf Club
75
David O’Malley, Commonwealth National Golf Club
76
Eamon Marone, Northampton Country Club
76
Robert Olseski, Sandy Run Country Club
76
William Thornton, Jr., LedgeRock Golf Club
76
Matt Kocent, White Manor Country Club
77
Michael Quinn, Edgmont Country Club
77
Max Siegfried, Aronimink Golf Club
77
Matt Dudas, Indian Valley Country Club
77
George Petrellis, Blue Bell Country Club
77
Jason Barkley, Huntsville Golf Club
77
Brett Cybulski, Merchantville Country Club
77
Dan Arison, Applebrook Golf Club
78
Kevin Genuardi, Cedarbrook Country Club
78
Rand Mendez, Fieldstone Golf Club
78
Jimmy Pokorny, Golf Course at Glen Mills
78
John Alterman, Commonwealth National Golf Club
78
Kevin Cahill, Merion Golf Club
78
Ted Brennan, Philadelphia Country Club
78
Christopher Clauson, Sandy Run Country Club
78
Bob Beck, Lehigh Country Club
78
Jack Quirk, Huntingdon Valley Country Club
78
Nick Kirkpatrick, Bellewood Country Club
78
Jay Rubenstein, Saucon Valley Country Club
78
James O’Connor, Penn Oaks Golf Club
78
Kyle Early, RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve
78
Geoffrey Cooper, North Hills Country Club
79
Benjamin Kotler, Squires Golf Club
79
Samuel Gallen, Berkshire Country Club
79
Pat Pasquariello, Philadelphia Country Club
79
Timothy Anderson, Philadelphia Publinks GA
79
Liam Murphy, Hartefeld National
79
Duane Pinnock, RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve
79
Zachary Melnick, Plymouth Country Club
79
Matthew Meves, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
79
Alexander Liebman, Mercer Oaks Golf Course
80
Robert Dietrich, Loch Nairn Golf Club
80
John Manfredi, Woodcrest Country Club
80
John Grove, Chester Valley Golf Club
80
Matthew Walsh, Overbrook Golf Club
80
John Robinson, Commonwealth National Golf Club
81
Joshua Caggiula, RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve
81
Robert Craven, Philadelphia Country Club
81
Michael Ritchie, Raven’s Claw Golf Club
81
Arthur Wheeler, Jr., Gulph Mills Golf Club
81
Michael Dunn, Little Mill Country Club
81
Brandon Raihl, Heidelberg Country Club
82
William Howard, V, West Chester Golf & Country Club
83
Brian Sokolowski, Greate Bay Country Club
83
Alexander Dupre, Rolling Green Golf Club
83
Eric Palumbo, Rolling Green Golf Club
83
Gary Yeager, Philadelphia Cricket Club
83
Michael Boden, Aronimink Golf Club
83
Sam Damico, Chester Valley Golf Club
85
Jeff Klagholz, Aronimink Golf Club
85
Jules Quinones, Blue Bell Country Club
85
Matthew Hilbush, Commonwealth National Golf Club
86
Thomas Humphrey, Wilmington Country Club
86
Mark Quigley, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
88
Rodney Anders, Indian Valley Country Club
88
Brad Sokol, Green Valley Country Club
90
Bradley Bernosky, Broad Run Golfer’s Club
WD
Alexander Maguire, Jr., Brookside Country Club
WD
WD – withdrawal
