Edgmont’s Quinn claims Senior crown in Chapman Cup (Gross)

READING, Pa. — The treacherous par 4, 405-yard 15th hole at Berkshire Country Club (par 71, 6,269 yards) gave the Frank H. Chapman Memorial Cup (Gross) field fits Wednesday. Michael Quinn mastered its complexity with a rousing birdie — a critical conversion in his eventual conquest.

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  The Edgmont Country Club member carded a 2-under-par 69 to claim the tournament’s Senior title. Quinn, 65, of East Fallowfield, Pa., also won in 2011 at Little Mill Country Club. He defeated Craig Scott in a playoff that year.

  “It’s phenomenal to be in the winner’s circle again,” a thrilled Quinn said. “I put enough work in on my golf, and it paid off today. It’s hard to bring your practice work onto the golf course and maintain your equilibrium and emotions. It’s really gratifying, especially playing against Ray Thompson, Chip Lutz and a whole lot of other great players.”

  The aforementioned Thompson, an Overbrook Golf Club member, carded a 1-over-par 72 to finish second. The Ridge at Back Brook’s Bert Kosup, the tournament’s defending champion, tied for fourth at 75.

  Touting a lethal putting surface with little margin for error, the 15th hole played nearly two strokes over par Wednesday. A downhill 20-footer for birdie on No. 14 (par 4, 423 yards) primed Quinn for the tough task ahead. He slung a drive down the left side of No. 15, setting up an ideal yardage of 167 to a back left hole location.

  “It was a perfect 6-iron for me — slightly uphill, slightly into the breeze, all carry because of the false front,” Quinn said. “I looked at my ballmark when I got up there, and I hit four feet in front of the hole. It danced around and ended at a foot. It was nice to have a tap-in there. I knew that was absolutely huge.”

  Was it ever. Quinn gained a three-stroke edge with three holes remaining. He followed pars on Nos. 16 (par 3, 176 yards) and 17 (par 4, 367 yards) with a celebratory 3 on the 18th hole (par 4, 318 yards). With 123 yards to a back hole location, Quinn knocked a wedge to 20 feet and canned a left-to-right breaker.

  “Just the setting of all of my peers looking down [from the deck behind the 18th green] … to roll that putt in was a highlight,” Quinn said.

  Quinn, playing in the event’s final group, began his championship bid with a pair of highlights. A 20-yard pitch to six feet resulted in a birdie on No. 1 (par 5, 485 yards). Quinn played the tempting par 4, 270-yard No. 2 conservatively, laying up with a 3-iron hybrid and smacking a three-quarter sand wedge 82 yards. He deposited a quick seven-footer for birdie. Back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 7 (par 4, 320 yards) and 8 (par 4, 302 yards) tampered with Quinn’s fiery start. On the first, he left a gap wedge from 115 yards on the middle edge of a three-tiered green. Quinn rolled an aggressive putt to four feet and missed the ensuing par attempt. He babied a wedge on No. 8, chipped out of an elevated sidehill lie and failed to execute a six-footer.

  A birdie on the par 3, 125-yard No. 9 allowed Quinn to turn in even. He pured a wedge to seven feet above the flagstick.

  “That putt was really quick coming down. I was a little frisky with it, but it hit the middle of the hole and went in,” Quinn said. “If it didn’t go in the hole, it was going to be six or seven feet by.”

  Quinn’s position heading in put him in select company. Only a handful of competitors stood at level par thru nine holes Wednesday. The field scoring average settled at 82 on a cool and overcast day.

  “It was a good test,” Thompson, 63, of Drexel Hill, Pa., said. “The greens are challenging. You really needed to know where to land it. You had your hands full if you missed on the wrong side. All in all, I hit the ball pretty well, so I can’t complain. Michael played great.”

  “Even though I’m 65, I plan on playing in the Senior Division,” Quinn said. “I’m playing in the [BMW Philadelphia] Amateur in a couple of weeks. It’d be phenomenal just to make the cut, to play with the young guys and be inspired. That’s kind of my goal.”

  Frank H. Chapman, a Whitemarsh Valley Country Club member, served as the Association’s secretary-treasurer for 23 years. He died on June 7, 1955 at the age of 88. The Gross tournament, now in its ninth year, is held in his honor.

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