Five Ponds GC’s Lubin cards career-best 67, captures Marston Cup

  FLOURTOWN, Pa. — When it comes to the Golf Association of Philadelphia circuit, Steve Lubin of Five Ponds GC is “just one of the guys.” He stood out in the crowd Thursday, carding a 5-under-par 67, a competitive career-best, to capture The Marston Cup at Philadelphia Cricket Club’s Militia Hill Course (par 72, 6,792 yards). Lubin stirred a spoonful of course experience into a pot of putter proficiency to prevail.

  “It’s a surprise,” a thrilled Lubin said. “It came out of nowhere. My last competitive round was the [Golf Association of Philadelphia] Amateur [Championship], where I shot 89 at Manufacturers (Golf and Country Club) and didn’t qualify. I always felt my game was good enough to compete. I never thought I had a chance to actually win a GAP event. It’s great to do it here. This is a special place to me.”

  Lubin worked as an assistant golf professional at Philadelphia Cricket Club for five years before returning to the amateur ranks in 2001. That sense of familiarity served the Doylestown, Pa. resident well Thursday. Lubin birdied three of his first four holes to move into red figures early. He knocked a pitching wedge 120 yards to 17 feet on No. 2 (par 4, 379 yards) and converted the straightaway putt. On the receptive par 5, 498-yard No. 3, Lubin arrived at the putting surface in two strokes with a 5-wood and two-putted from 20 feet. He sent a smooth 7-iron to 16 feet below the No. 5 (par 3, 175 yards) flagstick and rammed in a right-to-left breaker for birdie.

  “I had the right club working, and that was the putter,” Lubin, 40, said.

  Lubin’s sole slip-up occurred on the following hole (par 5, 572 yards). He left a sand wedge from 90 yards short and failed to get up-and-down for par. The moment didn’t ruffle Lubin’s championship feathers, though. He finished in a flurry, firing three back-nine birdies to climb up the leaderboard. Lubin drilled a 9-iron 125 yards to 10 feet on No. 10 (par 4, 400 yards). He then watched a right-to-left curler enter the jar through the side gate. On the downhill par 3, 137 yard 11th hole, Lubin stopped a pitching wedge at 25 feet and executed the ensuing birdie putt.

  “It had a lot of speed, but it went right in the center of the hole,” he said.

  The red pen made its final appearance on No. 15 (par 3, 194 yards). Lubin launched a 5-iron downwind to 13 feet below the flagstick. A disastrous moment on No. 17 (par 5, 540 yards) couldn’t even tamper with Lubin’s effectiveness. Standing 60 yards from the flagstick, Lubin equipped a lob wedge and addressed a friendly lie in the rough.

  “I took a swing at it, the club went right under it and the ball moved two feet,” he said. “It was spooky. I had no idea I could possibly go under the ball, and that’s exactly what happened. I turned around and started laughing. I knocked it on the green with my next shot and made a 15-footer [for par].”

  Prior to Thursday’s victory, Lubin classified his competitive credentials as “nothing to brag about.” Last year’s Amateur Championship at Saucon Valley CC represented the only semblance of a standout performance. He stood at 1 under thru nine holes in the qualifying round before “it all went away.”

  With the Marston Cup trophy on his mantle, Lubin now has something brag-worthy.

  “I never won a tournament as an amateur or a pro,” he said. “To win a GAP event with the field as competitive as this is a surprise, but it’s certainly an honor to win a tournament with a guy’s name on it who is so accomplished.”

  David Liotta of Whitemarsh Valley CC carded a 4-under-par 68 to finish a shot back. Liotta, 41, of West Chester, Pa., carried a 5 under on the scorecard entering his last hole (No. 9, par 3, 218 yards). He missed the green with a 3-iron, guided a chip to 12 feet and watched the ensuing putt trickle past the jar.

  The Marston Cup honors Max Marston. For four months in the summer of 1923, Marston was America’s best amateur golfer. Between mid-May and mid-September, Marston was virtually unstoppable through a series of club, state, national and international events.

  It began with the Walker Cup Matches where Marston won two matches as the Americans successfully retained the Cup. Marston returned home to capture the Patterson Cup and Amateur Championship in successive weeks and, in doing so, earned the Silver Cross Award. In July, he took the Pennsylvania Amateur title and finished as the low amateur in the Philadelphia Open.

  In September, Marston traveled to Floosmoor Country Club outside Chicago, Ill. for the U.S. Amateur. He rallied in the second round to defeat tournament favorite Bob Jones, 2&1, before knocking off Francis Ouimet in the semifinals. He stopped defending champion Jess Sweetser in the final on the 38th hole. In that four month span, he also captured the Merion Cricket Club championship and Pine Valley GC’s Crump Cup.

  The tournament is limited to players 40 to 54 years of age with a 10.0 handicap index or lower.