Fonner heads Mid-Am Qualifier at Riverton CC

  CINNAMINSON, N.J. – Eric Fonner of Huntingdon Valley CC earned medallist honors with a 2-over-par 73 at a cool and overcast Riverton CC (par 71, 6,466 yards). Fonner led the field of 122 players attempting to earn one of the 31 qualifying spots and ties for the 132-player Middle-Amateur Championship set for May 23-24 at Stonewall.

  Thursday’s qualifier was the first of two Golf Association of Philadelphia Middle-Amateur Championship qualifiers used to determine who will play in the late May contest. The second qualifier will be held at French Creek GC on May 1 with 35 qualifying spots and ties available.

  However, the 27-year-old began the day with a bogey amidst windy and fast green conditions that immediately changed his approach to the tournament.

  “After playing the first couple holes in these conditions, I figured the scores where going to be pretty high,” Fonner said. “I just told myself I had to make a lot of pars to have hopes of [qualifying].”

  Fonner stuck to his guns and went on to par 10 holes on the afternoon.

  “Off the tee I hit the ball well, my iron play was not very strong, but my short game was pretty good,” he said. “I putted well, made a couple of birdies and didn’t have any three putts. I made about five or six putts for par that were right around 10 feet.”

  One of Fonner’s three birdies came on No. 16 (par 3, 150 yards). A remarkable feat considering it was the course’s most difficult hole of the day with a 4.01 scoring average.

  Fonner stuck a 7-iron to within four feet of the hole. The ball came to rest on the crest of a treacherous ridge that certainly helped cause the field’s scoring average to be 1-over par for the difficult par 3.

  “I was just trying to get it on the green,” said Fonner of his pre shot thoughts as he stood on the tee. “The greens on this course are very small, so when I came to No. 16, I was just happy that I got it on the [putting] surface somewhere.”

  “I thought the course was very firm,” said Curiale, 36, of Marlton, NJ. “I just think guys aren’t used to it. In my group we were running putts four and five feet by the hole.”

  Joseph Roeder of Links GC, Thomas Hyland of Little Mill CC, Kenneth Matt of Commonwealth National GC, Mike Owsik of Plymouth CC, Bill Boyle of Metedeconk National GC and Jim Macallister all carded 75s.

  As the day came to an end, the cut-line landed on 78.

  Chris Lange of Overbrook GC became the first player in GAP history to win back-to-back Middle-Amateur Championships after recording a 6-over-par 148 in last year’s contest at a difficult Commonwealth National GC.