40th #GAPMidAm: Round One

Beck, Rickenbach share lead at even par

SPRING HOUSE, Pa. — A petulant breeze and Old York Road Country Club’s (par 71, 6,632 yards) testy, firm greens kept the area’s top middle-amateurs at a distance Monday in GAP’s first Major of the campaign. When the opening round of the 40^th Middle-Amateur Championship presented by NJM Insurance Group was complete, a pair of fresh faces fended off the field of 140 to lead at even par. Home-club hopeful Ryan Beck, a four-time OYR Men’s Club Champion, and Huntingdon Valley Country Club’s Stewart Rickenbach both navigated the treacherous track in 71 strokes. A gaggle of pursuers follow, with 26 players within four shots of the tandem.

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It is the highest score for a first-round leader since Chris Lange’s even-par in 2006 at Commonwealth National Golf Club. He would go on to victory that year.

The second round begins at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday. The final group of Beck, Rickenbach and Ben Feld of Green Valley Country Club, the 2017 Middle-Amateur Champion, starts at 11:40 a.m. The cut line fell at 8-over par with the low 70 players and ties advancing (71 total).

“I have been a member here my whole life, basically,” Beck, 36, of Ambler, Pa., said. “My dad joined when I was the age of 5. The course right now is in the best condition it has ever been in. This club and this area is home to me. There is such a home-course advantage here for the members playing. I know the course is tough and if you play two rounds at even par, you’ll have a chance to win. Tomorrow is going to be fun.”

“A course like this you have to pick your spots [when you go at the flags],” said Rickenbach, 28, of Doylestown, Pa., a member of Huntingdon Valley’s victorious BMW GAP Team Matches squad. “There are certain pins you can’t even flirt with. You have to hit to the center of the green and accept the two putt from there. I won’t change what I hit off tees or anything like that tomorrow. I’ll play the same game I played today and hopefully that’s good enough to get it done.”

Beck’s scorecard included four birdies and four bogeys. On Nos. 10 (par 4, 408 yards) and 12 (par 4, 354 yards), he made short putts for 3. He then stole one from the field on No. 16 (par 3, 211 yards) when he drained a 40-footer from the front fringe of green to get to 2 under with two holes to play. However, a pair of poor approach shots on Nos. 17 (par 4, 409 yards) and 18 (par 4, 420 yards) resulted in subsequent bogeys.

Rickenbach recorded three birdies, an eagle, three bogeys and a double bogey. His eagle came on No. 15 (par 5, 527 yards), his sixth hole – he started on the back nine, when he chipped in from 20 feet right of the flag. Rickenbach took advantage of a good break as his second shot, a 4-iron from 225 yards, skidded out of the greenside bunker sand and stopped on top of the lip.

Defending Middle-Amateur champion Troy Vannucci of Little Mill Country Club withdrew after advancing into match play of the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball with partner Jack Irons. The pair fell in their Round of 32 match, 1-down.

In addition to Feld, other GAP Major Champions lurking included Gregor Orlando of Philadelphia Cricket Club (2017 BMW Philadelphia Amateur Champion); Brian Gillespie of St. Davids Golf Club (2001 BMW Philadelphia Amateur Champion) and Jacoby Chappa of Maple Dale Country Club (2022 Delaware Amateur Championship). Those three are tied for fifth.

Past Middle-Amateur Champions to make the cut are Scott McNeil of The 1912 Club (4-over); John Brennan of Philadelphia Cricket (5-over); Glenn Smeraglio of LuLu Country Club (5-over); Michael R. Brown, Jr. of LuLu Country Club (6-over) and Matt Mattare of Saucon Valley Country Club (6-over).

A William Hyndman, III Player of the Year points event, the Middle-Amateur started in 1984, three years after the USGA created the U.S. Mid-Amateur as a formal championship for post-college amateurs. GAP followed suit with the USGA in creating a Middle-Amateur, but initially differed in its administration of the tournament in a couple of respects.

The most obvious difference was the age requirement. Prior to 2001, the GAP Middle-Amateur was only available to players 30 years of age or older.

The GAP Executive Committee reviewed and revised that age requirement in 2001 to match the USGA’s guidelines of 25 years of age or older for eligible individuals. It also, as previously mentioned, changed the format of the event to a two-day stroke play tournament with a cut to the low 70 players and ties after the first round. Furthermore, GAP lowered the handicap index requirement from 7.0 to 5.0 in 2023. 

GAP
Celebrating Amateur Golf since 1897, GAP, also known as the Golf Association of Philadelphia, is the oldest regional or state golf association in the United States. It serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. The organization’s 340 Member Clubs and 100,000 individual members are spread across Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland. The GAP’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.

NJM Insurance Group

Founded in 1913, NJM is among the Mid-Atlantic region’s leading property and casualty insurers. One of the Company’s core values is to support the communities it’s privileged to serve, a value exercised through year-round employee volunteer efforts at local nonprofits and a formal corporate giving program. NJM operates in a mutual fashion for the exclusive benefit of its policyholders and is consistently recognized for its award-winning customer service, superior claims handling, and overall customer satisfaction. NJM’s personal insurance products are available direct to consumers in Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The Company also works with a preferred network of independent agents to deliver business insurance in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Visit njm.com to learn more.