Gelrod tops Am. Qualifier at Coatesville CC

   COATESVILLE, Pa. – Ryan Gelrod of Commonwealth National GC carded an even-par 71 to earn medalist honors at Thursday’s Amateur Championship Qualifier at Coatesville CC (par 71, 6123 yards).

   Gelrod topped a field of 122 players competing for a spot in the 109th Amateur Championship, which will be held on June 15-17 & 20 at Stonewall. This was the final Amateur Championship qualifying event.

   “I was kind of scratchy ball striking, but my short game was real sharp,” he said. “I thought I did well. I chipped and putted great. I’m usually a pretty good ball striker, and usually, that’s where I make hay, but today I was able to save what could’ve gotten ugly with a pretty solid round.”

   Gelrod, 37, began his round with a bogie on No. 1 (par 5, 469 yards).

   “It’s a birdie hole, but I got off to a rough start,” he said. “I got it on the regulation and then three-putted.”

   Gelrod, of Blue Bell, Pa., also bogeyed on No. 10 (par 5, 519 yards) after hitting driver off the tee and landing in trees to the left.

   “I tried to hit a high wave cutting. It didn’t cut enough,” he said. “I had to punch it down there. I had a wild wind on my fourth shot, which I thought I hit really well, but it just rolled out 10-feet. I didn’t make the putt.”

   But Gelrod rebounded and made critical par-saves throughout the day, particularly on No. 2 (par 3, 156 yards). He hit 7-iron off the tee and landed about 10 yards short left of the green. He then chipped it to 12-feet and made the following putt to save par.

   “Making that helped me stay in the round and keep the momentum going,” Gelrod said.

   Gelrod also fired birdies on Nos. 9 (par 4, 354 yards) and 18 (par 4, 332 yards). Now that he’s qualified, Gelrod doesn’t necessarily have any expectations for the Amateur Championship.

   “I’m just going to go out there and try to play as well as I can,” he said. “I played pretty well at Stonewall before. It’s a great venue. The competition’s tough, but I’m going to go out there and try my best, see if I can sneak into match play and see what happens from there.”

   James Bea of Spring Mill CC shot 1-over par to finish second. The Churchville, Pa. resident has been working on his mechanics at home, and it seems to have paid off.

   “I’ve been hitting the ball great,” Bea said. “I’ve been trying to stay ho-hum about it. I made sure that I carried that mentality into the qualifier. You don’t want to shoot yourself in the foot early. I was just trying to keep the ball in play. I controlled the ball early and used that momentum to the end.”

   Bea’s tight approach worked out as the 19 year-old fired birdies on Nos. 4 (par 3, 155 yards), 9 (par 4, 354 yards) and 15 (par 5, 530 yards). He felt that the birdie on No. 15 propelled him to a strong finish.

   “I hit driver off the tee. It was a blind shot,” Bea said. “I drove up to the top of the hill. I hit a bad lay-up shot. I had one spot to hit it, and I ended up hitting it there and it trickled down for a tap. It got me going and motivated. That really got me back to the mentality of ‘just play the game.’ It got me out of a little bit of a panic.”

   Thursday’s qualifier helped to build Bea’s confidence heading into the Amateur Championship.

   “I feel like I’m a good enough player to play with anybody,” he said. “I feel like I’m a little bit of a dark horse. I made my name here. I’m ready to break through and be recognized as one of the better players in the area.”

   As the day ended, the cut line fell to 79.

   Thursday’s qualifier at Coatesville CC was the final Amateur Championship qualifying event. Matthew Gaffney of Little Mill CC and Chris Ault of Yardley CC, shared medalist honors at Monday’s qualifier at Links GC.

   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 134 Member Clubs and 56,000 individual members are spread across parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. The purpose of the Association is simple: To promote, protect and preserve the game of golf in the region.