Grady, Hyland share lead in 35th #GAPMidAm presented by Callaway Golf

An Association babyface and a multiple-time Major champion sit atop a clustered scoreboard after Round 1 of the 35th #GAPMidAm Championship presented by Callaway Golf. Upstart Tom Grady of Radley Run Country Club and champion golfer Michael Hyland of Little Mill Country Club share the lead after Wednesday’s opening 18 holes at Llanerch Country Club (par 71, 6,752 yards). Both players posted 1-under-par 70s as competitors battled day-long wind and firm conditions.

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  There are 20 players within six shots of the lead. The Day 1 scoring average was an eye-opening 80.2 with 73 players making the cut, which fell at 10-over-par 81. It is the highest Mid.-Am. cut since 2001 at Coatesville Country Club when 13-over-par 84 advanced. This was the first time the Middle-Amateur was played over two rounds.

  Tee times for Thursday’s second and final round begin at 7:30 a.m. The last group of Hyland, Grady and Eddie Johnson of Llanerch tee off No. 1 at 11:50 a.m. Johnson, as well as Matt Finger of DuPont Country Club, finished at level par.

  Grady’s low finish in an event since starting to play regularly in Association tournaments beginning in 2016 was a T31 in that year’s Mid.-Am. Hyland, on the other hand, is a two-time #BMWPhillyAm Champion (2000, 2011) and has recorded a number of high Mid.-Am. placings, including a tie for third-place in 2011 and a solo fifth place in 2010.

  “I’ve been hitting it OK but I didn’t necessarily expect a 1 under out here,” said Grady, 32, of West Chester, Pa. “I kept the ball in play all day. To have one bogey at this place was a really, really solid round.”

  Said Hyland, 39, of Medford, N.J., who has battled chronic back issues the last few years, “This one and the Patterson Cup are my nemesis. I can’t seem to get by them. I haven’t played competitive in so long, it was fun to be here.”

  Grady’s and Hyland’s red-figure scores were loins of the same cloth. Both cited fantastic lag putting on the Alexander Findlay design and spirited greens.

  Grady’s round was almost ho-hum, making two birdies and one bogey. Starting on the back nine, the former Widener University baseball player and golfer birdied Nos. 11 (par 4, 456 yards) and 15 (par 4, 318 yards). On No. 11, he knocked a pitching wedge to the back of the green from 135 yards and sank a 30-foot birdie putt. After saving par on No. 12 (par 3, 175 yards) with a 30-footer up the hill, Grady made another birdie on the short par-4, 15th after driving the ball hole high and chipping it up to eight feet.

  His lone bogey came on No. 3 (par 4, 467 yards) after missing the green right.

  “This is the whole point of playing in these, to get in the hunt and see what happens,” said Grady, who works in software sales. “We’ll see what game shows up tomorrow. I’m hitting my driver well enough to have an advantage here. I just have to make putts.”

  Hyland, who started on No. 10 as well, made two birdies and two bogeys on his first nine.

  On his inward spin, he made it through the difficult Nos. 1-4 stretch in even par before making birdie on No. 5 (par 5, 554 yards). He hit a 58-degree wedge from 98 yards to four feet.

  He three-putted No. 6 (par 4, 418 yards) but rallied on No. 7 (par 4, 393 yards) with another birdie when he hit a 58-degree wedge from 93 yards to three feet. He closed with two pars.

  “It’s totally unexpected but I played well here in a BMW GAP Team Match a few weeks ago,” said Hyland, who works in the real estate business. “I love this golf course. If I was going to join any other golf course across the river it would be this one. You hit every shot here. It’s always in great shape.”

NOTES–Johnson posted the lowest score of the eight Llanerch members to make the Championship Proper. Seven made the cut.

Callaway Golf
Callaway Golf was founded in 1982 by the late Ely Callaway, a visionary entrepreneur who operated under a simple but profound business promise: Deliver Demonstrably Superior, Pleasingly Different products and services. That philosophy turned what was originally a boutique manufacturer of high-quality wedges and putters into the world’s largest maker of premium, performance golf products. The Callaway mission and vision has remained the same; we passionately pursue advanced, innovative technologies that help golfers of all abilities find more enjoyment from the game. Under the Callaway and Odyssey brands, Callaway manufactures and sells golf clubs and golf balls, and sells golf apparel, footwear and accessories in more than 110 countries worldwide.

Golf Association of Philadelphia
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 260 Member Clubs and 75,000 individual members are spread across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. As Philadelphia’s Most Trusted Source of Golf Information, the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.