HUNTINGDON VALLEY, Pa.–The inaugural Brewer Cup is starting to look like the Huntingdon Valley Senior Club Championship. Three of the four semifinalists in the Senior Division – David Brookreson, Michael Dougherty and Craig Scott – are all top players and long-standing Huntingdon Valley CC members.
Not to be outdone, tournament namesake and seven-time HVCC club champion O. Gordon Brewer, Jr., of Pine Valley GC continued his impressive play in the Super-Senior Division, advancing to the final.
The Brewer Cup semifinals begin at 8 a.m. tomorrow. The final is set for 12:30 p.m. The Super-Senior championship match is set for 12:45 p.m. Thursday.
Those who have played Huntingdon Valley CC before may not be surprised by the results based on the local knowledge angle, however, it’s no coincidence a trio of the club’s most visible and talented players are the one’s still alive.
“Local knowledge is good but you have to play well, too,” said Brookreson, the 2004 senior club champion. “Local knowledge is good but everyone of us has won a tournament at other clubs, too.”
Dougherty’s afternoon semifinal contest was the match of the day. Competing against good friend and long-time adversary Thomas Bartolacci, Jr., of Saucon Valley CC, the duo needed 21 holes to determine an outcome.
A Dougherty par on the lengthy, par 3, third hole (186 yards) finally ended the marathon.
On that hole, Dougherty smacked a 4-iron to 12 feet and two-putted for par. Bartolacci got a little unlucky when his drive rolled into the back collar. He chipped up to about three feet short of the hole and missed his par chance.
“We had a great match,” said Dougherty, 59, of Warrington, Pa. “I just wish it would have ended with a birdie. That’s how it should have finished.”
The two were All Square after 14 holes before Bartolacci launched a sand wedge from 40 yards to 10 feet on No. 15 (par 5, 552 yards) for a birdie to grab a 1-up advantage. Bartolacci, 57, of Washington Crossing, Pa., had a chance to move 2-up on No. 16 (par 4, 370 yards) when he crafted a 7-iron from the right rough and under the tree to six feet. However, his short birdie attempt just slipped past and Dougherty made a fantastic two-putt par from 40-feet behind the hole to remain one back.
The two parred No. 17 (par 3, 203 yards) and Bartolacci headed to the final hole with a 1-up advantage.
On No. 18 (par 4, 426 yards), Bartolacci pushed his drive right, left his approach shot short and still had a 10-footer for par and the win but just missed it. Dougherty rifled a 5-iron from 178 yards hole high and two putted from 22 feet to send the matches into extra holes.
The two parred the first two playoff holes before the match ended on No. 3. Scott, too, needed extra time, using a par on the 19th hole to defeat Michael Quinn of Edgmont CC.
Dougherty and Scott, 59, of Marshalls Creek, Pa., will face off at 8 a.m.
Brookreson, 59, of Huntingdon Valley, Pa., defeated Don Donatoni of White Manor CC, 3&2, and Gary Daniels of Saucon Valley CC upended Robert Billings of Rolling Green GC, 2&1, in the other half of the bracket. Those two begin their semifinal match at 8:07 a.m.
In the Super-Senior Division, Brewer, the No. 1 seed and the tournament’s namesake, continued his strong play with, 6&5, victories over James Sherratt of Old York Road CC in the semifinals and Dick Sayer of Huntingdon Valley CC in the quarterfinals.
Brewer, 71, of Pine Valley, N.J., carded five birdies in his afternoon match and was 4-up at the turn.
The Brewer Cup is named in honor of O. Gordon Brewer Jr., a veteran of 42 USGA Championships and two-time U.S. Senior Amateur Champion (1994, 1996). He also has won Golf Association of Philadelphia Amateur titles in 1967 and 1976 as well as the 1997 GAP Senior Amateur Championship title, which earned him Player of the Year honors in that year.
The Brewer Cup is open to Senior players with a handicap index of 7.0 or less and Super Seniors with an index of 12.0 or less. 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 136 Member Clubs and 60,000 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.
Senior Division
Quarterfinals
16. Michael Dougherty, Huntingdon Valley CC, d. 9. Thomas Bartolacci, Jr., Saucon Valley CC, 21 holes
4. Craig Scott, Huntingdon Valley CC, d. 5. Michael Quinn, Edgmont CC, 19 holes
15. David Brookreson, Huntingdon Valley CC, d. Don Donatoni, White Manor CC, 3&2
3. Gary Daniels, Saucon Valley CC, d. 11. Robert Billings, Rolling Green GC, 2&1
Round of 16
16. Dougherty d. 1. Frank McFadden, Overbrook GC, 2&1
9. Bartolacci, Jr., d. 8. Michael Rose, Philmont CC, 6&5
4. Scott d. 13. John Emmel, Jr., Links GC, 3&1
5. Quinn d. 12. Charles Whipple, Huntingdon Valley CC, 7&6
15. Brookreson d. 2. Frank Polizzi, Whitemarsh Valley CC, 6&5
7. Donatoni d. 10. Ed Chylinski, Chester Valley GC, 2&1
3. Daniels d. 14. Charles Jones, Philadelphia Publinks GA, 5&4
11. Billings d. 6. James Haynie, Lu Lu CC, 5&4
Super-Senior Division
Semifinals
1. O. Gordon Brewer, Jr., Pine Valley GC, d. 5. James Sherratt, Old York Road CC, 6&5
3. Charles McClaskey, Wyncote GC, d. 7. Curt Fromal, The Springhaven Club, 7&6
Quarterfinals
1. Brewer, Jr., d. 8. Dick Sayer, Huntingdon Valley CC, 6&5
5. Sherratt d. 4. Peter Stanley, Sunnybrook GC, 1-up
7. Fromal d. 2. John Owens, Tavistock CC, 2&1
3. McClaskey d. 6. Jay Howson, Jr., St. Davids GC, 21 holes
