Huntingdon Valley CC’s Brookreson blitzes Senior Amateur field

  NEW HOPE, Pa.–David Brookreson ended a quiet summer with an emphatic statement. Brookreson, a top Golf Association of Philadelphia senior since turning 55 years old, recorded a stellar final-round, 2-under-par 70 to lap the field in the 39th Senior Amateur Championship on Wednesday at Jericho National GC. Brookreson finished at 3 under for the two days, five shots clear of second-place finisher Thomas Bartolacci, Jr. of Saucon Valley CC, the defending champion. Roc Irey of Lookaway GC and Ray Thompson of Overbrook GC tied for third.

  “It’s been a quiet two years for me. Ever since the [Senior] Amateur in 2007, my game went south,” said Brookreson, 61, of Huntingdon Valley, Pa. “I’ve really been totally non-competitive. All of a sudden my son [Jesse] talked to me about my iron-game plus when I watched Steve Stricker this weekend I saw some things in his swing that made sense to me. Even though I can’t swing it as well as he does, just getting the thoughts in my mind and the visualization, I just hit some wonderful irons compared to how I’ve been hitting them. I always drive the ball well. My putter was pretty good to me this time. I made a few long putts and a lot of short putts.”

  The way Brookreson hit it early, Stricker would have been envious.

  On No. 1 (par 5, 559 yards), he knocked a 70-yard wedge to four feet for birdie. He made a fantastic par save on No. 2 (par 3, 201 yards) after finding the left greenside bunker and then birdied three of his final four front side holes to make the turn in 4 under for the day. On No. 6 (par 4, 367 yards), Brookreson knocked an 80-yard wedge to 15 feet and drained the putt; on No. 7 (par 5, 505 yards) he reached the par 5 in two with a driver and 3-wood from 246 yards before two putting; and on No. 9 (par 4, 408 yards) rolled in a 55-footer from the back of the green.

  “It means everything to win it. Anytime you can get your name on a trophy that will always be there because of the strength of the Golf Association of Philadelphia, it just means everything,” said Brookreson. “As you get older, there comes a point in your life where your say, ‘Am I ever going to win again’. I’ve been thinking that way the past year, sure enough, now I can start thinking about it again. That’s the first time it even entered my mind.”

  Brookreson bogeyed Nos. 10 (par 4, 438 yards), 11 (par 4, 335 yards) and 13 (par 4, 404 yards) after losing a bit of focus, but birdied No. 16 (par 4, 416 yards) and No. 17 (par 5, 540 yards) to reinstate his intentions. Bartolacci was the closest pursuer, standing two shots back after 13, before Brookreson took off again.

  “I was staying out of David Brookreson’s way,” said Bartolacci, 58, of Washington Crossing, Pa. “My hat is off to him. He shot 70 with that little hiccup on the last hole. He played great. He deserved to win. The rest of us were a distant second.”

  This was Brookreson’s second Senior Amateur title (2005). Brookreson’s surge up the leaderboard also launched him to his third Senior Silver Cross Award.