Huntingdon Valley’s Sterbinsky tops U.S. Amateur Qualifier

  NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Swing mechanics, hip movement, speed and stroke with a putter — all topics on Kyle Sterbinsky’s improvement list this summer. He’s working with John Dunigan, director of instruction at White Manor Country Club, to refresh his golf game. | Scorecards | Photo gallery |

  The project is a success, judging by Wednesday’s result.

  Sterbinsky, a rising junior at Wake Forest University, carded a 3-under-par 138 to earn medalist honors in a U.S. Amateur Championship Qualifier administered by the Golf Association of Philadelphia at Aronimink Golf Club (par 70, 7,074 yards) and White Manor Country Club (par 71, 7,015 yards). Fellow collegiates Michael Boss (recent Flagler College graduate), Michael Davis (junior at Princeton University), Matt Oshrine (senior at Duke University) and Henry Shimp (freshman at Stanford University), also advanced to the Championship proper.

  The U.S. Amateur Championship will take place Aug. 15-21 at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Township, Mich.

  “I saw a lot of progression today, which was nice. It was a long day, but I played solid the whole day,” Sterbinbsky, 19, of Yardley, Pa., said. “I struck the ball really well all day and fortunately got the putter rolling. I’ve been working pretty hard on the greens, so it’s good to see some work pay off. I hit some really good putts today.”

  Sterbinsky, a Huntingdon Valley Country Club member, began his U.S. Amateur bid at White Manor. There he carded a 3-under-par 68 — a shot off the 18-hole lead, held by Lu Lu Country Club’s P.J. Acierno. Sterbinsky birdied two his first three holes to settle in. He buried an uphill, right-to-left dyer on No. 1 (par 4, 424 yards) from 35 feet for birdie. A punch 9-iron from 160 yards served as the set-up. On the monstrous par 3, 249-yard No. 3, Sterbinsky powered a hybrid to 22 feet and trickled a putt over the front edge. He secured a 3 under on the scorecard by sending a soft 8-iron 160 yards to 10 feet above the No. 18 (par 4, 418 yards) flagstick for birdie.

  “I had a lot of confidence on the greens there. It’s nice knowing that if I hit some solid shots, the birdies would come,” Sterbinsky said.

  Only three birdies came at Aronimink, including Sterbinsky’s “best putt of the day.” He breathed on a seven-footer on No. 17 (par 3, 188 yards) following a stupendous 7-iron off the tee. Aronimink and Sterbinsky seem to mesh. At age 16, he became the youngest medalist in the BMW Philadelphia Amateur history at the venue. The memory never crossed his mind Wednesday.

  “I wasn’t really thinking [about what happened] a couple of years ago,” Sterbinsky said. “I knew that if I played well, I could score well out here. It’s a difficult golf course, so you still have to stick with what you’ve been doing.”

  Sterbinsky qualified for the U.S. Amateur in 2012. He was a 10th grader then, nerves abound on the first tee as 50 spectators surrounded.

  “I missed match play by one shot. I feel like I’ve definitely improved since then,” Sterbinsky said. “My game is capable. If I play solid, I can compete with these guys.”

  Davis joins Sterbinsky as a fellow local in the qualifying circle. A two-time club champion at Aronimink, he grew up at the club and kept that course knowledge in his playbook.

  “It definitely helped,” Davis, 20, of Newtown Square, Pa., said. “This place is pretty straightforward off the tee. Being comfortable on the greens and knowing where putts are going to go helped.”

  A pair of four-putts on Nos. 2 (par 4, 420 yards) and 11 (par 4, 408 yards) nearly removed Davis from the qualifying status. He countered the interference with five birdies.

  Davis, recent semifinalist and 2015 BMW Philadelphia Amateur runner-up, qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2011 and 2013. He will make his U.S. Amateur debut.

  Reputation lured Boss, 23, of Lewistown, N.Y., to Aronimink and White Manor. He carded respective 71s at each site to advance.

   “It was tough coming down the stretch. I saw my name on the leaderboards,” Boss, who works on the grounds crew at Niagara Falls Country Club, said. “This is my first U.S. Amateur so I’m pretty excited.”

  Word of mouth, and past experience, prompted Oshrine, 20, of Baltimore, Md., to make the trek north.

  “I played White Manor in Junior golf, and I’ve only heard great things about Aronimink. I like to pick sites that are good, long golf courses,” he said. “I made a lot of putts from the eight-to-12-foot range, especially late in the round at Aronimink. It gave me confidence for the afternoon.”

  A three-hole stretch at White Manor showcased Oshrine’s distance putting proficiency. He converted a 20-footer for par on No. 13 (par 4, 460 yards), a 15-footer for bogey on No. 14 (par 3, 214 yards) and a 15-footer for par on No. 15 (par 4, 494 yards). Oshrine will compete in his third U.S. Amateur (2013, 2015).

  Shimp, 18, of Charlotte, N.C., qualified for his first U.S. Amateur two years ago at Stonewall. He returned to the area hoping to rekindle the magic.

  “Aronimink and White Manor are just awesome courses, so I wanted to come up and play them,” Shimp, 18, of Charlotte, N.C., said. “I’m excited that it worked out.”

  In the afternoon at White Manor, Shimp, a two-time Carolinas Junior Champion, fired five birdies and an eagle. On the par 5, 554-yard No. 6, he pummeled a 3-iron 250 yards to nine feet for a 3.

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 151 Member Clubs and 57,000 individual members are spread across parts of 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.