Huntsville’s Corbett catapults to Senior title in Warner Cup (Gross) - The Golf Association of Philadelphia

May 04, 2017

Huntsville’s Corbett catapults to Senior title in Warner Cup (Gross)

ROYERSFORD, Pa. — Brian Corbett turned a golfer’s nightmare into tournament reverie Thursday at Spring Ford Country Club (par 72, 6,520 yards).

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  As the Senior Division leader with two holes remaining in the 83rd Francis B. Warner Cup (Gross), Corbett took an untimely unplayable lie on the 17th hole. He then sunk a sand shot for a vital par and soon-to-be score of even-par 72. That number translated into a two-stroke victory for the longtime Golf Association of Philadelphia competitor.

  Lancaster Country Club’s Kenneth Phillips and Little Mill Country Club’s Joseph Roeder tied for second at 2-over-par 74.

  “It doesn’t feel any better than this,” an overwhelmed Corbett, 58, of Clarks Summit, Pa., said. “I’ve always wanted to win a GAP event. I’m really happy with what I’ve accomplished today. It’s going to be a great car ride home.”

  On the aforementioned No. 17, a slight dogleg right measuring 413 yards, Corbett faced a known and unknown on the tee: go right, and he can’t carry the trees on his approach. Slam it straight, and he risks the dreaded fairway-runner into trouble.

  “I hit it right down the walking line, thinking I’m perfect. It went through the fairway,” Corbett, an insurance agent, said. “My ball was lying right against a root in between two roots. I may have been able to hack down on something and punch it out to maybe 160 yards, but I was afraid that if I hit the root — and I’ve had it happen before — the club would hit the root, bounce over the ball and then I whiff. So, I took an unplayable.”

  With 175 yards for his third shot, Corbett pushed a 5-iron into the right greenside bunker. He holed the ensuing extrication for par.

  “I was kind of stunned. I was happy, but I was stunned,” Corbett said. “At that point of a round in any tournament, I don’t think I’ve ever holed out on the 17th hole from a bunker, whether it be for a par or a birdie.”

  Although he escaped No. 17 unscathed, Corbett encountered another test of nerves on the closing 18th hole (par 5, 492 yards). Another striped drive cut through the fairway and settled two inches outside the right fairway bunker. Exhibiting a Hokey Pokey stance, Corbett cleared the water hazard with a 4-hybird. He then knocked a wedge 90 yards to 10 feet above the hole, rolled a slippery slider 18 inches by and dropped the anxious comebacker.

  Corbett’s championship round started in non-championship form. On the V-shaped No. 1 (par 4, 450 yards), Corbett dealt with a 180-yard uphill approach out of a downhill lie. Ruling out a hybrid, he chose a hard 5-iron and came up short of the green. A two-putt from 15 feet resulted in a bogey. Corbett splashed a drive into the water hazard on No. 2 (par 4, 406 yards) for another 5. Next came the turnaround.

  “I actually hit the ball very well once I got past No. 2, which was critical. I really didn’t miss a shot from No. 3 tee through No. 9 green,” Corbett said.

  Oh no he didn’t.

  Corbett, playing in the afternoon’s first group, birdied the par 5, 520-yard No. 5 after flipping a wedge to 10 feet above the hole location. He drained an uphill, left-to-right breaking 25-footer on No. 7 (par 3, 187 yards) following a splendid 5-iron. On the par 5, 522-yard No. 9, Corbett hit a wedge 50 yards to four feet below the flagstick and made the birdie putt.

  Corbett’s inward nine mirrored his outward start. Old habits created a bogey on No. 10 (par 4, 412 yards).

  “I always hit driver. I always aim at the right bunker, and I always hit it right where I’m aiming,” Corbett said. “Then I have to hit a 9-iron up to the green because you have to get over the lip. I missed about a 10-footer [for par].”

  On No. 11 (par 4, 354 yards), Corbett, thinking extra club to avoid a guarding bunker, flushed a 9-iron over the green and failed to get up-and-down. As the sun sheltered in cloud cover, temperatures dipped slightly; the winds not so much. Corbett, however, withstood any interference from Mother Nature — and the rest of the field. He reached the 15th green (par 5, 485 yards) in two with a 4-wood from 230 yards for a two-putt birdie. A save on No. 16, a treacherous downhill, upwind par 3 measuring 196 yards, preluded Corbett’s heroics on the 17th hole. Again, old habits caused trouble.

  “It always plays the distance, and I always hit it into the front bunker,” Corbett said. He did just that, but splashed out to eight feet and wiggled a par putt in the side door.

  Corbett, who’s competed in two U.S. Mid-Amateurs, credits his instructor, John Spina, with an assist in his breakthrough performance at Spring Ford.

  “I’ve been struggling for a few years. I’ve been working on my game for about a year now with John,” he said. “I’m always migrating back to what I used to do, which is bad shots. I really stayed in the moment and did some things he tells me that I’m supposed to do. It was quite gratifying to, down the stretch, do the things I’m supposed to do. I’ve been playing a long time and have been really frustrated with golf. Right now, it feels pretty good.”

  Francis B. Warner of Philadelphia Cricket Club served as the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s secretary-treasurer for 18 years. After his death in 1933, the Association started the Francis B. Warner Cup as an ongoing tribute in his memory. It is the first Senior Major of the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s tournament season.

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 153 Full Member Clubs and 57,000 individual members are spread across parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. 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.

Overall
Name, club Score
Brian Corbett, Huntsville Golf Club 72
Kenneth Phillips, Lancaster Country Club 74
Joseph Roeder, Little Mill Country Club 74
Drew Panebianco, Five Ponds Golf Club 75
Doug Fedoryshyn, Applebrook Golf Club 75
Roc Irey, Lookaway Golf Club 75
Michael Tash, Tavistock Country Club 76
Thomas Bartolacci, Huntingdon Valley Country Club 76
Chris Smedley, Hartefeld National 76
Christopher Clauson, Lu Lu Country Club 77
Joseph Russo, Laurel Creek Country Club 77
Glenn Smeraglio, Lu Lu Country Club 77
Raymond Thompson, Overbrook Golf Club 77
Gary Daniels, Applebrook Golf Club 77
Scott Carney, Commonwealth National Golf Club 78
Alan Wagenschnur, Wild Quail Golf & Country Club 78
James Muller, Manufacturers’ Golf & Country Club 78
Ed Chylinski, Chester Valley Golf Club 78
Greg Guyer, Philadelphia Cricket Club 78
David West, Whitford Country Club 78
Michael Moser, Kennett Square Golf & Country Club 78
Oscar Mestre, Overbrook Golf Club 78
Robert Wurtz, Jr., Philadelphia Cricket Club 78
Ron Weaver, Bent Creek Country Club 79
Tom DiCinti, Old York CC at Chesterfield 79
Craig Kliewer, Honeybrook Golf Club 79
Thomas Hyland, Little Mill Country Club 79
George Steinmetz, Spring Ford Country Club 80
Jim Yenser, Raven’s Claw Golf Club 80
Gregory Day, Old York Road Country Club 80
Michael Vassil, Country Club of Scranton 80
Wayne Bartolacci, Jericho National Golf Club 80
Joseph Lewis, Aronimink Golf Club 80
Barry Cahill, Radley Run Country Club 81
Frank Corrado, Jr., Lu Lu Country Club 81
Steven Lucas, Wilmington Country Club 81
Eric Meyer, Whitford Country Club 81
Mark Leaman, Stone Harbor Golf Club 81
John Robinson, Lu Lu Country Club 81
Rich Thon, The Springhaven Club 82
Mike Owsik, Cobbs Creek Golf Club 82
Chuck Kraatz, Talamore Country Club 82
Joe Viechnicki, Saucon Valley Country Club 82
Randy Mitchell, Wilmington Country Club 82
Lawrence Piekarsky, Hidden Creek Golf Club 82
Bob Taylor, Middletown Country Club 83
Bob Walsh, Jr., Philadelphia Publinks GA 83
Cameron Campbell, McCall Golf & Country Club 83
Thomas Alestock, Running Deer Golf Club 83
Bob Beck, Lehigh Country Club 83
Jeff Poet, Country Club of York 83
John Alterman, Commonwealth National Golf Club 83
Richard Custer, Bellewood Country Club 83
Byron Whitman, Philadelphia Publinks GA 83
Michael Shoup, Sandy Run Country Club 84
William Thornton, Jr., LedgeRock Golf Club 84
Richard Atcavage, Whitemarsh Valley Country Club 84
Mark Dennish, The Ridge at Back Brook 84
Robert Van Etten, Laurel Creek Country Club 84
Paul Altieri, Makefield Highlands Golf Club 85
Mark Cubberley, Mercer Oaks Golf Course 85
Patrick O’Brien, North Hills Country Club 85
Robert Amen, Philadelphia Publinks GA 85
John Nottage, Commonwealth National Golf Club 85
Michael Quinn, Philadelphia Publinks GA 85
Marlin Detweiler, Lancaster Country Club 85
Jim Gavaghan, Jericho National Golf Club 86
Brian Rothaus, Five Ponds Golf Club 86
Steve Meyer, Rolling Green Golf Club 87
Christopher Moresco, Aronimink Golf Club 87
Steven Walczak, Wilmington Country Club 87
Andrew Sterge, Applebrook Golf Club 88
Jon Stein, McCall Golf & Country Club 88
Robert Dietrich, Loch Nairn Golf Club 88
Doug Cornforth, Loch Nairn Golf Club 88
Andrew Harmer, The Springhaven Club 88
Gregory Buliga, Yardley Country Club 88
Pierce Herbst, Sea Oaks Golf Club 89
Thomas Soares, Lehigh Country Club 89
Robert Tredinnick, Commonwealth National Golf Club 90
Ed Kahn, Little Mill Country Club 90
Matt Brady, Kennett Square Golf & Country Club 90
Eugene Haag, Tavistock Country Club 90
Paul Dansbury, Yardley Country Club 91
Steve Walsh, Sandy Run Country Club 92
Art Caldwell, Sea Oaks Golf Club 92
Alan Lazzarino, DuPont Country Club 92
Patrick Cahill, III, Whitemarsh Valley Country Club 93
Robert Yermish, Rolling Green Golf Club 93
Jeff Lysek, Five Ponds Golf Club 96
George Connell, Jr., Gulph Mills Golf Club 97
Buddy Reed, Wild Quail Golf & Country Club WD
 
Ages 55-59
Name, club Score
Brian Corbett, Huntsville Golf Club 72
Kenneth Phillips, Lancaster Country Club 74
Joseph Roeder, Little Mill Country Club 74
Doug Fedoryshyn, Applebrook Golf Club 75
Michael Tash, Tavistock Country Club 76
Chris Smedley, Hartefeld National 76
Joseph Russo, Laurel Creek Country Club 77
Glenn Smeraglio, Lu Lu Country Club 77
Alan Wagenschnur, Wild Quail Golf & Country Club 78
Greg Guyer, Philadelphia Cricket Club 78
David West, Whitford Country Club 78
Oscar Mestre, Overbrook Golf Club 78
Robert Wurtz, Jr., Philadelphia Cricket Club 78
Ron Weaver, Bent Creek Country Club 79
Craig Kliewer, Honeybrook Golf Club 79
George Steinmetz, Spring Ford Country Club 80
Jim Yenser, Raven’s Claw Golf Club 80
Gregory Day, Old York Road Country Club 80
Joseph Lewis, Aronimink Golf Club 80
Barry Cahill, Radley Run Country Club 81
Frank Corrado, Jr., Lu Lu Country Club 81
Eric Meyer, Whitford Country Club 81
John Robinson, Lu Lu Country Club 81
Chuck Kraatz, Talamore Country Club 82
Randy Mitchell, Wilmington Country Club 82
Lawrence Piekarsky, Hidden Creek Golf Club 82
Bob Taylor, Middletown Country Club 83
Bob Walsh, Jr., Philadelphia Publinks GA 83
Cameron Campbell, McCall Golf & Country Club 83
Thomas Alestock, Running Deer Golf Club 83
Bob Beck, Lehigh Country Club 83
John Alterman, Commonwealth National Golf Club 83
Byron Whitman, Philadelphia Publinks GA 83
Michael Shoup, Sandy Run Country Club 84
William Thornton, Jr., LedgeRock Golf Club 84
Richard Atcavage, Whitemarsh Valley Country Club 84
Mark Dennish, The Ridge at Back Brook 84
Paul Altieri, Makefield Highlands Golf Club 85
Patrick O’Brien, North Hills Country Club 85
Robert Amen, Philadelphia Publinks GA 85
John Nottage, Commonwealth National Golf Club 85
Jim Gavaghan, Jericho National Golf Club 86
Christopher Moresco, Aronimink Golf Club 87
Andrew Sterge, Applebrook Golf Club 88
Doug Cornforth, Loch Nairn Golf Club 88
Gregory Buliga, Yardley Country Club 88
Thomas Soares, Lehigh Country Club 89
Robert Tredinnick, Commonwealth National Golf Club 90
Ed Kahn, Little Mill Country Club 90
Matt Brady, Kennett Square Golf & Country Club 90
Eugene Haag, Tavistock Country Club 90
Paul Dansbury, Yardley Country Club 91
Steve Walsh, Sandy Run Country Club 92
Alan Lazzarino, DuPont Country Club 92
Patrick Cahill, III, Whitemarsh Valley Country Club 93
Robert Yermish, Rolling Green Golf Club 93
Jeff Lysek, Five Ponds Golf Club 96
George Connell, Jr., Gulph Mills Golf Club 97
Buddy Reed, Wild Quail Golf & Country Club WD
 
Ages 60 & Over
Name club Score
Drew Panebianco, Five Ponds Golf Club 75
Roc Irey, Lookaway Golf Club 75
Thomas Bartolacci, Jr., Huntingdon Valley Country Club 76
Christopher Clauson, Lu Lu Country Club 77
Raymond Thompson, Overbrook Golf Club 77
Gary Daniels, Applebrook Golf Club 77
Scott Carney, Commonwealth National Golf Club 78
James Muller, Manufacturers’ Golf & Country Club 78
Ed Chylinski, Chester Valley Golf Club 78
Michael Moser, Kennett Square Golf & Country Club 78
Tom DiCinti, Old York CC at Chesterfield 79
Thomas Hyland, Little Mill Country Club 79
Michael Vassil, Country Club of Scranton 80
Wayne Bartolacci, Jericho National Golf Club 80
Steven Lucas, Wilmington Country Club 81
Mark Leaman, Stone Harbor Golf Club 81
Rich Thon, The Springhaven Club 82
Mike Owsik, Cobbs Creek Golf Club 82
Joe Viechnicki, Saucon Valley Country Club 82
Jeff Poet, Country Club of York 83
Richard Custer, Bellewood Country Club 83
Robert Van Etten, Laurel Creek Country Club 84
Mark Cubberley, Mercer Oaks Golf Course 85
Michael Quinn, Philadelphia Publinks GA 85
Marlin Detweiler, Lancaster Country Club 85
Brian Rothaus, Five Ponds Golf Club 86
Steve Meyer, Rolling Green Golf Club 87
Steven Walczak, Wilmington Country Club 87
Jon Stein, McCall Golf & Country Club 88
Robert Dietrich, Loch Nairn Golf Club 88
Andrew Harmer, The Springhaven Club 88
Pierce Herbst, Sea Oaks Golf Club 89
Art Caldwell, Sea Oaks Golf Club 92
 
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