HVCC's Osberg goes low in Patterson Cup; cards opening 64 - The Golf Association of Philadelphia

Aug 06, 2015

HVCC’s Osberg goes low in Patterson Cup; cards opening 64

Jeff Osberg of Huntingdon Valley Country Club and caddie John Leighton
discuss strategy on the No. 5 (par 3, 196 yards) tee during Thursday’s opening round
of the Joseph H. Patterson Cup at Chester Valley Golf Club.

Scorecards | Rd. 2 Tee times | Notebook | Silver Cross Award standings | History | Day 1 Video |

 MALVERN, Pa.–Jeff Osberg, a multiple-time Major Champion, questioned the sanctity of his game prior to the opening of the 113th Joseph H. Patterson Cup on Thursday at Chester Valley Golf Club (par 70, 6,660 yards). So much so, he arrived two hours before his 9 a.m. tee time to work out the kinks.

When Osberg completed Round 1 a few hours later, the wrongs were all right. He turned in a blemish free 6-under 64 to shatter the prior competitive course record (since 2008 renovation) of 67 registered last, ironically, by John Brennan when Chester Valley hosted the Association’s 2012 Middle-Amateur Championship.

  Michael Hyland, 36, of Little Mill Country Club, a two-time BMW Philadelphia Amateur Champion, closed with three birdies in the final five holes for 65. Michael McDermott, 40, of Bryn Mawr, Pa., also a two-time BMW Philadelphia Amateur Champion and the 2007 Patterson Cup victor, posted a 68. That threesome is paired together in the final grouping on Friday at 11:20 a.m.

  The cut for the low 60 players and ties fell at 76. A total of 72 players advanced to Day 2.

  “This week I had some back issues starting off and didn’t get a lot of practice in. I played yesterday and didn’t play well. So I woke up early this morning and figured I needed to work on everything,” said Osberg, winner of the 2010 Patterson Cup and Silver Cross Award. “I worked on the putting, and that didn’t go too well. I worked on some chipping and went to the range and got hitting it OK. I came back and putted some more.

  “Starting the first hole I wasn’t overly confident with the putter. I hit it on the front of the green and putted it up to three or four feet left of the hole and started off with a solid two putt. That sort of got things rolling.”

  Osberg birdied Nos. 2 (par 5, 574 yards), 3 (par 4, 339 yards) and 5 (par 3, 196 yards) to state his intentions immediately. He knocked in a tricky right-to-left breaker from 10 feet for a 3 on No. 2; knocked a chip shot from 40 yards to five feet on No. 3 and converted a short birdie putt on No. 5 after launching a 6-iron to four feet. On No. 9 (par 4, 380 yards), he hit 2-iron, 9-iron from 160 yards to 20 feet and made the putt to turn in 4 under.

  “On the second hole I hit it in the right bunker in two [shots],” Osberg said. “I hit a good bunker shot on the green but had 10 feet sliding a foot right to left and hit it dead center. That when I thought maybe my day wasn’t going to be as bad with the putter as when I woke up.”

  Osberg added birdies on Nos. 11 (par 4, 385 yards) and 14 (par 5, 495 yards). On No. 11, he hit a 138-yard pitching wedge to 10 feet and on No. 14 came up short of the green in two shots before knocking a chip up-and-over the bunker from 40 yards to five feet. Osberg finished with solid midrange par saves on Nos. 17 (par 4, 379 yards) and 18 (par 4, 440 yards).

  Osberg, 31, of Bryn Mawr, Pa., has dealt with a balky back for some time. He had a second surgery in October 2013. Two weeks ago, the back problems resurfaced after a car accident on Broad Street in Philadelphia, Pa.

  “The [back] issue was bad, really bad,” said Osberg. “I couldn’t play on Tuesday of this week. I got in a really significant car accident a couple weeks ago, my car was totaled, and my back has gotten progressively worse. I really couldn’t move on Tuesday. I was telling John [Leighton] my caddie that every morning I wake up I really don’t know how it’s going to be.”

  Osberg’s torrid pace on Thursday all but secured a second Silver Cross. Osberg, who led Cole Berman of Philadelphia Cricket Club by three shots entering the day, holds a 12-shot lead on second-place. The Silver Cross is awarded to the player with the lowest aggregate score in the qualifying rounds of the Amateur Championship and the Patterson Cup.

  Hyland, who won the BMW Amateur in 2000 and 2011, is gunning for his first Patterson Cup victory. His best finish prior was a second-place showing in 2012, when he carded an opening 68 at Philadelphia Country Club. The second round was rained out.

  Hyland’s battled the lefts the last three years and just recently returned to his former swing coach Mike Mack, Burlington’s professional, for a retooling. All the work resulted in today’s showing.

  He made the turn in 1 under with a lot of solid, steady play, and when his putter warmed up on the back nine, Hyland, of Medford, N.J., rocketed up the leaderboard. The highlight was a 30-foot birdie putt on No. 15 (par 3, 189 yards). His last red figure came on No. 16 (par 3, 427 yards) when he knocked a wedge from 143 yards to 15 feet. A read from fellow competitor John Samaha’s putt assisted.

  “I worked really hard on revamping the golf swing, almost completely. This is the first time [for it] under pressure,” said Hyland. “[Mike Mack] got me out of the snap hooks, which has killed me for the last three years. We’ll see how it works tomorrow.”

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.

NOTES–Five players broke par on Thursday, including Michael Davis of Aronimink Golf Club. Davis is fresh off a runner-up finish in the 2015 BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship at Llanerch Country Club where he fell in the final to Cole Berman of Philadelphia Cricket Club … five of seven former Patterson Cup Champions in the field made the cut. Joining Osberg and McDermott moving onto Day 2 were Berman (2014), Smeraglio (1998, 2008) and Brad McFadden (1992).

Name, clubScore
Jeff Osberg, Huntingdon Valley Country Club64
Michael Hyland, Little Mill Country Club65
Michael McDermott, Merion Golf Club68
Michael Davis, Aronimink Golf Club69
Michael Johnson, Talamore Country Club69
Alexander Hicks, Wildwood Golf & Country Club70
Christopher Crawford, Spring Mill Country Club70
David Hicks, Wildwood Golf & Country Club70
John Brennan, Philadelphia Cricket Club70
Sam Soeth, White Manor Country Club70
Alex Blickle, LedgeRock Golf Club71
Justin Hare, Five Ponds Golf Club71
Mark Farley, Lu Lu Country Club71
James Gillespie, Wedgwood Country Club72
Jonathan Radick, Northampton Valley Country Club72
Marc Oliveri, Jr., Lancaster Country Club72
Matthew Mattare, Saucon Valley Country Club72
Nicolas McCook, Applecross Country Club72
Rodney James, Golden Oaks Golf Club72
Scott McLaughlin, Commonwealth National Golf Club72
Benjamin Smith, Huntingdon Valley Country Club73
Bill Jeremiah, Bidermann Golf Club73
Daniel Furman, Commonwealth National Golf Club73
Jack Wallace, Philadelphia Cricket Club73
Jalen Griffin, Talamore Country Club73
Kevin Conners, Jr., Whitford Country Club73
Luke McKeogh, Commonwealth National Golf Club73
Michael R. Brown, Jr., Links Golf Club73
P.J. Acierno, Sandy Run Country Club73
Raymond Thompson, Overbrook Golf Club73
Robert Savarese, Jr., Philadelphia Cricket Club73
Russell Hill, Old York CC at Chesterfield73
Benjamin Cooley, Huntingdon Valley Country Club74
Brandon Raihl, Heidelberg Country Club74
Chris Lange, Jr., Overbrook Golf Club74
David Liotta, Whitemarsh Valley Country Club74
David West, Whitford Country Club74
Evan Thornton, LedgeRock Golf Club74
Grant Skyllas, LedgeRock Golf Club74
J.B. Bradbeer, Merion Golf Club74
James O’Connor, Penn Oaks Golf Club74
Kevin Kramarski, Riverton Country Club74
Mac Ryan, Overbrook Golf Club74
Michael Kania, Overbrook Golf Club74
Nick Calabrese, Edgmont Country Club74
Patrick Ross, Huntsville Golf Club74
Ryan Gelrod, Philadelphia Cricket Club74
Scott McNeil, Bala Golf Club74
Brian McDermott, Llanerch Country Club75
Carey Bina, Radnor Valley Country Club75
Cole Berman, Philadelphia Cricket Club75
Conor McGrath, Huntingdon Valley Country Club75
Daniel Rexon, Tavistock Country Club75
Glenn Smeraglio, Mercer Oaks Golf Course75
Jason Loehrs, Philadelphia Publinks GA75
Michael Rogers, Overbrook Golf Club75
Oliver White, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club75
Sean Semenetz, Philadelphia Cricket Club75
Zachary Falone, Rolling Green Golf Club75
Anthony Sebastianelli, Glen Oak Country Club76
Ben Feld, Green Valley Country Club76
Brad McFadden, Overbrook Golf Club76
Dan Arison, Applebrook Golf Club76
Evan Notaro, Woodstone Country Club76
Joe April, Philadelphia Cricket Club76
Johan van Schalkwyk, Mercer Oaks Golf Course76
John Samaha, Old York Road Country Club76
Joseph Russo, Laurel Creek Country Club76
Mark Benevento, Jr., Greate Bay Country Club76
Matt Keim, Brookside Country Club76
Matthew Ade, Riverton Country Club76
Peter Bradbeer, Merion Golf Club76
 
Failed to qualify
Aaron Fricke, Lancaster Country Club77
Bobby Svigals, Radnor Valley Country Club77
Brian Gillespie, St. Davids Golf Club77
Brock Kovach, Berkshire Country Club77
Erik Reisner, The ACE Club77
Geoffrey Cooper, North Hills Country Club77
Liam McAnally, Applecross Country Club77
Mark Hill, Rolling Green Golf Club77
Matthew Livingston, Lu Lu Country Club77
Michael Carr, Plymouth Country Club77
Oscar Mestre, Overbrook Golf Club77
Peter Barron, III, Stone Harbor Golf Club77
Alex Bauman, The Ridge at Back Brook78
Blaine Lafferty, Burlington Country Club78
Brian Fischer, Commonwealth National Golf Club78
Evan Galbreath, Philmont Country Club78
Jack Melville, Lu Lu Country Club78
Jack Russell, Philadelphia Cricket Club78
John Barone, Glenmaura National Golf Club78
Marc Mandel, Philadelphia Cricket Club78
R.J. Wren, Applecross Country Club78
Robert Wurtz, Jr., Philadelphia Cricket Club78
Roland Massimino, Jericho National Golf Club78
Connor Sharp, Union League Golf Club at Torresdale79
Evan Brown, Hartefeld National79
Jack Gregor, Huntingdon Valley Country Club79
Kyle Henofer, Indian Valley Country Club79
Mark Kosko, Sea Oaks Golf Club79
Michael Cook, Applebrook Golf Club79
Robby Rowe, Bent Creek Country Club79
Sean Coyle, Llanerch Country Club79
Adam Warner, Tavistock Country Club80
Ben Keyser, Woodcrest Country Club80
G. Patrick Dougherty, Philadelphia Cricket Club80
Matthew Crescenzo, Philmont Country Club80
Max Hirsh, Philadelphia Cricket Club80
Scott McKean, Chester Valley Golf Club80
William Naylor, Applebrook Golf Club80
Greg O’Connor, Bellewood Country Club81
John Murphy, II, Wildwood Golf & Country Club81
Matt Kocent, White Manor Country Club81
Fraser Graham, Rolling Green Golf Club82
Gerard Rosato, Plymouth Country Club82
Leland Weaver, Hartefeld National82
Troy Thierolf, Commonwealth National Golf Club82
Fran Begley, Wedgwood Country Club83
Matthew Gaffney, Little Mill Country Club83
Thomas Fisher, North Hills Country Club83
Chris Esbenshade, Bent Creek Country Club84
James Robertson, Llanerch Country Club84
Kyle Ginty, Talamore Country Club84
Quinn Dolan, Rolling Green Golf Club85
Brian Dempster, Mercer Oaks Golf Course86
David Gall, Riverton Country Club86
Robert Dietrich, Loch Nairn Golf Club86
Patrick O’Brien, North Hills Country Club87
Jamie Slonis, Tavistock Country ClubWD
Max Siegfried, Aronimink Golf ClubWD
Roc Irey, Lookaway Golf ClubDQ
Troy Vannucci, Little Mill Country ClubWD
 
DQ-disqualification; WD-withdrawal

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