HVCC’s Osberg tops compact Patterson Cup field after Round 1

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Silver Cross standings | William Hyndman, III Player of the Year standings |

  HUNTINGDON VALLEY, Pa.– The 114th Joseph H. Patterson Cup is shaping up to be the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s version of Groundhog Day. As if scripted, and seemingly predictable, multiple-time Major Champions Michael McDermott and Jeff Osberg are once again prominently placed on the leaderboard after the opening round on Thursday at Huntingdon Valley Country Club (Toomey/Flynn, par 70, 6,889 yards). Osberg, a HVCC member, leads at 2-under-par 68 with McDermott sitting in an eight-way tie for third at even. A total of 14 players reside at 1-over or better.

Lu Lu Country Club’s Jack Melville and Stone Harbor Golf Club’s Peter Barron, III, share second at 1-under par. Barron, Melville and Osberg start their second round at 11:10 a.m. McDermott begins at 11 a.m.

  The cut line for the low 60 players and ties landed at 6 over with 68 players advancing.

  In early June, McDermott defeated Osberg in a scintillating Final for the 116th BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship at Merion Golf Club (East), 1-up. A few weeks ago, Osberg turned the tables and captured the 112th Open Championship in a playoff over Chris Crawford at The Ridge at Back Brook. McDermott tied for third.

  Tomorrow, the Patterson Cup, the Silver Cross (they are 1-2 in the standings) and, likely, William Hyndman, III Player of the Year Award (Osberg leads McDermott by 75 points), are on the line. Last year, Osberg edged McDermott, a five-time POY, for his first William Hyndman, III Player of the Year.

  “I played great,” said Osberg, who also won the 2010 Patterson Cup. “I hit 17 greens. I really only had one bad swing. I didn’t really have to grind over a lot today. It was nice to not put a lot of stress on myself. I would have liked to probably hit it below the hole a few more times. I had a lot of downhill putts today which is tough here. I was happy to come in under par.”

  Osberg, who started on the back nine, turned in 2 under with birdies on Nos. 14 (par 4, 456 yards) and 15 (par 5, 576 yards). He knocked an 8-iron from 160 yards out on No. 14 to 20 feet and then reached No. 15 in two shots and tapped-in for birdie.

  Osberg moved to 3-under on No. 1 (par 4, 382 yards) when his 60-degree wedge stopped a foot from the hole but gave it back on No. 2 (par 4, 445 yards) after his drive kicked into the left woods resulting in a bogey. He finished with seven straight pars, narrowly missing a handful of birdie chances.

  “I put myself in a position to be in contention tomorrow,” said Osberg, 32, of Bryn Mawr, Pa. “Hopefully, I can go out and play the way I played today and make a few more putts.”

  Melville, who played in the morning, and Barron, who teed it up in the afternoon, stand a shot back.

  Melville, 18, of Maple Glen, Pa., carded three birdies and two bogeys, including a hard-to-take over-par score on No. 18 (par 4, 450 yards), after finding the greenside bunker. The soon-to-be University of Delaware freshman missed a 15-foot par save that would have kept him tied for the lead.

  “It was really good to finally put up a good number,” said Melville. “I’ve been kind of struggling all summer. But I had good control of the golf ball and left the ball in really good places. It made the round pretty easy just hitting fairways and greens.”

  Barron, who opened with a double bogey on No. 1 (par 4, 382 yards) and bogey on No. 3 (par 3, 210 yards) closed with a birdie-birdie finish to join the final group. On No. 17 (par 3, 198 yards), Barron knocked a 7-iron from 190 yards to eight feet and then on No. 18 (par 4, 450 yards) laced a 5-iron from 194 yards to 12 feet.

  The 2014 Middle-Amateur Championship presented by Callaway Golf victor, said his score of 69 was a career-best on a track he’s traversed “five or six times.”

  “I think it’s the first time I broke 74 here,” said Barron, 40, of Mays Landing, N.J. “I played in the Delaware Open to practice for this, but something clicked and it’s still going.”

  That practice turned into hardware when Barron won the Delaware State Golf Association Open Championship this Tuesday.

  McDermott, widely-regarded as the Association’s top Amateur of the past decade-plus, was 3 under after four holes and 4 under after five holes. However, he found four bogeys in the last 13 holes to finish even.

  “I can’t be upset about shooting 70, I’m in the hunt, but the truth is I probably let a good one get away,” said McDermott, 41, of Bryn Mawr, Pa.

  McDermott turned in 3-under and said he “hit it better on the back nine,” but didn’t score.

  “I feel very good about my game,” said McDermott. “I’m close enough to where I need to be for tomorrow.”

  Stay tuned for the sequel.

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.