Jericho National GC’s Bartolacci wins Warner Cup (Gross)

HAVERTOWN, Pa. – Wayne Bartolacci of Jericho National GC etched the family name on another piece of Golf Association of Philadelphia hardware Thursday.

  He carded a 2-over-par 73 at a gusty and strenuous Llanerch CC Thursday to win the Francis B. Warner Cup (Gross). The victory marked Bartolacci’s first-ever victory on the GAP circuit.

  “It is a little surprising,” Bartolacci, of Langhorne, Pa., said. “I played pretty well on the front. The course was set up real difficult. The pins were tough and the wind was blowing. I just held it in there. If you don’t make good putts out here, you’re not going to score.”

  Bartolacci, who started on the back nine, drained a left-to-right three-footer for birdie on No. 12 (par 3, 164 yards), which was set up by his 5-iron tee shot. He chipped in for a second birdie on No. 15 (par 4, 317 yards) after hitting his approach 9-iron into the rough. Before making the turn, Bartolacci further burrowed his score by striking an approach 58-degree wedge 68 yards and draining a two-footer for birdie.

  A hiccup revealed its unwanted presence on No. 2 (par 4, 430 yards) as Bartolacci, 56, failed to convert a five-footer for par. He also carded a bogey on the par 3, 196 yard 4th hole. He boomed his 5-iron over the green and neglected to get up-and-down.

  “I’m saying it’s alright, it’s not easy,” Bartolacci said.

  That reassurance proved vital as Bartolacci carded a birdie on No. 5 (par 5, 540 yards). He crushed his 3-rescue 230 yards to within 15-feet and two-putted. Two solid pars later, Bartolacci stood at 1 under and seemingly put a stamp on a victory. However, an errant 3-rescue on No. 8 (par 3, 203 yards) settled to the right of the green. He chipped onto to the green, but it rolled back and Bartolacci three-putted for double bogey. He then noticed his brother Thomas of Saucon Valley CC, a multiple-time GAP Senior champion and former Senior Player of the Year, who came out to show his support.

  “Usually, when he shows up, he’s the cat. He says, ‘Do you want me to leave?” Wayne Bartolacci said. “When he comes around, sometimes things don’t happen. But I said, ‘No, you stay.’ I asked him what was leading, and he said 74, so I knew I could make bogey. But sometimes playing for bogey is worse.”

  If Bartolacci was playing for bogey, he attained it on No. 9 (par 5, 489 yards), his final hole. He laid up with a 5-iron, but it landed in the rough, 80 yards away from the flagstick. He didn’t reach the green with his ensuing chip and went on to two-putt for bogey. But it didn’t prove costly in the end.

  Bartolacci, who has dealt with a few physical problems in recent years, considers Thursday’s victory to be a rewarding one.

  “It’s been a struggle, but it feels good,” Bartolacci said.

  Chip Lutz of LedgeRock GC, playing in his first event in the GAP Senior Division, carded a 3-over-par 74 to finish second.

  “It was a little sketchy starting. I only hit two greens in regulation,” Lutz said. “I struggled keeping the ball on the fairway, and if you miss it here, it was really troublesome. The rough was so thick, and if the ball found the bottom, it was get it out and control it,” he said. “And with the greens being as firm as they were, it was really difficult.”

  Lutz, 55, started his round by making a critical save on No. 1 (par 4, 397 yards). His drive found the left-side rough, and Lutz then nuked his approach pitching wedge over the green.

  “That’s almost death back there, but I hit a wonderful shot and made a 15-footer for par,” he said.

  On the following hole, the par 3, 196-yard 4th, Lutz launched his 6-iron over the green again, but chipped it to within eight feet from the flagstick and converted his par putt. The par 5, 540-yard 5th hole marked one of Lutz’s many obstacles. He blasted his rescue 235 yards into the left-side bunker, but extricated himself successfully and two-putted to make par.

  “It could’ve been mayhem. It was a really difficult day to play,” Lutz, of Wyomissing, Pa., said. “I only made three bogeys on the front nine, but I was really pleased with three bogeys, because it could’ve been an ugly nine. The par saves kept me in the round today.”

  Lutz’s first red figure of the day came on No. 11 (par 4, 412 yards). With a downwind approach, he stuck his 60-degree wedge 92 yards to three feet and drained the ensuing birdie putt. But Lutz went on to card a bogey on No. 12 (par 3, 151 yards) after his 7-iron from 176 yards out settled 20-feet below the flagstick. His uphill birdie attempt stopped two-feet short of the cup, and Lutz failed to convert his next putt for par.

  “The wind gusted, and it knocked me off balance to the point where I missed the putt,” he said.

  A second “disappointing” bogey occurred on No. 16 (par 5, 500 yards) thanks to a three-putt after his approach 52-degree gap wedge hit the green and retracted backwards. But Lutz rallied and converted a downhill 10-footer for birdie on No. 17 (par 3, 148 yards) after a solid 8-iron off the tee. He finished with a par on No. 18 (par 4, 296 yards) after reaching the green with a lob wedge from 50 yards out.

  “It was really an unusual day,” Lutz said. “You needed to stay patient, but that was hard to do. There’s always that extra pressure when you come out in your first event. It was a great way for me to get started. It’s nice to be competitive after a challenging day.”

  Super-Senior Division
  O. Gordon Brewer of Pine Valley GC rebounded from early struggles to card a 4-over-par 75 and top the Super-Senior Division. He bogeyed his first six holes.

  “I hit a lot of good shots. It was just difficult to judge in this wind,” Brewer, 73, said.

  Brewer’s score began its downward drift on No. 14 (par 4, 402 yards). His approach 9-iron left Brewer 10-feet from the flagstick, and he cleaned up the birdie putt. On the monstrous par 5, 483-yard 16th hole, Brewer discovered the front of the green in two strokes courtesy of his 3-wood He then chipped up to two-feet and knocked in his birdie putt. On No. 18 (par 4, 286 yards), Brewer launched his drive just short of the green, chipped up and sunk a 14-footer to close his round with a birdie.

  “On the back, I made a lot of 5-footers,” Brewer said.

  After a challenging 2009 campaign, Brewer feels pleased to start this season with a victory.

  “It’s spectacular. At 73 years of age, any time you can play well in a Golf Association (of Philadelphia) event, you consider yourself very fortunate,” Brewer said.

  Francis B. Warner of Philadelphia Cricket Club served as secretary-treasurer for the Golf Association of Philadelphia for 18 years. After his death in 1933, the Association started the Francis B. Warner Cup, an 18-hole, stroke play Senior event, as an ongoing tribute in his memory. Llanerch CC hosted the event in 1959, when John Strain of Sandy Run CC won with a score of 71.