Kliewers repeat, capture Father & Son (Middle) at Burlington

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  MT. HOLLY, N.J. — The second time was even better than the first for Alan and Craig Kliewer. The Meadia Heights Golf Club duo successfully defended its Father & Son (Middle) title Thursday at a cool Burlington Country Club (par 70, 6,090 yards). They carded a 5-under-par 65 — an event scoring record, in relation to par. In its Father & Son tournament debut a year ago, the Kliewer team posted a 2-under-par 70 to triumph at Radley Run Country Club.

  “It’s amazing,” Craig, 54, of Ephrata, Pa., said. “You come here with expectations of playing well, and to even play better than we did last year is fantastic.”

  “To repeat is something special,” Alan, 26, of Denver, Pa., added. “We hit the ball well and tried to continue momentum throughout the tournament. We were just happy that putts fell.”

  The putts fell and fell frequently; the Kliewer team notched seven birdies on the day.

  “We got on a roll where we’d use Alan’s tee shot, my shot into the green and he’d knock in the putt. It got to be that way and we kept feeding off of that,” Craig, who sells building materials to manufacturers in the housing industry, said. “He’s been putting the ball fantastically lately. Every eight-footer or so I gave him, he made.”

  “Once you see a few go in, you kind of get the feeling that you can make everything you look at,” Alan, who works in cost accounting for one of Craig’s clients, added. “I kind of had that feeling today. I told my dad, ‘get the putter in my hand.’ You get confidence and it continues to grow throughout the round.”

  Alan demonstrated that burgeoning confidence through back-to-back birdies on Nos. 3 (par 4, 356 yards) and 4 (par 5, 479 yards). Craig smashed a 6-iron 165 yards to 45 feet and Alan converted a testy right-to-left breaker; Craig eased a chip to four feet on the latter; Alan cleaned up the putt. A bogey on the par 4, 380-yard No. 8 served as a brief setback. A heavy gap wedge from 105 yards, courtesy of Craig, fell short of the green. Alan ran a chip into the hill and watched it roll to 10 feet. The two rekindled their red rhythm by rattling off three straight birdies. On No. 9 (par 4, 390 yards), Craig reclaimed his smooth set-up role by knocking an 8-iron 140 yards to eight feet. Alan stopped a 9-iron at three feet on the par 3, 134-yard 10th hole. His monstrous drive on No. 11 (par 4, 332 yards) cleared the water hazard and left Craig with a manageable uphill chip, which he executed to four feet.

  “When he drives it well and gets a wedge in my hand, I’m usually pretty good,” Craig said.

  With Craig confident in his wedges and Alan in his putter, the Kliewer team continued to score well. Craig hit a gap wedge 105 yards to four feet for a 4 on No. 14 (par 5, 524 yards); a pitching wedge 110 yards to eight feet for a 3 on No. 15 (par 4, 383 yards). A three-putt bogey on No. 18 (par 4, 275 yards) merely changed the scoring record from 6 to 5 under, in relation to par.

  “It was a total team effort today,” Alan said.

  “When you do well, you get some momentum going and you come back,” Craig added. “We love competing together. We play in everything we can. It’s always fun to play with your son. We’re just blessed to have each other and be able to do what we do.”

  Wildwood Golf & Country Club’s Steve Owens and Steve Owens, III, who played alongside the Kliewer team, posted a 3-under-par 67 to finish second. Doylestown Country Club’s David and Zach Smith were the last team to repeat as champions in the Father & Son (Middle). They did so in 2009-10. The Smith team placed third Thursday with a 68.

NOTES
  Huntingdon Valley Country Club’s Benjamin Cooley aced No. 10 (par 3, 134 yards) with a 9-iron. It was his first hole-in-one.

  The Father & Son (Middle) tournament is for those father and son teams with sons 18 to 29 years old. The event was conceived in 2008 because of the high demand for participation in both the Father & Son (Younger), which celebrates its 57th anniversary this year, and the Older tournament, an event in its 103rd year.

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  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 150 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.