Lancaster CC’s Detweiler tops U.S. Amateur Qualifier

 PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. – A fiery Brandon Detweiler of Lancaster CC carded a sensational 5-under-par 139 to earn medalist honors in Monday’s U.S. Amateur Qualifier at Cedabrook CC (par 72, 7,067 yards) and Sunnybrook GC (par 72, 7,001 yards). His “steady play on the par 5s” now translates into a place in the Championship proper, set for Aug. 23-29 at Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash.

  “I felt pretty good with the putter. My distance control was really good today,” Detweiler, of Akron, Pa. said. “I felt that I got the speed of the greens down pretty good.

 Following a steady 2-under-par 70 at Cedabrook, Detweiler truly surged at Sunnybrook, firing five birdies on his first nine holes. On No. 1 (par 4, 394 yards), he knocked his wedge 120 yards to 20-feet. The a soon-to-be senior at North Carolina State two-putted from 25-feet after smashing his 4-iron 220 yards on the par 5, 511-yard No. 3. Back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 5 (par 3, 173 yards) and 6 (par 4, 359 yards) punctured Detweiler’s scorecard. On the first, he hooked his 9-iron left and couldn’t save par from a “dead zone.” Detweiler thought he stuffed his wedge approach from 130 yards out on No. 6, but it found room on the back fringe. He flubbed a chip and failed to execute a 12-footer to save par.

  “I don’t know what happened there. It was a delicate chip with a side-hill lie, and I really didn’t know what to do with it,” Detweiler, 23, said.

  Detweiler’s best friend was on the horizon, though. He powered his hybrid more than 200 yards to the right of the No. 7 (par 5, 540 yard) green, hit a delicate downhill chip and converted a seven-footer for birdie. Detweiler pushed his 7-iron into the No. 8 (par 3, 222 yards) bunker and couldn’t get up-and-down for par. However, he laced his GAP wedge 111 yards to 10 feet on No. 9 (par 4, 354 yards) and cleaned up the birdie putt. Detweiler ripped his 5-iron to the middle of the No. 10 (par 5, 559 yards) green and two-putted from 25-feet to post consecutive red figures. He rolled in a six-footer for birdie on No. 17 (par 3, 201 yards) thanks to a terrific 6-iron tee shot.

  This will mark Detweiler’s second appearance in the U.S. Amateur Championship. He also qualified in 2008.

  “It’s nice. I was trying to come here, knowing if I play well I make it,” Detweiler said. “I wanted to do well, and I ended up winning medalist, which was kind of a bonus.”

  Amory Davis of Bidermann GC is now 2-for-2 when it comes to USGA qualifying events in 2010. The Chadds Ford, Pa. resident carded a 36-hole total 3-under-par 141 to place second. Davis also shared medalist honors in a U.S. Open Qualifier at The Springhaven Club earlier this year.

  Reaching 32 greens in regulation certainly aided Davis’ strong play.

  In the morning round at Sunnybrook, Davis, 21, showed two birdies and a bogey on the scorecard. Starting on the back nine, he two-putted from 10-feet for birdie on No. 16 (par 5, 536 yards) after thrashing his 3-iron 242 yards. The lone blemish occurred on the par 3, 222-yard 8th hole. Davis, a soon-to-be senior at the University of Virginia, launched his 6-iron short of the green and failed to get up-and-down for par. However, he executed a 20-foot breaker for birdie on No. 9 (par 4, 394 yards) following a solid 54-degree sand wedge shot from 118 yards away. Davis finished near the top of the leaderboard after Round 1 with a 1-under score.

  He started his afternoon at Cedarbrook with nine consecutive pars.

  “I was hitting it good enough to score. I knew I just needed to be patient,” Davis said. “The patience paid off.”

  It sure did. Three straight birdies re-energized Davis. On No. 10 (par 5, 536 yards), he hit a low-hook 4-iron 190 yards to the rear of the green, but recovered with a delicate chip to three feet; On No. 11 (par 4, 388 yards), Davis skied his pitching wedge 162 yards over an obstructing tree and executed an eight-footer for birdie. He pumped his 3-iron 245 yards to the right of the No. 12 (par 5, 558 yards) green, chipped up and tapped-in a six-footer. Davis caught a “bad break” on No. 15 (par 4, 431 yards) after his drive went through the fairway and into the tree-line. He punched back on, but eventually carded a bogey. Davis whacked his 7-iron 178 yards on No. 18 (par 4, 401 yards) and drained a downhill 30-footer for birdie.

  Davis returns to the U.S. Amateur after qualifying last year at the Golf Course at Glen Mills and Concord CC.

  “I don’t try to bite off more than I can chew in these qualifiers. I play real patient and try to play bogey-free golf,” he said.

  Michael Brown of Lookaway GC, Marc Mandel of White Manor CC and Robert Savarese of Philadelphia Cricket Club carded 2-under-par 142s, respectively. Brown, fresh off of capturing the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Open Championship at Philmont CC, continued his exceptional play Monday.

  “I think accepting my limitations on the course has enabled me to play consistent golf this year,” the Cheltenham, Pa. resident said.

  Brown, 37, capped his qualifying bid by playing his final nine holes at Cedarbrook in under-par fashion. On No. 11, he drilled his 9-iron 141 yards and drained a 20-footer for birdie. With 64 yards and three strokes to work with on No. 12, Brown registered yet another red figure. On No. 14 (par 4, 447 yards), he pierced his 9-iron 135 yards and cleaned up a 15-footer birdie. A string of “scared pars” later, Brown earned a spot in the Championship proper, his first-ever after eight attempts.

  “It really is a thrill,” Brown, the 2009 GAP Middle-Amateur Champion, said.

  Mandel, of Conshohocken, Pa., relied on consistency throughout the day.

  “I felt pretty good with my driving and my irons as well,” he said. “I hit it close in the morning round. I think I hit every green on the front. I had a strong finish in the morning round, which really helped.”

  Three red figures on his final four holes at Cedarbrook CC boosted Mandel’s play. He powered his pitching wedge to 15-feet on No. 15 and completed the uphill putt. Mandel laced his downhill, downwind 8-iron 180 yards to five-feet on No. 17. Posting a 3 under score in the morning didn’t come easy. Mandel, 28, pumped his 8-iron 145 yards to the left of the No. 18 green, but watched his gentle chip coast into the cup for birdie.

  Mandel’s round at Sunnybrook began the same way it ended at Cedarbrook. With 135 yards to the No. 10 (par 5, 559 yards) hole location, Mandel struck his GAP wedge 135 yards to five feet. His 6-iron approach on No. 13 (par 4, 421 yards) landed on the green but bolted significantly left. A bad chip and unsuccessful six-footer created a double bogey on the scorecard. Mandel’s 5-iron on the par 3, 201-yard 17th hole missed the green left. He chipped up to 15-feet but failed to save par.

  Sunnybrook’s par 3s continued to torment Mandel. His 7-iron drifted into the right rough on No. 5 (par 3, 173 yards). Mandel then returned to the green, only to see his six-footer for par skirt the right edge. His smooth pitching wedge approach on No. 6 (par 4, 359 yards) traveled 140 yards and stopped six-feet in front of the flagstick. Mandel cleaned up the under-par chance. His eight-footer for birdie on the strenuous par 5, 540-yard No. 7 lipped out. However, Mandel exacted revenge on the course’s par 3s. He nuked his 3-iron to the back of the green on No. 8 (par 3, 222 yards) and drained a surprising downhill 60-footer.

  This will mark Mandel’s first appearance in the U.S. Amateur Championship. He qualified for the 2007 U.S. Mid.-Am. at Milwaukee CC.

  “I’ve been playing pretty well all summer. It’s awesome,” Mandel said. “It (the U.S. Amateur) will be a fun experience.”

  Savarese, of Lafayette Hill, Pa., finished his morning session at Cedarbrook in even-par fashion. But he almost dug himself an early grave at Sunnybrook. Savarese, 41, steered his drive on No. 1 (par 4, 394 yards) onto the adjacent driving range. He then played the wrong ball to receive a two-stroke penalty.

  “It was the same ball (on the range), a Titleist 3. When I hit it on the green, it wasn’t mine,” he said. “Needless to say, I played really well from there.”

  Savarese registered four birdies in the afternoon session, three of which occurred during his outward tour at Sunnybrook. On No. 3 (par 5, 511 yards), he hammered his 3-wood into the front greenside bunker and struck spectacular sand shot to two feet. His pitching wedge on No. 6 sailed 124 yards and set up shop 20-feet from the flagstick. He then converted the challenging right-to-left breaker. He pulverized his 3-wood on No. 7 to within 30 yards of the hole location. Savarese then flipped a wedge to 10-feet and cleaned up the birdie putt. His final birdie of the day came on No. 12 (par 4, 366 yards) after Savarese stopped his pitching wedge at 12-feet.

  At Cedarbrook, Savarese blasted a wedge out of the fairway bunker on No. 17 and sunk an 18-footer for birdie. Savarese, who finished third in the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Middle-Amateur Championship at Philadelphia Cricket Club’s Militia Hill Course earlier this year, will now participate in his fourth U.S. Amateur Championship, but first since 1997.

  “It seems like I have one good round and one bad round this year. So it’s nice that this was one day for me,” he said. “I’m a one-day golfer.”

  Henry Smart of Charlottesville, Va. edged Jeffrey Osberg of Llanerch CC in a two-hole, sudden-death playoff to gain the sixth and final qualifying spot Monday. Smart fired a birdie on No. 17 at Sunnybrook to squeeze in.