POTTSTOWN, Pa. — The Chip Lutz locomotive arrived at its desired destination Wednesday. The relentless LedgeRock GC member defeated a steadfast Craig Scott of Huntingdon Valley CC, 3&2, to capture the Brewer Cup Senior title at Bellewood GC.
| Chip Lutz receives the Brewer Cup trophy from its namesake, O. Gordon Brewer, Jr. |
“I’m thrilled to have my name on a trophy in honor of Gordon,” Lutz, of Reading, Pa., said. Anytime I get my name on a Golf Association of Philadelphia trophy is always fantastic. It’s something you hope to achieve over your various points of life. I was fortunate I played as I well as I did over the course of the tournament to come out on top.”
Lutz emerged as the tournament’s titan when he qualified as the No. 1 seed Monday. The reigning Senior Player of the Year showcased his superior stature in the Final. Lutz, 56, stuck a 60-degree wedge 90 yards to two feet on No. 1 (par 4, 389 yards) to earn a conceded birdie and a 1-up lead. After a bogey on No. 4 (par 4, 366 yards), Lutz reclaimed command by drilling a 9-iron to a foot on the downhill par 3, 158-yard No. 6.
“It was a perfect club for me on that hole. I felt confident with it and executed a great shot,” he said.
The next par 3 (No. 8, 200 yards) saw the match tilt farther in Lutz’s favor. He executed a spectacular up-and-down from the front left bunker. Scott struggled off the tee, veering his 4-iron behind the aforementioned bunker. He reached the green with a sound chip, but two-putted from 15 feet.
“It’s been a bad hole for me every time I’ve played it,” Scott said. “I never really felt comfortable there.”
In his three previous matches, Lutz birdied the par 4, 397-yard 11th hole. He followed that trend against Scott, hitting a 60-degree wedge 75 yards to eight feet above the hole location.
“For some reason, that hole’s been very good to me,” Lutz said. “I hit it about hole-high. It released out, and I had a good uphill putt coming back to it. Ball-positioning on these greens is really critical.”
Scott’s moment to make a move came on the treacherous No. 13 (par 4, 337 yards). A low 58-degree wedge shot from 70 yards out checked nicely and coasted on the sloping green to two feet. Scott, however, missed a birdie putt that could’ve changed the momentum.
| Craig Scott |
“It was one of those where you have it short, you want to ram it in the back, and I just got so quick on the transition through that I pulled it just a hair and it went left,” Scott said. “That was a turn-around. I just got anxious with that putt.”
Lutz was dormie on the uphill par 4, 387-yard 16th hole. He pulverized a pitching wedge 112 yards to eight feet. Scott rifled a 9-iron 127 yards to 25 feet above the flagstick and watched the downhill slider drop for a 3. A proficient putter all week, Lutz converted his red figure putt to halve the hole and to win his second Senior Division tournament.
“I stayed with my fundamentals this week,” Lutz, who captured last year’s Chapman Memorial (Gross), said. “I had great patience throughout the entire tournament. That was really the key to my victory.”
This marked Scott’s second finish as runner-up in the Brewer Cup. He fell to clubmate and friend David Brookreson in the 2008 Final at Huntingdon Valley CC.
“It was just an honor to get here with the caliber of players we have,” Scott, of Marshalls Creek, Pa., said. “I knew going in against Chip that he’s a special player. He’s a fine gentleman and played great today. He hits it long. He hits it straight. Those are pretty good ingredients for success. Even though I lost, I lost to a great player at a great level of golf.”
Semifinals
Lutz birdied the first hole (No. 1, par 4, 389 yards) to immediately hop into the driver’s seat in his semifinals match against defending champion Robin McCool of Saucon Valley CC. McCool, of Bethlehem, Pa., bogeyed Nos. 3 (par 4, 366 yards) and 4 (par 4, 417 yards) and double-bogeyed No. 6 (par 4, 411 yards) to plummet into a hole he would never climb out of.
“I was about five yards off directionally on most of my shots,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of talent among all of the seniors in the GAP. To make it to the semifinals in our match play championship is an accomplishment. We always like to repeat last year’s magic, but it didn’t work out.”
Scott dispatched a determined Francis McFadden of Overbrook GC in 19 holes to advance. On No.1, McFadden, of Newtown Square, Pa., dumped his GAP wedge 118 yards into the front bunker and failed to get up-and-down for par. Scott’s chip shot from 20 feet behind the flagstick stopped a foot shy, and he was conceded par.
“Neither of us played any good. It was a 20-ounce pillow fight,” McFadden said.
Final
Chip Lutz, LedgeRock GC d. Craig Scott, Huntingdon Valley CC, 3&2
Semifinals
Lutz d. Robin McCool, Saucon Valley CC, 6&5
Scott d. Francis McFadden, Overbrook GC, 19 holes
