Links GC’s Cooper caps Amateur Qualifier at Tavistock

 HADDONFIELD, N.J. — Two fundamental changes may lead to a competitive golf transformation for Geoffrey Cooper of Links Golf Club. He adopted the stack and tilt approach nearly three years ago and switched putters after a tough outing in the New Jersey State Golf Association’s Middle-Amateur Championship last week.

  Cooper now feels more confident in his game. It showed Tuesday as the Philadelphia, Pa. resident earned medalist honors in an Amateur Championship Qualifier at Tavistock Country Club (par 72, 6,789 yards). Challenging greens and high winds made scoring difficult, but Cooper didn’t seem to mind. He carded a 1-under-par 71, the day’s lone subpar score, to lead a field of 135 players attempting to grab one of 30 qualifying positions and ties available for the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s 112th Amateur Championship, set for June 12-14 & 16 at Huntingdon Valley Country Club.

   “My work with Steve Sieracki [who operates the Stack and Tilt Golf Academy at Burlington Country Club] is getting better and better,” Cooper, 35, said. “Using the long putter has helped my short and long putting. For competitive golf, I’m just going to need to commit to it.”

  Cooper hit 16 greens in regulation. The two that he missed resulted in bogeys. Cooper flew the No. 1 (par 4, 355 yards) green with a 140-yard 9-iron shot, guided a chip to six feet and missed the par putt. Cooper nuked his 6-iron into the back bunker on No. 4 (par 3, 157 yards) and failed to get-up-and-down.

  Cooper, who works in sales, fired three birdies on his outward tour. He nearly holed an 80-yard wedge shot on No. 2 (par 5, 546 yards) for eagle. Cooper drilled an 8-iron 140 yards to 15 feet on No. 5 (par 5, 554 yards) and converted the right-to-left breaker. He hit a 56-degree wedge 55 yards to five feet on No. 7 (par 4, 340 yards). Cooper stayed steady on the back, adding a fourth birdie to the scorecard on No. 17 (par 5, 489 yards). He powered a 3-iron 210 yards to 20 feet and nearly executed the eagle try. A three-putt on the par 4, 430-yard 18th hole prevented a score in the 60s.

  The Amateur Championship is the only competitive tournament left on Cooper’s schedule. He and his wife Betsy are expecting their second child this summer.

   “We have a baby coming July 20, so I’m going to shut it down after this [the Championship proper],” Cooper said. “That’ll be my competitive outlet. I want to make match play. I’ve never made match play the last couple of years. I’ve played Huntingdon Valley a lot, and I’ve played it well, so I think I have a good chance.”

  Patrick Knott of Merion Golf Club carded a 1-over-par 72 to place second.

   “My short game saved me today, which you’d like to have out there,” he said. “I made a lot of 10 foot putts today. On greens this fast, it can be quite scary. It was really gut-it-out type round.”

  Starting on the back nine, Knott, 26, of Bryn Mawr, Pa., converted five straight pars before running into trouble on the dogleg left No. 15 (par 5, 542 yards). He attempted to hook a 6-iron around the corner, but beamed his golf ball directly into a row of trees. A punch 7-iron shot hit a tree, forcing Knott to exhaust a fourth stroke just to return to the fairway.

   “I compounded the mistake by trying to get too aggressive with my second and third shots,” he said.

  Knott, who works in investment management, recovered a stroke on No. 17 (par 5, 489 yards) by knocking a 9-iron 130 yards to six feet. He also birdied the par 5, 546-yard No. 2 after sending a sand wedge 106 yards to 10 feet left of the flagstick. Knott stuffed a 9-iron 130 yards to a foot on No. 5 (par 5, 554 yards) to move into subpar territory.

  A bogey on the following hole (No. 6, par 4, 424 yards) didn’t allow Knott to stay there long. He steered an 8-iron 155 yards into the left greenside bunker and failed to get up-and-down. Knott also bogeyed the par 3, 210-yard No. 8. His 4-iron hit the upslope and retracted to the front of the green. Knott hit a bump-and-run to 15 feet and didn’t save par.

   “I decided to play more competitive golf this summer,” Knott said. “I just want to keep working on my game and see what happens next.”

  At the end of the day, the cut line fell to 78.

  Tuesday’s qualifier was the first of two used to determine who will play in the Championship Proper next month. The second will take place May 17 at Penn Oaks Golf Club.

  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 145 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.