GALLOWAY, N.J. — Jim Kelleher and Joseph Roeder played a lot of basketball together, which isn’t surprising. Both stand a dunk-friendly 6-foot-4. But these days, golf is the sport of choice for Kelleher and Roeder, both of Little Mill Country Club.
On Tuesday, the two towered over the 80-team field in the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s 42nd Four-Ball Stroke Play Championship. They carded a stellar 7-under-par 64 at Galloway National Golf Club (par 71, 6,605 yards) to triumph. Kelleher’s putter caught fire; he made seven birdies on his own ball.
“I recently got a tip from a really good friend of mine, Eddie O’Brien,” Kelleher, 56, of Medford, N.J., said. “I used it today, and it was just one of those days where everything’s going in. The speed was perfect. The greens were quick enough that you really didn’t have to hit it hard.”
“I just enjoyed watching him. It was a treat to watch him play that way,” Roeder, 52, of Marlton, N.J., said.
The putting spectacle began on No. 1 (par 4, 395 yards), where Kelleher hit a wedge 105 yards to 15 feet for a 3. He drilled a 9-iron 120 yards to 25 feet on No. 3 (par 4, 370 yards) and watched his ensuing putt ride the right-to-left break perfectly. The Kelleher and Roeder team capped its outward tour with back-to-back birdies. Kelleher stopped a 6-iron at 10 feet on the par 3, 173-yard No. 8. He and Roeder reached the No. 9 (par 5, 515 yards) green in regulation. Roeder, eight feet inside of his partner’s golf ball, decided to putt first, hoping to show his teammate the line. It paid off as Kelleher executed a 15-footer after a sand wedge set-up from 90 yards.
The lighthearted moment on the next par 5 (No. 11, 508 yards) kept the Kelleher and Roeder team in the moment. After sending his second shot onto the bank of the water hazard, Roeder removed his shoes and socks, took his grimy stance and played his third shot.
“It actually really motivated him (Kelleher) to start playing well,” Roeder, a pilot, said jokingly. Right on cue, Kelleher powered a 3-rescue 215 yards over the green and lofted a downhill chip to 10 feet for a 4.
A pair of par saves from Roeder allowed the team to remain atop the leaderboard. On No. 13 (par 4, 425 yards), Kelleher’s drive caught the right fairway bunker. He exhausted three strokes in the extrication process and then relied on Roeder, who reached the green in regulation and executed a solid two-putt from 40 feet. Roeder converted a sand save on the par 3, 193-yard 14th hole. Kelleher’s thanks came in the form of a birdie on No. 15, where he smashed a 7-iron 145 yards to 20 feet and drained the right-to-left breaker.
“I thought I missed it right and I started walking to the ball as it was rolling. It just curved and went in,” Kelleher, a business manager for Lockheed Martin, said.
Galloway’s 18th hole (par 4, 420 yards), as any formidable closing hole does, decided the tournament’s outcome. Huntingdon Valley Country Club’s Benjamin Smith and Little Mill’s Paul Tighe, playing in the group ahead, stood at 5 under when they arrived. Smith hit a downwind wedge 125 yards to six feet and converted the birdie putt. The Kelleher and Roeder team, thinking it held a three-shot lead at the time, responded with a wild 3 of its own. Kelleher smacked an 8-iron 152 yards to 17 feet and sunk the right-to-left slider.
Kelleher and Roeder last competed in the Four-Ball Stroke Play Championship in 2007. They decided to re-enlist given the venue, which Roeder previously played. It was Kelleher’s first time on the course.
“It was great coaching him around,” Roeder said.
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 143 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.
Gross
Name, club
Score
Joseph Roeder/Jim Kelleher, Little Mill CC
64
Benjamin Smith/Paul Tighe, Huntingdon Valley CC/Little Mill CC
65
Thomas Finn/Robert Bechtold, Back Creek GC/Fieldstone GC
66
Joe April/Marc Mandel, Philadelphia Cricket Club
69
Timothy Dolan/John Hubbert, III, Galloway National GC
69
Bradley Cusick/Robert Arthur, Tavistock CC
69
John Albertson/Steven Marcozzi, Wildwood G&CC/Stone Harbor GC
69
Bill Burke/Lewis Sofield, Sea Oaks GC
70
Joseph Russo/Thomas Alestock, Laurel Creek CC/Running Deer GC
70
Dave Marshall/Andy Beittel, Trenton CC/Bala GC
71
Russell Loue/Adam Warner, Merchantville CC
71
Alexander Maguire, Jr./Alexander Maguire, Sr., Brookside CC
71
James Braunsberg/Gerald Henderson, Blue Bell CC
71
Robert Dziak/Bobby Kershner, The Springhaven Club/Spring Ford CC
71
David West/Chris Yard, Whitford CC
71
Pat Curiale/Andrew Dietz, Medford Village CC/Laurel Creek CC
71
Paul Kovalcheck/Frank Kovalcheck, Kennett Square G&CC
71
Reid Carnes/Mark Kosko, Sea Oaks GC
72
Daniel Mahoney/John Stepanik, Lu Lu CC
72
Doug Fedoryshyn/Bill Dwyer, Concord CC
72
Phil Cillo/Matthew Gaffney, Little Mill CC
72
Kevin Bair/Michael Walker, Loch Nairn GC
72
John Marshalek/Mike McLane, Whitford CC/Stone Harbor GC
73
James Kaiser/David Guertler, Tavistock CC/Laurel Creek CC
73
Jason Kowalski/Robert Kowalski, Yardley CC/Philadelphia Publinks GA
74
Jim Gavaghan/Ryan Hayward, Jericho National GC
74
J. Kirk Luntey/Donald Dissinger, Merion GC
74
Jeffrey Zalis/Mike Dunn, Little Mill CC
74
Brian Fisher/Ari Flaisher, Philadelphia Publinks GA/McCall G&CC
74
Neil Gordon/John Simone, Five Ponds GC/Philmont CC
74
Richard Umani/Christopher Terebesi, Honeybrook GC
74
Hugh Miller/Brian Foxx, Cherry Valley CC
75
Garrett Basalyga/Dan Farragut, Cedarbrook CC/Philadelphia Cricket Club
75
Tripp Durham/George Petrellis, Blue Bell CC
75
Jim Muehlbronner/Michael Shoup, Sandy Run CC
76
George Hodges/James Beam, Merion GC/Manufacturers G&CC
76
Andrew Willis/Patrick Conroy, Applebrook GC/Llanerch CC
77
Graham Desmond/Rich Linkchorst, GC at Glen Mills
77
Scott Kim/David Lee, White Manor CC/Blue Bell CC
77
Marc Bricker/Andrew LaRosa, Whitford CC
77
Pierce Herbst/Paul Koelling, Greate Bay CC
77
Daniel Kilpatrick/Michael Korcuba, Medford Village CC
77
James Wiley/John Patton, Lu Lu CC/Little Mill CC
78
Matt Bell/Alex Clark, Hidden Creek GC
78
William Rolli/Kenny Engel, Jr., Philadelphia Publinks GA/North Hills CC
78
Matthew Hilbush/Bob Dick, Commonwealth National GC
78
Jeremy Defilippis/Jeff Ervin, Sea Oaks GC
78
Frank Petrillo/Carl Danzig, Glen Oak CC
78
Pat O’Neil/Steven Meyer, Commonwealth National GC
78
Scott Tunis/Chris Esbenshade, Bent Creek CC
79
Brian Powell/Mark Hodgson, Burlington CC
79
Jeff Thomsen/Scott Carpenter, Cherry Valley CC
80
Arthur Scherr/Frank Setzman, Penn Oaks GC/Edgmont CC
80
Chad Collingwood/Kevin Seese, Spring Ford CC/Huntingdon Valley CC
80
Wayne Diluigi/Fred Spratt, Running Deer GC
80
David Maddock/Michael Manci, Glen Oak CC
80
Richard Riesenberg/Tom Morrison, Commonwealth National GC
80
Bob Abramski/John Cech, Talamore CC/Riverton CC
81
John Burchmore/Russell Baribault, Edgmont CC/Inniscrone GC
81
Mark Gerdelmann/Matthew Manfred, Blue Bell CC
82
Evan Angel/John Prestwood, Edgmont CC/St. Davids GC
82
Sean Fox/Phil Dove, Laurel Creek CC
82
Bob Mancini/Bob Kubica, Sea Oaks GC
82
Gregory Hurchalla/Charles Hurchalla, The Springhaven Club/Stonewall
83
Adam Lubenow/John Cylc, Little Mill CC
83
Richard Turner/Mark Horner, Llanerch CC
83
Ron Mittendorf/Timothy Gaughan, Blue Bell CC
83
John Filmyer/Joseph Dollinger, Lu Lu CC
84
Brady Marrone/Lin Bunting, Riverton CC/Hartefeld National
85
David Lovitz/David Macesic, Lu Lu CC
85
Shawn Burns/Steve Burns, Cedarbrook CC/Bellewood CC
86
Mark Bond/Gary Johnson, Seaview Resort/DuPont CC
87
Robert Jenkins/William Penney, Spring Ford CC
89
John Siegrist/Gary Feinberg, Philadelphia Publinks GA/Hidden Creek GC
89
Eric Whorral/Harold Alwood, Jr., Old York Road CC
90
Tom Paul/Jay McMenamin, Running Deer GC
91
Loren Pearson/Bob Mattson, Old York Road CC
95
Frank Mancini, Jr./Robert Sabat, Sea Oaks GC
95
Rick Coroniti/Carmen Caruso, RiverCrest GC/Spring Ford CC
96
Grant Parnagian/Stephen Cooper, Laurel Creek CC
98
Net
Name, club
Score
Joseph Roeder/Jim Kelleher, Little Mill CC
61
Timothy Dolan/John Hubbert, III, Galloway National GC
64
Bill Burke/Lewis Sofield, Sea Oaks GC
64
Thomas Finn/Robert Bechtold, Back Creek GC/Fieldstone GC
65
John Marshalek/Mike McLane, Whitford CC/Stone Harbor GC
65
Arthur Scherr/Frank Setzman, Penn Oaks GC/Edgmont CC
65
Benjamin Smith/Paul Tighe, Huntingdon Valley CC/Little Mill CC
66
Bradley Cusick/Robert Arthur, Tavistock CC
66
John Albertson/Steven Marcozzi, Wildwood G&CC/Stone Harbor GC
67
Jason Kowalski/Robert Kowalski, Yardley CC/Philadelphia Publinks GA
67
Bob Mancini/Bob Kubica, Sea Oaks GC
67
Dave Marshall/Andy Beittel, Trenton CC/Bala GC
68
Russell Loue/Adam Warner, Merchantville CC
68
Alexander Maguire, Jr./Alexander Maguire, Sr., Brookside CC
68
Reid Carnes/Mark Kosko, Sea Oaks GC
68
Phil Cillo/Matthew Gaffney, Little Mill CC
68
Scott Kim/David Lee, White Manor CC/Blue Bell CC
68
James Wiley/John Patton, Lu Lu CC/Little Mill CC
68
Robert Dziak/Bobby Kershner, The Springhaven Club/Spring Ford CC
69
Pat Curiale/Andrew Dietz, Medford Village CC/Laurel Creek CC
69
Daniel Mahoney/John Stepanik, Lu Lu CC
69
George Hodges/James Beam, Merion GC/Manufacturers G&CC
69
Andrew Willis/Patrick Conroy, Applebrook GC/Llanerch CC
69
Richard Turner/Mark Horner, Llanerch CC
69
Joseph Russo/Thomas Alestock, Laurel Creek CC/Running Deer GC
70
James Braunsberg/Gerald Henderson, Blue Bell CC
70
David West/Chris Yard, Whitford CC
70
James Kaiser/David Guertler, Tavistock CC/Laurel Creek CC
70
Jim Gavaghan/Ryan Hayward, Jericho National GC
70
J. Kirk Luntey/Donald Dissinger, Merion GC
70
Brian Fisher/Ari Flaisher, Philadelphia Publinks GA/McCall G&CC
70
Matt Bell/Alex Clark, Hidden Creek GC
70
Jeremy Defilippis/Jeff Ervin, Sea Oaks GC
70
Pat O’Neil/Steven Meyer, Commonwealth National GC
70
Wayne Diluigi/Fred Spratt, Running Deer GC
70
Richard Riesenberg/Tom Morrison, Commonwealth National GC
70
Mark Gerdelmann/Matthew Manfred, Blue Bell CC
70
Gregory Hurchalla/Charles Hurchalla, The Springhaven Club/Stonewall
70
Joe April/Marc Mandel, Philadelphia Cricket Club
71
Kevin Bair/Michael Walker, Loch Nairn GC
71
Neil Gordon/John Simone, Five Ponds GC/Philmont CC
71
Garrett Basalyga/Dan Farragut, Cedarbrook CC/Philadelphia Cricket Club
71
Jim Muehlbronner/Michael Shoup, Sandy Run CC
71
Marc Bricker/Andrew LaRosa, Whitford CC
71
Pierce Herbst/Paul Koelling, Greate Bay CC
71
Matthew Hilbush/Bob Dick, Commonwealth National GC
71
Evan Angel/John Prestwood, Edgmont CC/St. Davids GC
71
Eric Whorral/Harold Alwood, Jr., Old York Road CC
71
Paul Kovalcheck/Frank Kovalcheck, Kennett Square G&CC
72
Doug Fedoryshyn/Bill Dwyer, Concord CC
72
Jeffrey Zalis/Mike Dunn, Little Mill CC
72
Hugh Miller/Brian Foxx, Cherry Valley CC
72
Tripp Durham/George Petrellis, Blue Bell CC
72
Sean Fox/Phil Dove, Laurel Creek CC
72
Mark Bond/Gary Johnson, Seaview Resort/DuPont CC
72
Richard Umani/Christopher Terebesi, Honeybrook GC
73
William Rolli/Kenny Engel, Jr., Philadelphia Publinks GA/North Hills CC
73
Frank Petrillo/Carl Danzig, Glen Oak CC
73
Scott Tunis/Chris Esbenshade, Bent Creek CC
73
Chad Collingwood/Kevin Seese, Spring Ford CC/Huntingdon Valley CC
73
Bob Abramski/John Cech, Talamore CC/Riverton CC
73
John Burchmore/Russell Baribault, Edgmont CC/Inniscrone GC
73
Adam Lubenow/John Cylc, Little Mill CC
73
Robert Jenkins/William Penney, Spring Ford CC
73
Graham Desmond/Rich Linkchorst, GC at Glen Mills
74
Jeff Thomsen/Scott Carpenter, Cherry Valley CC
74
John Filmyer/Joseph Dollinger, Lu Lu CC
74
Brady Marrone/Lin Bunting, Riverton CC/Hartefeld National
74
Daniel Kilpatrick/Michael Korcuba, Medford Village CC
75
Brian Powell/Mark Hodgson, Burlington CC
75
David Maddock/Michael Manci, Glen Oak CC
76
Ron Mittendorf/Timothy Gaughan, Blue Bell CC
76
John Siegrist/Gary Feinberg, Philadelphia Publinks GA/Hidden Creek GC
76
Tom Paul/Jay McMenamin, Running Deer GC
76
Loren Pearson/Bob Mattson, Old York Road CC
77
Shawn Burns/Steve Burns, Cedarbrook CC/Bellewood CC
78
Rick Coroniti/Carmen Caruso, RiverCrest GC/Spring Ford CC
78
David Lovitz/David Macesic, Lu Lu CC
79
Frank Mancini, Jr./Robert Sabat, Sea Oaks GC
81
Grant Parnagian/Stephen Cooper, Laurel Creek CC
84
