| 2003 Preview |
FLOURTOWN, Pa.-Michael McDermott of Llanerch CC posted a 3-under-par 68 on Wednesday at Philadelphia Cricket Club (Wissahickon Course, par 71, 6,688 yards) to grab the opening-round lead of the Middle-Amateur Championship.
Thomas Gramigna of Tavistock CC and Robert Savarese, Jr. of Philadelphia Cricket Club tied for second after carding 2-under-par 69s and Bill McGuinness of Tavistock CC, Rich Pruchnik of West Chester G&CC, Michael Tash of Tavistock CC, the reigning GAP Player of the Year, and Francis Vaughn of Philadelphia Cricket Club are two shots back at 70. Finishing at even par and three behind McDermott is Michael Domenick of Phoenixville CC, Oscar Mestre, Jr. of Overbrook GC, the defending Mid-Am champion, Glenn Smeraglio of Yardley CC and Doug Zelner of Coatesville CC.
McDermott’s round included three birdies and no bogeys. He hit 17 of 18 greens on a wet Wissahickon Course softened by the recent weather.
“I knew the scores would be low,” said McDermott, 28, of Havertown, Pa. “For as tough and as treacherous as Philly Cricket can be, the course was soft and the greens were receptive and not as fast as normal. Because the ball was spinning so much, today was about patience and picking your spots [to score].”
McDermott’s scoring opportunities came on No. 7 (par 5, 498 yards), No. 12 (par 5, 529 yards) and No. 17 (par 4, 410 yards) in the form of three birdies. The most interesting of that trio, an up-and-down from the left greenside bunker on 12.
Gramigna, 33, of Haddonfield, N.J., is the two-time reigning New Jersey State Golf Association Middle-Amateur champion. He successfully defended that title earlier this May.
On Wednesday, playing in the same group with McDermott, he carded four birdies and two bogeys, both of the three-putt variety.
Savarese, 37, of Lafayette Hill, Pa., also had four birdies and two bogeys en route to his 71.
“I played very conservatively. I just wanted to keep my score around par and see where it got me,” said Savarese, who qualified for the 1991 U.S. Amateur and 2000 U.S. Mid-Am at his home course of Cricket. “You may have an advantage from tee to green as a member, but on the greens, with the pace, you didn’t.”
The low 70 players and ties advanced to the second and final round tomorrow. The cut line fell at 70 with 80 players qualifying.
The Middle-Amateur Championship is for players 25 years of age or older. A field of 132 players competed in the 20th renewal of the event.
| Name, club | Score |
| Michael McDermott, Llanerch CC | 68 |
| Thomas Gramigna, Tavistock CC | 69 |
| Robert Savarese, Jr., Philadelphia Cricket Club | 69 |
| William McGuinness, Tavistock CC | 70 |
| Rich Pruchnik, West Chester G & CC | 70 |
| Michael Tash, Tavistock CC | 70 |
| Francis Vaughn, Philadelphia Cricket Club | 70 |
| Michael Domenick, Phoenixville CC | 71 |
| Oscar Mestre, Jr., Overbrook GC | 71 |
| Glenn Smeraglio, Yardley CC | 71 |
| Douglas Zelner, Coatesville CC | 71 |
| Michael Moffat, Commonwealth National GC | 72 |
| James White, Philadelphia Cricket Club | 72 |
| Charles Dowds, III, Applebrook GC | 73 |
| James Kieserman, Blue Bell CC | 73 |
| Christopher Lange, Overbrook GC | 73 |
| David Liotta, Whitemarsh Valley CC | 73 |
| Burton McHugh, Sunnybrook GC | 73 |
| John Robinson, Commonwealth National GC | 73 |
| Jamie Slonis, Tavistock CC | 73 |
| Warren Smith, Fieldstone GC | 73 |
| David Brookreson, Huntingdon Valley CC | 74 |
| Brian Corbett, Huntsville GC | 74 |
| Frank Corrado, Jr., Jericho National GC | 74 |
| Keith Matt, Lu Lu CC | 74 |
| Steve Owens, Wildwood GC | 74 |
| P. Chet Walsh, Philadelphia CC | 74 |
| Robert Bechtold, Christiana CC | 75 |
| Tom Borsello, Fieldstone GC | 75 |
| Philip Damico, Llanerch CC | 75 |
| Gary Daniels, Applebrook GC | 75 |
| Marlin Detweiler, Lancaster CC | 75 |
| Chris Esbenshade, Stone Harbor GC | 75 |
| Andrew Harmer, The Springhaven Club | 75 |
| Roc Irey, Cedarbrook CC | 75 |
| Brian Owens, Gulph Mills GC | 75 |
| Michael Rose, Ashbourne CC | 75 |
| David West, Whitford CC | 75 |
| James Arsenault, Little Mill CC | 76 |
| Bill Boyle, Metedeconk National GC | 76 |
| Mark Britton, Lu Lu CC | 76 |
| Gary Daniels, Saucon Valley CC | 76 |
| Jack Helms, Rolling Green GC | 76 |
| Jay Howson, Jr., St. Davids GC | 76 |
| Thomas Hyland, Little Mill CC | 76 |
| Bill King, Woodbury CC | 76 |
| Mark Leaman, Lancaster CC | 76 |
| James Macallister, Manufacturers G & CC | 76 |
| Francis McFadden, Overbrook GC | 76 |
| John Mullins, Spring Ford CC | 76 |
| Bill Murray, Merchantville CC | 76 |
| Gregory O’Connor, Huntingdon Valley CC | 76 |
| Paul Rogowicz, Yardley CC | 76 |
| Richard Umani, Philadelphia Public Links | 76 |
| Gerard Ascolese, North Hills CC | 77 |
| Lee Cook, Laurel Creek CC | 77 |
| Thomas DiCinti, Little Mill CC | 77 |
| Eugene Flanagan, The Springhaven Club | 77 |
| Chris Kallmeyer, Philadelphia Cricket Club | 77 |
| Tom Piersanti, Radley Run CC | 77 |
| Thomas Shallow, Jr., Philadelphia CC | 77 |
| John Campanelli, Woodbury CC | 78 |
| George Connell, Jr., Gulph Mills GC | 78 |
| Raymond Fuller, Running Deer GC | 78 |
| Craig Larsen, Aronimink GC | 78 |
| Sean Leonard, Little Mill CC | 78 |
| William Mendez, Fieldstone GC | 78 |
| Daniel Pinciotti, Jr., Torresdale-Frankford CC | 78 |
| Michael Shoup, Sandy Run CC | 78 |
| Frank Brigidi, III, North Hills CC | 79 |
| Francis Downey, North Hills CC | 79 |
| David Karp, Philmont CC | 79 |
| Lynn Thomas Kilduff, Huntsville GC | 79 |
| Santo Lafoca, Huntsville GC | 79 |
| Charles McClaskey, Wyncote GC | 79 |
| Drew Panebianco, Talamore at Oak Terrace CC | 79 |
| Steven Walczak, Wilmington CC | 79 |
| Mark Walker, Laurel Creek CC | 79 |
| Ron Weaver, Meadia Heights GC | 79 |
| Pete Widdoes, Deerfield G & TC | 79 |
| Failed to make cut | |
| Larry Baron, Meadowlands CC | 80 |
| Kevin DeHaven, Hopewell Valley GC | 80 |
| Edward Erickson, Yardley CC | 80 |
| Thomas Finn, Christiana CC | 80 |
| Tim Gannon, Whitemarsh Valley CC | 80 |
| Matt Hancock, Chester Valley GC | 80 |
| James Haynie, Lu Lu CC | 80 |
| Nathan Herring, Philmont CC | 80 |
| Mark Inman, Cherry Valley CC | 80 |
| Robert Lodovici, Little Mill CC | 80 |
| Eugene Maginnis, Jr., Whitemarsh Valley CC | 80 |
| Robin McCool, Saucon Valley CC | 80 |
| Herbert Zimmerman, Jr., Lancaster CC | 80 |
| Edmund Chylinski, Chester Valley GC | 81 |
| Robert Frankil, Spring Ford CC | 81 |
| Charles McDowell, Wilmington CC | 81 |
| Peter Mimmo, Melrose CC | 81 |
| Frank Polizzi, Sr., Whitemarsh Valley CC | 81 |
| Paul Shevlin, Jr., Manufacturers G & CC | 81 |
| Richard Thon, The Springhaven Club | 81 |
| James Coll, Hartefeld National GC | 82 |
| Stephen Conway, Burlington CC | 82 |
| Patrick Dougherty, Talamore at Oak Terrace CC | 82 |
| Steve Ebersole, Lookaway GC | 82 |
| Michael Egan, Lookaway GC | 82 |
| Robert Gill, Fox Hill CC | 82 |
| Neil McDermott, Llanerch CC | 82 |
| Bennett Meyer, Philmont CC | 82 |
| John Cobb, Tavistock CC | 83 |
| Michael Sanger, Merion GC | 83 |
| Jim Simmons, Stonewall | 83 |
| Ronald Jamarowicz, Deerfield G & TC | 84 |
| Anthony Kondracki, Fox Hill CC | 84 |
| Thomas Mallouk, Lookaway GC | 84 |
| Richard Reed, Downingtown CC | 84 |
| Robert Schiller, Old York Road CC | 84 |
| James Sherratt, Old York Road CC | 84 |
| Gregory Sheva, North Hills CC | 84 |
| Chris Terebesi, Chester Valley GC | 84 |
| Darrell Clayton, Christiana CC | 85 |
| Peter Moran, Edgmont CC | 85 |
| Steven Sayers, Lu Lu CC | 85 |
| Gary Smith, Huntingdon Valley CC | 85 |
| Patrick O’Brien, North Hills CC | 86 |
| Mike Wilhelm, Philadelphia Publinks | 86 |
| Walter Wolfe, Wildwood GC | 87 |
| Glenn McClaskey, Philadelphia Publinks | 88 |
| Tony Carroll, Wyncote GC | WD |
| Thomas Kaczor, Yardley CC | WD |
| Brian Llewellyn, Huntsville GC | WD |
| Thomas Sheridan, Philadelphia Cricket Club | WD |
| Chris Smedley, Coatesville CC | NC |
| WD-Withdrawal | |
| NC-No card |
