Loch Nairn trio tabs West, takes 28th Senior Four-Man Team

BERNVILLE, Pa. — Two groups ripe with Golf Association of Philadelphia veterans carded respective 8-under-par 132s to top the 28th Senior Four-Man Team at Heidelberg Country Club (par 70, 6,056 yards).

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  In a match of Totalcards, the team of Thomas Finn, Buddy Reed, Alan Wagenschnur and David West edged Bob Arthur, Thomas Hyland, Bryan Marvin and James Muller. The USGA-recommended tiebreaking method begins with back nine Totals. West and his Loch Nairn Golf Club teammates completed that stretch in 4 under, Arthur and company in 2 under.

  Team Totals are determined using the two best balls of four.

  “It was one of the best days in a GAP event that I’ve ever had. It was just a lot of fun,” Wagenschnur said. “The golf course was good. The group was good. We had a good time.”

  A stipulation for Finn, Reed, Wagenschnur and West made on the first tee Tuesday?

  “We wanted four birdies a man,” West, 57, of Downingtown, Pa., said.

  “But we demanded that Dave make eight,” Finn, 56, of Chadds Ford, Pa., interjected.

  “Then Buddy said if he didn’t make eight, we wouldn’t play with him again,” Wagenschnur, 60, of Middletown, Del., said.

  West fell one short of holding up his end of the bargain. He made seven birdies, inked a 65 on his own ball and led his comrades to victory.

  “It was very loose and fun out there,” Reed, 57, of Middletown, Del., said. “We had a great time. No pressure; Dave made it easy for us.”

  Four consecutive birdies courtesy of West on the front nine set a subpar standard. It started with an uphill 20-footer on No. 5. (par 4, 364 yards). On the next hole, West knocked an 8-iron 145 yards into kick-in range. A flip wedge on the dogleg left, 364-yard No. 7 set up a thrilling 35-footer for birdie. West, a Whitford Country Club member, was the only team member who missed the green on No. 8 (par 3, 164 yards). It didn’t matter. He landed a wedge on the right fringe and watched it coast into the jar.

  A Finn birdie on the 12th hole (par 4, 355 yards) moved the team to 5 under. Reed and West took different birdie paths on No. 14 (par 4, 344 yards). Reed, who admitted that he performed better from the rough at Heidelberg, knocked an 8-iron 140 yards to 18 inches for birdie. Standing under a tree, West hit a gap wedge 105 yards to 30 feet. He birdied the next hole (par 4, 434 yards), too, this time with a gap wedge from 110 yards to 10 feet. Finn showed his fiery teammate the line of break with his 15-footer prior. Appropriately enough, West provided his team with a closing birdie, nudging a lob wedge 77 yards into tap-in territory.

  “When you get a bunch of guys that gel well together, you’re going to play well together,” West, recent medalist and quarterfinalist in The Brewer Cup, said. “It was all a lot of fun.”

  “You made a lot of putts, and every one of them is right in the heart,” Wagenschnur added. “I loved it.”

  Finn, Reed and Wagenschnur knew they wanted to compete together in the Senior Four-Man Team. They just needed a fourth.

  “I said, ‘Oh, let me pick somebody,’” Finn said. “I’ve been friends with David for 30, 40 years. We’ve played in better-ball events forever. Good friends, good fun.”

  Good golf, too.

  For the Arthur, Hyland, Marvin and Muller squad, it marked a second straight year of “close but no cigar.” The foursome finished a shot back last year at Philmont Country Club. After making the turn in 6 under at Heidelberg, Arthur birdied Nos. 10 (par 4, 410 yards) and 11 (par 3, 152 yards) to maintain momentum. However, the team’s locomotive couldn’t muster a knockout punch before exiting the ring.

Golf Association of Philadelphia
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 153 Full Member Clubs and 57,000 individual members are spread across parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. 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.