Manasquan’s Wall stands tall in #BMWPhillyAm Qualifier at Greenbriar

WARETOWN, N.J. — To cure green ailments of late, Jeremy Wall switched his putting grip from conventional to claw earlier this week. The decision is paying off based on Saturday’s performance.

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  Wall carded a 1-over-par 73 to earn medalist honors in a BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship Qualifier at a windy and cool Greenbriar Oceanaire Golf & Country Club (par 72, 6,588 yards). The Manasquan River Golf Club member led a field of 71 players hoping to attain one of 13 available spots and ties for the Championship proper.

  The cut line fell to 81 by day’s end. The 117th BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship will take place June 13-15 & 17 at Philadelphia Cricket Club (Wissahickon).

  “My brother (Ethan) does the exact same thing and he’s a pretty good putter. It’s been working out for me so far,” Wall said of the aforementioned grip switch. “I putted great today.”

  Firm greens, significant wind speeds and penalizing hazards created difficult scoring conditions Saturday. Wall, adopting a conservative strategy, adapted to those challenges accordingly. He only played two drivers, relying on hybrids and 4-irons to tackle Greenbriar’s tee demands.

  “It’s tough here, especially when you get holes with a crosswind or into the wind. It’s very easy for the ball to start wandering everywhere,” Wall, 21, of Brielle, N.J., said. “Especially on a course like this, where driving it straight is a premium, the wind can play a big factor in making a couple of bad scores. I think that’s why I did well. My ball was in front of me the whole day.”

  Wall carded eight pars and one bogey heading out. The lone blemish occurred on the par 3, 133-yard No. 3. Wall ran a 12-footer for birdie four feet past the cup and lipped out the comebacker. Greens in regulation, combined with favorable chip positions, allowed pars to populate the remainder of his front nine.

  Wall points to a key conversion on the 10th hole (par 4, 366 yards) as a round saver. He, with an unwanted assist from a wind gust, toed a hybrid left into a bed of brush. Facing a friendly lie, Wall deposited a 9-iron from 155 yards into a guarding front bunker. A smooth extrication, followed by a 15-footer for par, invoked a smattering of applause from a gallery of onlookers nearby. The Greenbriar community showed its support throughout the day as residents frequented nearly every hole to catch the competition.

  “I’ve never seen so many people out to watch. It was fun,” Wall, a soon-to-be senior at Loyola University Maryland, where he is a finance major, said. “I got to wave and acknowledge a clap, which was cool.”

  Only a bogey on the par 3, 161-yard 16th hole blocked a cool blue finish for Wall. He missed the green short with an 8-iron. A 360 for his par putt.

  Wall is a Golf Association of Philadelphia rookie yet a tournament golf veteran. For starters, he is a member of the men’s golf team at Loyola, which won the Patriot League in the spring. Wall finished as runner-up in the 2013 Metropolitan Golf Association Junior Championship. He lost to reigning U.S. Mid-Amateur Champion Stewart Hagestad in the Round of 16 of the 2015 MET Amateur. Wall also owns a pair of Top 10 finishes in the New Jersey State Golf Association’s Amateur Championship.

  Manasquan River joined the GAP in 2017, thus rendering Wall eligible for events such as the BMW Philadelphia Amateur. The opportunity to play historic, high-tier venues and to expand his competitive schedule peaked Wall’s interest.

  Coincidentally, his brother Ethan, who also plays on the Loyola golf team, placed second Saturday with a score of 76. The two, along with brothers Augie and Jack, make up a frequent foursome at Manasquan.

  “We generally try not to play for money because then it gets out of control with competitiveness,” Jeremy said. “We have a lot of fun. The team that loses has to clean the dishes that night.”

  Guessing the Wall brothers stopped for a celebratory meal on their way home Saturday.

  The BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship is the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s premier event. Participants must first advance through a one day, 36-hole stroke play qualifier to gain one of 32 available match play positions. Those who qualify for match play must advance through four matches in two days to reach the Amateur Final, which is typically held on the Saturday of Father’s Day weekend. The winner receives the J. Wood Platt Trophy; its namesake holds a record-seven Amateur Championship titles.

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.