Maude, Von Borsig in Patterson Cup playoff

CONCORDVILLE, Pa.–Tug Maude of Merion GC and Conrad Von Borsig of Concord CC need another 18 holes to decide the 103rd Joseph H. Patterson Cup champion. Maude, 22,of Wayne, Pa., and Von Borsig, 18, of Swarthmore, Pa., tied at 5-under-par 138 and will meet tomorrow at Concord CC in an 18-hole playoff to determine the winner. This will be the first Patterson Cup playoff since 2000 when Greg O’Connor of Huntingdon Valley CC won the title in a three-man shootout.

  Maude posted rounds of 68 (Radley Run CC)-70 (Concord CC). Von Borsig carded a pair of 69s. Both players are in search of their first Patterson Cup victory.

 The Patterson Cup is the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s stroke play championship. It is played over 36 holes (18 holes at each club) in one day.

  “I know Tug real well from when I worked on the driving range at Merion,” said Von Borsig. “It should be a lot of fun.”

  Added Maude, who fell in the Amateur Championship final in June to Clint Deibert of Doylestown CC, “It’s a chance at redemption.”

  Both players, and another friend of the two, John Sawin, 20, of Haverford, Pa., all had chances at Patterson Cup glory.

  Sawin eagled the 18^th hole (par 5, 521 yards), his ninth hole, in the second round to move to 7-under par at the turn and held a two-shot lead at that point. However, his putter floundered and an overshot 8-iron on No. 8 (par 3, 186 yards) struck a fatal blow to his chances. An 18-foot birdie opportunity on the final hole to tie Maude and Von Borsig failed to find the bottom of the cup.

  Maude, who opened with a 4-under-par 68 at Radley Run CC in the morning, too, watched his flat stick fail him. He registered 17 greens in the a.m. and 15 in the second round. He posted six birdies and a double bogey at Radley Run CC where he lipped out three straight birdie putts in the range of eight to 30 feet to close the round.

  Maude remained at 4-under par after the opening nine holes in the afternoon at Concord CC with a double bogey and bogey. He then opened his final nine holes, the front side, with four straight pars. He said he lipped out birdie chances on holes 2-4 before finally canning a par-saving 12-footer on No. 5 (par 4, 374 yards) and an easy birdie opportunity at No. 6 (par 5, 568 yards). Knowing birdies were needed, he lipped out a 35-footer on No. 7 (par 4, 454 yards) and

  another at No. 8 from 12 feet. A great up and down from 40 yards short of the green on No. 9 (par 4, 415 yards) put him at 5-under par for the tournament.

  “I thought 5-under par would have a chance,” said Maude. “I had two double bogeys and two bogeys. I wish I could take away those doubles, obviously.’

  Von Borsig, who is heading to the University of Virginia later this year, turned in 2-under-par 34 and stood at 5 under.

  “I figured I had to catch John before I should worry about anyone else,” said Von Borsig, a recent graduate of Strath Haven High School. “If I could catch him I thought I would be in good shape.”

  Von Borsig continued his steady march up the leaderboard with five straight pars to open his final nine. He flopped a lob wedge from 91 yards to four feet for a birdie on No. 6 but his drive on No. 7 landed in the rough and he failed to get up and down.

  Von Borsig had a downhill 20-foot birdie opportunity on No. 8 and another long chance on No. 9 but couldn’t get either to fall.

  There was some consolation for Sawin, however. The Princeton University junior captured the 96th Silver Cross Award by two strokes over Maude and three over Von Borsig.

  The Silver Cross is awarded to the player with the lowest aggregate score in the two qualifying rounds of the Amateur Championship and two rounds of the Patterson Cup.

  “It’s a huge honor for me,” said Sawin. “I feel it is a great judge of the best player across four rounds and two months.”

  This was Sawin’s first Silver Cross Award.

  The Amateur Championship Qualifier was held at Cedarbrook CC and Green Valley CC.