#BMWPhillyAm Qualifier: Brookside Allentown

#BMWPhillyAm heavweight: Northampton’s Juhasz reigns supreme in Qualifier at Brookside Allentown

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MACUNGIE, Pa. — Zachary Juhasz lost 100 lbs. over the past year. The weight droppage coincided with an impressive gain in his golf game, if Saturday is any indication.  

Juhasz, a relative GAP newcomer, dropped the hammer in a BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship Qualifier at a pleasant Brookside Country Club of Allentown (par 71, 6,472 yards). He carded a 3-under-par 68 to earn medalist honors as well as one of 16 qualifying positions and ties available.

The cut line stopped at 75 by day’s end.

The 119^th BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship will take place June 11-13 & 15 at Stonewall (Old). The club’s North Course will serve as a qualifying site on Day One.

“It’s a big difference. It took me awhile to get used to it, though,” Juhasz said of his physical transformation. “My golf swing was a lot different.”

Juhasz differentiated from the field Saturday. The Northampton Country Club member registered 14 greens in regulation to post the lone subpar score. His playing partners described Juhasz as “fearless” on Allentown’s small yet spurning surfaces.

“I came in with the mentality to be more aggressive. It was more self-belief probably,” Juhasz, 22, of Bethlehem, Pa., said.

Although he missed the first two greens, Juhasz executed midrange makes for pars to stay afloat early. He distanced with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 4 (par 4, 495 yards) and 5 (par 3, 169 yards). On the first, he powered a 7-iron 195 yards to 20 feet and two putted. Juhasz, who works for his father’s home improvement company, buried a right-to-left breaking 12-footer on No. 5 following a smooth 8-iron.

His laid back yet laser-focused style continued on the downhill, dogleg left 10^th hole (par 4, 415 yards). Juhasz ripped a drive, knocked a sand wedge 100 yards to 10 feet and buried the uphill birdie putt. He hit a 60-degree wedge 65 yards to 15 feet for a 4 on No. 13 (par 5, 479 yards). Juhasz’s lone bogey occurred on No. 16 (par 4, 385 yards). Doomed by a drive into the left tree-line and an “awful third shot.”

Juhasz didn’t start playing golf until his sophomore year at Freedom High School.

“I played basketball, and I’m obviously not the tallest person,” Juhasz, a burly, 5-foot-7 smasher, said. “I was trying to find something else. My uncle introduced me to golf. I went out there and I ended up loving it. I just kept playing and playing.”

And kept improving and improving. Juhasz plans to play more competitive golf — and to increase his GAP involvement — “to see what he’s made of.”

“What’s the point of practicing if you’re not going to test yourself under pressure?” he said.

Test aced at Brookside Country Club of Allentown.

The BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship is GAP’s premier individual championship. 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 BMW Philadelphia 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 BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship titles.

GAP
Celebrating Amateur Golf since 1897, GAP, also known as the Golf Association of Philadelphia, is the oldest regional or state golf association in the United States. It serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. The Association’s 274 Full Member Clubs and 75,000 individual members are spread across the Eastern half of Pennsylvania and parts of New Jersey and Delaware. The GAP’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.