#BMWPhillyAm Qualifying: Running Deer

Another Barbin makes #BMWPhillyAm noise

PITTSGROVE, N.J. — Evan Barbin just grabbed a shirt from the drawer. Didn’t think twice. The Lancaster Country Club polo matched his khaki shorts. Easy choice.

| Scoring portal | Photo gallery |

And perhaps an omen for Saturday.

You see, Lancaster hosted the BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship a year ago. Barbin’s brother Zach won. Evan, sporting a Lancaster polo purchased following that victory, won medalist honors in BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship Qualifying at Running Deer Golf Club (par 72, 6,734 yards) Saturday.

He carded a 1-over-par 73 to grab one of 20 qualifying positions and ties available. The cut line stopped at 77 by day’s end.

The 121^st BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship will take place June 14-16 & 19 at Cedarbrook County Club.

“I just saw the shirt and grabbed it. I seriously didn’t intentionally wear it,” Barbin, 17, of Elkton, Md., said. “It was just a coincidence.”

That shirt absorbed plenty of heat as temperatures seemed more mid-July than mid-May. Barbin, who started on No. 1 in the shotgun format, “felt fatigued” due to the heat early. A double bogey on No. 2 (par 4, 476 yards) created more sweat. Following a poor drive into the trees, Barbin executed an effective punchout, but the chip thereafter complicated matters and led to a double bogey.

“My ball was in a hole, and I just scurried it through the green and over the green,” Barbin, a rising senior at Red Lion Christian Academy, said.

A couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, plus some oranges at the turn, transformed Barbin.

“I made some mistakes on the front nine, but I bounced back. I drove it really well on the back nine,” he said. “I didn’t miss a shot on the back nine. It was awesome. I just got an energy boost. I got confident with my driver. Every time I got up to my ball, I knew I was going to rip it straight down the middle.”

On No. 15 (par 4, 337 yards), Barbin found fescue left with a 3-iron off the tee. Torn between a 55-degree and 60-degree wedge, he settled on the latter. It paid off. Barbin’s 60-degree wedge landed softly in the bowl and stopped 15 feet from the hole location. He buried the birdie putt. On No. 17 (par 5, 510 yards), Barbin hit a 5-iron 210 yards to 20 feet above the flagstick. A precise lag — a necessary tool on Running Deer’s treacherous greens — facilitated a two-footer for birdie. Barbin also inked red on Nos. 6 (par 4, 400 yards) and 9 (par 5, 518 yards): a wedge 80 yards to feet on the former, a high-cut 4-iron 215 yards to 35 feet on the latter. Again, a precise lag putt on No. 9 did the birdie trick.

“I’m happy with how I played today. It was solid,” Barbin said. My swing’s coming along pretty nicely. I think I need to tighten up my chipping around the greens. Moving forward going to the Philadelphia Amateur, I’m pretty confident. I’m excited with where my game’s going.”

As mentioned, Barbin’s brother Zach is the reigning BMW Philadelphia Amateur Champion. Now he’ll defend his title with his younger brother in the field at Cedarbrook.  

“I can’t let Zach win everything,” Evan said. “[Zach being the defending champion] definitely gives me motivation for sure. He’s been playing well. I’ve been trying to meet up to his standards the past couple of summers. I’m excited. I have a huge summer ahead of me.”

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.