#BMWPhillyAm Qualifying: Running Deer - The Golf Association of Philadelphia

May 22, 2021

#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.

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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 121st 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.

Qualifiers
Name, clubScore
Evan Barbin, Loch Nairn Golf Club73
Ben Keyser, Woodcrest Country Club74
Mike Moffat, LuLu Country Club74
Lee Nonnemacher, Steel Club74
Joseph Russo, Running Deer Golf Club74
Benjamin Pochet, Spring Ford Country Club75
Dan Ayars, Running Deer Golf Club76
Mark Benevento, Philadelphia Cricket Club76
Andy Butler, Huntingdon Valley Country Club76
Akhil Giri, Laurel Creek Country Club76
Andy Kerestesy, Running Deer Golf Club76
Conor Breslin, Manufacturers’ Golf & Country Club77
Tyler Canfield, Concord Country Club77
Jordan Cooper, Woodcrest Country Club77
Kyle Dolby, Waynesborough Country Club77
Thomas Larkin, Paxon Hollow Country Club77
Ryan McCarty, Huntingdon Valley Country Club77
Chris Meares, Sakima Country Club77
Gwinyai Murahwa, North Hills Country Club77
Sean Sigall, Little Mill Country Club77
Lodie van Tonder, Sakima Country Club77
Andrew Willadsen, Sakima Country Club77
Failed to qualify
Stephen Barry, Running Deer Golf Club78
Corey Betham, St. Davids Golf Club78
Dave Liotta, Philadelphia Publinks Golf Association78
Blaine Lafferty, Little Mill Country Club79
Jeff Long, Riverton Country Club79
A.J. Skinner, Five Ponds Golf Club79
Salvatore Galati, Woodcrest Country Club80
Gerald Haftmann, Rolling Green Golf Club80
Frankie McVeigh, Llanerch Country Club80
Darren Nolan, Cedarbrook Country Club80
Lance Oberparleiter, Philadelphia Publinks Golf Association80
Matthew Thompson, LedgeRock Golf Club80
Jeffrey Victor, Philadelphia Publinks Golf Association80
Zach Dilcher, Hartefeld National81
Gregory Ferguson, Lookaway Golf Club81
Bryan Keeling, Spring Mill Country Club81
Ryan Barnett, Union League Liberty Hill82
Ronan Culligan, Saucon Valley Country Club82
Adam MacMillan, Mercer Oaks Golf Course82
Gary Schoeman, Gulph Mills Golf Club82
Henry Stone, Bidermann Golf Club82
Sean Caspar, Running Deer Golf Club83
Joseph Rueter, Sandy Run Country Club83
Jesse Betts, Medford Lakes Country Club84
Evan Eichenlaub, Saucon Valley Country Club84
William Lippman, IV, Doylestown Country Club84
Mitchell Nase, Jeffersonville Golf Club84
Nikita Romanov, Loch Nairn Golf Club84
Austin Schreffler, Armitage Golf Club84
Josh Bennett, Running Deer Golf Club85
Eric Carlidge, North Hills Country Club85
Carter Field, Sandy Run Country Club85
Edward Kochanek, Running Deer Golf Club85
Paul Leddy, Seaview Country Club86
Keller Mulhern, Whitford Country Club86
Chris Orlando, Paxon Hollow Country Club86
Brandon Capone, Mercer Oaks Golf Course87
Chris Chizauskie, The Springhaven Club87
Michael Diemer, Riverton Country Club87
Timothy Longen, Blue Bell Country Club87
Joe Petrino, Makefield Highlands Golf Club87
Luke Sliwowski, Little Mill Country Club87
Ryan Bree, Fieldstone Golf Club88
Thomas Kay, Riverton Country Club88
Matthew Krass, Radley Run Country Club88
Kevin Lafond, Blue Bell Country Club88
Tyler Reedman, Trump National Golf Club – Philadelphia89
Teddy Villanueva, Llanerch Country Club89
Thomas Young, Saucon Valley Country Club89
Kyle Buchman, Northampton Country Club90
Ross Charlton, Concord Country Club90
Edward Eisenhart, Running Deer Golf Club90
Matt Crilley, Steel Club94
Joe Duhack, LuLu Country Club95
Christopher Ahlgrim, Llanerch Country Club96
Paul Stewart, Union League Golf Club at Torresdale96
Justin Howe, Applecross Country ClubNS
B.J. Jaworski, Running Deer Golf ClubWD
Frank Kohute, Trump National Golf Club – PhiladelphiaWD
Scott McNeil, Philadelphia Publinks Golf AssociationWD
Scott Orsini, Gilbertsville Golf ClubWD
Zane Pysher, Green Pond Country ClubWD
Matthew Vassil, Country Club of ScrantonWD
Ryan Burnley, Bellewood Country ClubWD
Nick Calabrese, The Springhaven ClubWD
NS – no show; WD – withdrawal

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