Chapman (Gross): Laurel Creek’s Russo earns Senior trophy

  ABSECON, N.J. — Galloway National Golf Club is assuredly in Joseph Russo’s good graces. He qualified for his second U.S. Senior Amateur on the Jersey Shore property in 2014. On Wednesday, Russo carded a 2-under-par 69 to win the Senior title in the Frank H. Chapman Memorial Cup (Gross). | Scorecards | History | Senior POY standings | Senior Silver Cross Award standings |
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  The Laurel Creek Country Club member was the only player to ink red on the demanding par 71, 6,531-yard layout. In doing so, he earned his second piece of individual hardware on the Senior circuit. Russo captured the Tournament of Champions crown a year ago.

  “This really is a hard golf course. For some reason, I usually score pretty well here,” Russo, 58, of Washington Township, N.J., said. “Was I expecting to shoot 69 today? No. I’ve been struggling with my putter a little bit. In fact, the putter that I had here today is one I hadn’t putted with in almost a year. Sometimes you have to put them on the shelf and make them wonder what’s going on.”

  That putter, metaphorically speaking, clearly atoned for any past wrongdoing Wednesday. It secured a birdie-birdie start at Galloway to send Russo on his way. He stopped a 52-degree wedge from 124 yards at two feet on No. 1 (par 4, 375 yards) and left a ballmark two inches off the No. 2 (par 3, 143 yards) cup following a fluid 9-iron. He capped his front nine in identical fashion. On the par 3, 164-yard No. 8, Russo launched a 7-iron to 17 feet and sank the straightaway birdie. The strenuous par 5, 510-yard No. 9 generated his “two best shots of the day.” After pummeling a pristine drive, he cut a 3-wood 252 yards to 30 feet. Russo cozied the eagle attempt into gimme range. A poor 6-iron on the par 3, 174-yard No. 4 spurned his lone outward blemish.

  With the winds gaining strength, Russo slightly stumbled a bit on Nos. 12 (par 4, 363 yards) and 13 (par 4, 423 yards). On the first, he missed a 30-footer for par after bunker trouble. Taking an awkward stance atop the left greenside bunker on No. 13, Russo tumbled a wedge to 15 feet and again failed to save 4.

  “When the wind picked up the way it did, I wasn’t prepared to play those kind of shots,” he said. “I feel like I got rattled a little bit. I worried about losing my lead. The two bogeys I made I was probably trying to protect.”

  A storm front descended upon Galloway as Russo pegged his tee ball on No. 16 (par 5, 525 yards). High winds created unplayable conditions and a subsequent one hour and 20-minute delay. When Russo returned to the course, so did the winds — at double the speed. He remained steady, however. A milestone tee shot on the challenging par 3, 217-yard 17th hole set up a five-footer for birdie.

  “That’s the longest 4-iron I ever hit in my life,” Russo, a retired police officer, said. “I know you don’t have to fly the ball back to that hole. I got it probably on the front third of the green and it rolled back there.”

  With a three-shot lead on No. 18 (par 4, 425 yards), Russo faced a yardage of 168 from the right side of the fairway. Given a gust scale of 40-50, he equipped a 5-iron and aimed left toward safety on the sprawling surface. Russo didn’t start it far enough and found the right greenside bunker instead. He then halted a textbook bunker shot five feet from a front right hole location to save par.

  “I hit the ball in the direction I wanted to hit it and hit it in the yardage I wanted to hit it today,” Russo said. “The last two weeks I made a couple of easy swings to where I can feel the club in the right spot. My putting’s really been the issue. I needed to have something different in my hands.”

  That putter will stay in his hands following Wednesday’s performance.

  “It might come to bed with me tonight. The wife might be on the couch,” Russo said.

  Jericho National Golf Club’s Jim Gavaghan carded a 2-over-par 73 to earn runner-up honors.

  “As the round went on, I started hitting the ball really well,” Gavaghan, 58, of Newtown, Pa., said. “The last 11 holes, I hit it probably about as well as I could hit it. I haven’t played well at all this year, so this is a little bit of a surprise.”

  Frank H. Chapman, a Whitemarsh Valley Country Club member, served as the Association’s secretary-treasurer for 23 years. He died on June 7, 1955 at the age of 88. The Gross tournament, now in its 11th year, is held in his honor.

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