Commonwealth’s Breslin bests field in 71st Caddie Tournament

POTTSTOWN, Pa. — If John Breslin needed a campaign slogan for the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s 71st Caddie Tournament, then “Brez for Prez” — nickname plus position sought — fit naturally. The recent Saint Joseph’s University graduate won Monday’s election by a two-vote margin at Bellewood Country Club (par 71, 6,105 yards).

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  Breslin, a caddie of eight years at Commonwealth National Golf Club, carded a 3-under-par 68, the tournament’s low score. He edged Chris Button of Philadelphia Country Club, Robert Crawford of Lookaway Golf Club and Chris Tobias for the day’s best round. That trio finished at 70.

  “I was pretty consistent the whole day,” Breslin, 22, of Jenkintown, Pa., said. “I missed a bunch of birdie putts on the front but I was striking the ball well. I went to the back, had a birdie on No. 10 and held it all together.

  On the aforementioned 10th hole (par 5, 538 yards), Breslin knocked a 60-degree wedge from 30 yards to 10 feet. He quickly overcame a bogey on the downhill 14th hole (par 3, 157 yards) with a birdie on the next hole (par 4, 371 yards). He smacked a sand wedge 81 yards to five feet. Back-to-back birdies to close separated Breslin from his fellow candidates. On the 17th hole (par 3, 175 yards), he stopped a 6-iron eight feet left of the flagstick. Breslin striped a drive on No. 18 (par 5, 505 yards), elevated a 6-iron from 190 yards out of an uphill lie and two-putted for birdie from 30 feet.

  Breslin carded a birdie against a bogey on his outward nine. A heavy wedge from 70 yards on No. 3 (par 4, 344 yards) caused a 5 on the scorecard. Breslin bashed a 5-iron 215 yards to a chair’s length outside the right greenside bunker. His ensuing flop shot stopped a foot from the jar.

  “The greens were rolling incredibly well today, very true,” Breslin said. “If I hit putts online, they were going to stay there.”

  When he isn’t carrying golf bags at Commonwealth, Breslin, who majored in politic science and minored in ethics, justice and law, plays the venue once or twice a week.

  “I really love the course. It’s great target golf,” he said. “You must hit fairways. You must hit greens.”

  Breslin will take the L SAT in the fall. He hopes to become a lawyer.

  Two years ago, Tobias defeated Button, 1-up, in a caddie competition conducted on Merion’s famed East Course. The two met again, on paper, near the top of the leaderboard Monday. They, like Breslin, praised Bellewood’s putting surfaces.

  “The greens were just choice. They were pure,” Tobias, 34, of Ardmore, Pa., said. “You were on caution pretty much most of the day. If somebody didn’t three-putt today, that would be like winning the lottery.”

  “The greens were awesome,” Button, 28, of West Conshohocken, Pa., said. “I had to play a little bit of defense out there on some of the putts. They were some of the best greens I putted on all year. There’s no doubt about that.”

  The Caddie Tournament had five flights. There isn’t an overall champion.

  Originating in 1928, the Caddie Tournament is open to all caddies who have been regularly employed at Member Clubs for at least 30 days prior to the event. Tournament eligibility is restricted to Amateur players who do not have membership privileges at any Member Club.

Golf Association of Philadelphia
Founded in 1897, the Golf Association of Philadelphia (GAP) is the oldest regional golf association in the United States and serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. Its 153 Full Member Clubs and 57,000 individual members are spread across parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. As Philadelphia’s Most Trusted Source of Golf Information, the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.