Conestoga’s Sheehan snags medalist honors in #PatCup Qual.

HUNTINGDON VALLEY, Pa. — Conestoga Country Club’s Connor Sheehan is a Golf Association of Philadelphia rookie, and was again a newcomer to Philmont Country Club (par 70, 6,601 yards) Wednesday in the first of two Joseph H. Patterson Cup Qualifiers. Despite no local knowledge, he seemed to have it all figured out by the time he hit Philmont’s finisher, and eventually, the scoring table.

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  Sheehan fired a 2-under-par round of 68 to earn medalist honors, topping a field of 125 Patterson Cup hopefuls vying for 31 spots and ties.

  The cut stopped at 6-over 76 on the day. The championship proper will be played Aug. 9 and 10 on Wilmington’s South track.

  Sheehan, a rising Millersville University senior, who just started playing in GAP events this season, played like a veteran on a day numbers were high while the medalist went low.

  “It felt good to break out of my recent slump today,” said Sheehan, who missed the cut in the GAP Open at Philadelphia Country Club in his Major debut. “I felt like I had it all going today. I only missed three greens and that really kept me steady.”

  A problem Sheehan has been facing during that slump is bogeying opening holes. Ratifying that problem remained a focus today. Count today as a step in the right direction.

  His driver off the tee on No. 1 (par 4, 392 yards) was pulled into the left rough, but a nice 9-iron left him with 15 feet for birdie. That attempt hit nothing but the bottom of the cup.

  “I’ve had a problem in competitions starting off bad, usually with a bogey,” said the twenty-one-year-old Sheehan. “That was a big start for me today. It’s been a point of emphasis for me. It definitely helped – so far, so good.”

  Sheehan laced a drive on No. 5 (par 4, 445 yards) down the middle, then struck 7-iron to the green, leading to a 12-foot bender for birdie. Things were looking up.

  That is, until his only bogey blemish on the day arrived on the challenging par-3 11th (222 yards). He equipped hybrid off the tee, failing to find the green, chipped up and missed a makeable 4-footer.

  That bogey didn’t sit well with him, so in response, he erased it on No. 12 (par 5, 491 yards). Sheehan smacked driver off that tee, hit hybrid from 238 yards out to just in front of the green, then hit wedge to within inches for the tap-in birdie.

  He’d par the next six holes to finish at the magic 2-under number.

  Sheehan, who calls Quarryville, Pa. home, led the Marauders this past season with a stroke average of 74.6, winning three tournaments overall. In result of his highly successful junior season, he was named to the Division II Ping All-Region Atlantic Team.

  GAP competition seems to have arrived just in time for Sheehan’s steady rise to recognition. He says he looks forward to consistently competing in Major championships from here on out.

  “The [GAP] really just runs phenomenal tournaments. I’ve really enjoyed myself so far,” he said. “I’ve got a bunch of buddies out here that play, and it’s been great to compete out here. Not to mention the talent that plays in these events. I’m excited to get to Wilmington.”

  The second oldest Championship in the Golf Association of Philadelphia, the Joseph H. Patterson Cup memorializes a man who fostered the game in its infancy. Joseph Henry Patterson, a Philadelphia Cricket Club member, competed in the first out-of-town match played by a team of Philadelphians. Friends of Patterson donated the Cup, designed by J.E. Caldwell & Co., to the Association in 1900.

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.