Edgmont’s Quinn defeats HVCC’s Scott in playoff to win Chapman

  MARLTON, N.J. — Michael Quinn of Edgmont CC and Craig Scott of Huntingdon Valley CC spent quite the day together Monday.

  The two played in the same group in the Frank H. Chapman Memorial (Gross) at Little Mill CC (par 71, 6,508 yards). They carded matching 71s in regulation to fall into a deadlock atop the leaderboard. And in the end, the affable Quinn defeated the equally-affable Scott on the third playoff hole with a par to earn his first piece of Golf Association of Philadelphia hardware.

  “For me, this is a dream come true, and I hope to do it more,” Quinn, a Golf Association of Philadelphia veteran, said. “The best thing about the whole GAP is all of the incredible guys that you get to meet. Everybody supports each other.”

  The scene on the third playoff hole played out as poetically as the previous 20, which saw both Quinn and Scott performing at exceptionally high levels. Both players deposited respective 4-irons into the right greenside bunker on the challenging No. 3 (par 3, 180 yards). Scott, of of Marshalls Creek, Pa., executed a solid sand shot to four feet. Quinn followed suit and nearly holed out for a 2.

  “The sand was so even that it was a pretty easy sand shot,” Quinn, of East Fallowfield, Pa., said. “I got to watch Craig’s shot in front of me. I had a good feeling about it. I’m a pretty good bunker player. I was absolutely thrilled to see it finish out 18 inches from the hole.”

  Scott pushed his four-footer for par a foot past the cup. Quinn tapped in to seize the Senior Division title.

  “For both of us, it couldn’t have been more of an enjoyable day because we’re both such great friends,” Quinn, 62, said. “We play in a tournament in North Carolina together. He’s just one of the best guys out here.”

  “There are so many great players here. To finish as runner-up is an honor,” Scott, who also finished as runner-up in the Brewer Cup, said. “I played well today. I’m so pleased. It was fun. Mike played great.”

  Quinn and Scott registered respective 1-under-par 70s in regulation to force the extra session. A dramatic finish on the par 3, 148-yard No. 9 spurned the sudden-death scenario. At that time, Quinn stood at even while Scott held a 2 under on the scorecard. Quinn’s 8-iron caught a touch of wind and landed 22 feet below the hole. He drained the ensuing uphill birdie putt.

  “I had to literally hook it around my divot that was six inches in front of me,” Quinn said. “On the last roll, the ball goes in the hole with dirt on it. Under the circumstances, it was one of the best birdies I’ve ever made in my life.”

  Scott, 62, wasn’t as fortunate. He pulled an 8-iron tee shot left of the green and ran his ensuing chip past the cup. Scott saw his par putt loop out of the jar.

  “I got kind of a gnarly lie. I didn’t feel comfortable with it,” Scott said of his second shot. “I knew I needed to get it up-and-down there. I was really relying on my putting.”

  Quinn and Scott not only finished with identical scores, but they also started their championship quests with birdies. Quinn smacked a sand wedge 95 yards to four feet; Scott a 9-iron 135 yards to five feet on No. 10 (par 4, 307 yards). Quinn lost a stroke on No. 12 (par 4, 430 yards) after failing to get up-and-down from the fairway bunker. Scott registered eight consecutive pars to seal red on his outward tour. Quinn stood a shot back entering what would become an eventful nine-hole stretch.

  Scott stuck a pitching wedge 120 yards to four feet for a birdie 3 on No. 1 (par 4, 354 yards). He relinquished it immediately with a bogey on the par 4, 400-yard No. 2 after a three-putt from 35 feet above the flagstick. Scott posted an improbable birdie on No. 3 (par 3, 180 yards). He flew a 4-iron to the back of the green and chipped in for a 2. Quinn, meanwhile, three-putted from 10 feet to card a bogey and to move three shots back of Scott.

  Scott continued to distance himself from Quinn with a birdie on No. 5 (par 4, 403 yards). He smashed a 6-iron 164 yards to 15 feet and sunk a right-to-left breaker. Scott, though, bogeyed the par 3, 193-yard No. 6 to fall back to 2 under. He failed to reach the green with a hybrid and watched his 10-footer for par skirt past the edge. Quinn gained more ground on the monstrous par 5, 517-yard No. 7 by firing a birdie. He executed a crisp 40 yard pitch-and-run to four feet. Quinn and Scott, in essence, halved No. 8 (par 4, 405 yards) to set the stage for a thrilling conclusion.

  Frank H. Chapman, a Whitemarsh Valley CC 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 sixth year, is held in his honor.