Episcopal Academy teammates Dupre, Fahey take Hussey

 SPRINGFIELD, Pa.–Alex Dupre and Sean Fahey improved upon last year’s Francis X. Hussey Memorial Tournament finish by one position. That one step up, though, was good enough to earn the 2012 trophy.

  The Episcopal Academy teammates and friends posted a 5-under-par 66 on Monday at Rolling Green Golf Club (par 71, 6,315 yards) to edge Nick Cappetti and Drew Guarino of Burlington Country Club by a stroke for the 27th Francis X. Hussey Memorial Tournament (Junior Division, 14 to 17 years old) win.

  “This was our last year, so to be able to win it was great,” said Fahey, 16, of Villanova, Pa.

  “It’s nice to win it on my home course,” added Dupre, 17, of Drexel Hill, Pa. “Everyone has been very supportive.”

  The two will be high school seniors this fall.

  Brendan Bacskai and Michael Cook of Applebrook Golf Club, in the first group out, posted a 2-under 69 as Dupre and Fahey turned moments later with the identical score.

  On No. 15 (par 4, 363 yards), the eventual winning twosome grabbed the lead for good.

  Fahey knocked a 125-yard pitching wedge to five feet to move the duo to 3 under. Dupre added another red circle on No. 17 (par 5, 473 yards) with a driver, 3-iron to five yards short of the green. His third shot stopped and inch from the cup and he tapped in for birdie. On No. 18 (par 5, 508 yards), Fahey responded with a 3-iron from 199 yards that released to the back of the large final green some 40 feet from the hole. He cozied his lengthy eagle try to three feet before rolling in the birdie.

  “At the turn we said to each other to just keep playing golf,” said Fahey. “We missed a couple of makeable birdies early on the back, but we kept giving ourselves opportunities.”

  Guarino and Cappetti made a late surge at the leaders, but failed to birdie either of the final two holes, the two par 5s, to finish a shot back.

  In the Junior-Junior Division (par 36, 2,941 yards), for players 13 years of age and under, Danny Degraff and Brent Schoeller of Huntingdon Valley Country Club carded a 3-over-par 39 to edge Matthew Davis of Aronimink Golf Club and Evan Greenplate of the Country Club of York by a stroke for the title.

  The 13 year olds registered six pars and three bogeys en route to their first Golf Association of Philadelphia victory.

  Degraff lives in Mendham, N.J. Schoeller is a Jenkintown, Pa. resident.

  “It was a good experience and to win it with a friend makes it even better,” said Schoeller, an eighth-grader at Abington Junior High School.

  Added Degraff, “It’s awesome. We had a lot of fun. It was a great experience.”

NOTES–A total of 36 teams competed in the Hussey, 29 Junior Division and seven in the Junior-Junior Division. The tournament is named in honor of the former Rolling Green GC junior member Francis X. Hussey. Francis suffered congenital heart disease and passed away in December of 1983 while undergoing major heart surgery. He was 13 years old when he died. Francis was a student in the Haverford Township School system, an avid sports fan and an active junior member at Rolling Green. His courage in the face of his illness was a great inspiration to all who knew him.