#GAPOpen Qualifier: Bluestone - The Golf Association of Philadelphia

Jul 02, 2019

#GAPOpen Qualifier: Bluestone

Key strokes: Merion’s Bradbeer tops Open Qualifier

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BLUE BELL, Pa. — Peter Bradbeer is a self-taught pianist. The Merion Golf Club member, inspired by a music class at Bucknell University, started tickling the ivories three years ago.

Bradbeer, using golf clubs as an instrument Tuesday, played beautiful music at Bluestone Country Club (par 71, 6,479 yards). He carded a 3-under-par 68 to earn medalist honors in a GAP Open Championship Qualifier and one of 40 qualifying positions and ties available for the Championship proper.

The cut line stopped at 76 by day’s end. The 115th Open Championship will take place July 17-18 at Huntingdon Valley Country Club.

“There are definitely [piano players] who are a lot better than me,” Bradbeer, 21, of Rosemont, Pa., said. “I’ve become decently good at it. For my 21st birthday [in March], I got a keyboard. I can plunk through a song if I need to. I’m no maestro, that’s for sure.”

A maestro at Bluestone, that’s for sure.

Bradbeer, now a rising senior at Bucknell, registered 16 greens in regulation and zero bogeys en route to the top of the qualifying charts. Ball-striking proved to be the keystroke.  

“I’ve been absolutely atrocious hitting the ball the past couple of months. I worked with my coach (Brian Quinn). I was bringing it outside at the start of my swing, so we worked on trying to bring the club in and up,” Bradbeer, the 2017 Joseph H. Patterson Cup Champion, said. “Today, it all came together. I was feeling that motion the whole day, and I was just striping it the whole day. I hit it so well out there.”

Bradbeer’s ball-striking graced centerstage immediately. Following a symphonic drive on No. 1 (par 5, 525 yards), he hit a 5-iron 205 yards to 15 feet below the hole location. Bradbeer’s eagle putt lipped on the low side. He tapped in for birdie. Par ditties filled the air until Bradbeer’s next red single on No. 9 (par 4, 435 yards). He tried to cut the dogleg left with a 3-wood, but pushed it into the right fairway bunker. Bradbeer then blasted a pitching wedge from 134 yards to four feet for birdie.

More par ditties on Bluestone’s back nine. The par 3, 149-yard 16th hole almost became Bradbeer’s breakout hit. His smooth 9-iron wheeled around the jar’s edge and stopped at three feet. Bradbeer missed the birdie putt. He made good on the next hole (par 5, 481 yards), however. Bradbeer’s 3-wood off the tee settled on the downslope in the right rough. His 7-iron from 197 yards didn’t hold the green, leaving the 6’3” swinger with a delicate downhill chip. Bradbeer ran it 10 feet past the flagstick, but made the comebacker for birdie.

Speaking of comebacks, 2019 is showing the makings of one for Bradbeer thus far. He reached the Round of 16 in the BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship at Stonewall, falling to eventual runner-up Jeff Osberg of Pine Valley Golf Club, 2&1.

Such an accomplishment alleviated — albeit slightly — the aches of an emotionally difficult 2018 campaign. Bradbeer, as a 2017 Major winner, didn’t scratch the surface of self-expectations. He missed out on match play in the BMW Philadelphia Amateur and failed make the Day Two cut in both the Open Championship and Patterson Cup.  

“The weight was too much for me. I put a lot of pressure on myself,” Bradbeer, who works part-time for both Uber and CID Entertainment, said. “Last year was tough. It was frustrating not even being able to come close [to winning a GAP Major]. It hurt. But l learned a lot about myself as a person and my game.

“This year, I just feel like I’m out there to play golf. I know what I’m capable of.”

A lot, if Tuesday is any indication.

GAP
Celebrating Amateur Golf since 1897, GAP, also known as the Golf Association of Philadelphia, is the oldest regional or state golf association in the United States. It serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. The Association’s 274 Full Member Clubs and 75,000 individual members are spread across the Eastern half of Pennsylvania and parts of New Jersey and Delaware. The GAP’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.

Qualifiers
Name, club, score
(a)Peter Bradbeer, Merion Golf Club68
(a)Angelo Giantsopoulos, Lu Lu Country Club70
Chris Krueger, Kings Creek70
(a)Ben Feld, Green Valley Country Club71
(a)Conor McGrath, Huntingdon Valley Country Club71
(a)Max Siegfried, Aronimink Golf Club71
(a)Zach Arsenault, Little Mill Country Club72
(a)Ryan Cass, Hidden Creek Golf Club72
Michael Ferguson, Philadelphia Cricket Club72
Ross Seaman, Manufacturers’ Golf & Country Club72
(a)Sean Seese, Huntingdon Valley Country Club72
(a)Glenn Smeraglio, Lu Lu Country Club72
(a)John Brennan, Philadelphia Cricket Club73
(a)Casey Lyons, Medford Village Country Club73
(a)Oscar Mestre, Overbrook Golf Club73
(a)Stewart Rickenbach, Five Ponds Golf Club73
(a)Gary Schoeman, Gulph Mills Golf Club73
(a)Griffin Smith, Jericho National Golf Club73
(a)James Sullivan, Jr., Lu Lu Country Club73
(a)Cole Berman, Philadelphia Cricket Club74
(a)Zachary Falone, Sakima Country Club74
(a)Nick Madden, Lu Lu Country Club74
(a)Scott McLaughlin, Lu Lu Country Club74
(a)Jack Sullivan, The Shore Club74
(a)Mark Wachter, DuPont Country Club74
Eric Keeler, Gulph Mills Golf Club75
Eric Kennedy, Overbrook Golf Club75
(a)Matthew Lafond, Blue Bell Country Club75
(a)Stephen Lorenzo, Manufacturers’ Golf & Country Club75
(a)Michael Moffat, Lu Lu Country Club75
Michael Paukovits, St. Davids Golf Club75
(a)Jack Sterbenz, Little Mill Country Club75
(a)Dawson Anders, Indian Valley Country Club76
(a)Scott Ehrlich, Waynesborough Country Club76
(a)Jack Hamilton, Merion Golf Club76
(a)Serge Hogg, Philadelphia Publinks GA76
(a)Kevin Kornuszko, Spring Mill Country Club76
(a)Chris Lange, Jr., Overbrook Golf Club76
(a)Connor McNicholas, Lu Lu Country Club76
(a)Jh Park, Blue Bell Country Club76
(a)John Samaha, Old York Road Country Club76
Stephen Sieracki, Woodcrest Country Club76
Failed to qualify
(a)Mark Benevento, Jr., Greate Bay Country Club77
Kyle Early, Waynesborough Country Club77
(a)Jack Irons, Little Mill Country Club77
(a)Andy Kerestesy, Running Deer Golf Club77
Peter Lovenguth, Applecross Country Club77
(a)Max Rubin, Little Mill Country Club77
(a)Matt Smith, Wilmington Country Club77
John Spina, Philadelphia Cricket Club77
(a)Andrew Wallace, Green Valley Country Club77
(a)Adam Bracy, Tavistock Country Club78
(a)Thomas Butler, Indian Valley Country Club78
(a)Gerald Haftmann, Rolling Green Golf Club78
(a)Buddy Hansen, IV, Blue Bell Country Club78
(a)Mark Hill, Rolling Green Golf Club78
(a)Bryan Keeling, Spring Mill Country Club78
(a)Christopher Marky, Fieldstone Golf Club78
(a)Eric Palumbo, Rolling Green Golf Club78
(a)Jack Wallace, Burlington Country Club78
(a)Anthony Barr, Blue Bell Country Club79
(a)John Buliga, Yardley Country Club79
(a)Danny Dougherty, DuPont Country Club79
Christopher Dymek, Manasquan River Golf Club79
(a)Justin Gohn, Concord Country Club79
(a)John Murphy, II, The Shore Club79
(a)Nicholas Anderson, White Manor Country Club80
(a)Brendan Bacskai, Applebrook Golf Club80
(a)Alexander Butler, Bluestone Country Club80
(a)Michael Carr, Philadelphia Cricket Club80
(a)Scott Kalan, Squires Golf Club80
Anthony Napoletano, Golf Course at Glen Mills80
(a)Greg O’Connor, Bellewood Country Club80
(a)Andrew Ring, Bluestone Country Club80
(a)Chris Schukay, Valleybrook Country Club80
(a)Simon Asadoorian, Heidelberg Country Club81
(a)Christopher Clauson, Lu Lu Country Club81
(a)Luis Diaz, Rancocas Golf Club81
(a)Robert Fiori, Bluestone Country Club81
(a)David Kim, Commonwealth National Golf Club81
(a)Jonathan Radick, Spring Mill Country Club81
(a)Jamie Slonis, Tavistock Country Club81
Andy Watters, Talamore Country Club81
John Allen, Huntingdon Valley Country Club82
(a)Greg Blackburn, Honeybrook Golf Club82
(a)Greg DeLuca, Makefield Highlands Golf Club82
(a)Michael Gallagher, Galloway National Golf Club82
(a)Ryan Gelrod, Philadelphia Cricket Club82
(a)Dave Landau, Berkshire Country Club82
Andrew Pierson, Camden County Driving Range82
(a)Dan Ayars, Running Deer Golf Club83
(a)Frankie Gregor, Huntingdon Valley Country Club83
(a)Brent Schoeller, Huntingdon Valley Country Club83
(a)Greg Bender, Honeybrook Golf Club84
(a)Tyler Joseph, Green Valley Country Club84
(a)Liam McGrath, Huntingdon Valley Country Club84
(a)Lodie Van Tonder, Sakima Country Club84
(a)Jake Fazio, Huntingdon Valley Country Club85
(a)Gwinyai Murahwa, Lu Lu Country Club85
Jim Smith, Jr., Philadelphia Cricket Club85
(a)Brandon Cassidy, Commonwealth National Golf Club86
(a)Kyle Packer, Medford Lakes Country Club87
(a)D.J. Pinciotti, III, Huntingdon Valley Country Club87
(a)Joseph Rueter, Jr., Sandy Run Country Club87
(a)Todd Baron, Philadelphia Publinks GA88
(a)Dan Brown, Llanerch Country Club88
James Shukdinas, Old York CC at Chesterfield88
(a)Kyle Price, White Clay Creek Country Club89
(a)James Bresnahan, Bala Golf Club90
(a)Mark Lowrie, Rolling Green Golf Club90
(a)Michael Torrissi, Jr., Trump National Golf Club — Philadelphia90
(a)R. John Burnes, Philadelphia Cricket Club92
(a)Griffin Caulfield, Manufacturers’ Golf & Country Club92
(a)Thomas Maguire, Makefield Highlands Golf Club92
(a)Fran Migliocco, DuPont Country Club92
(a)Matthew Acker, IV, Huntingdon Valley Country Club93
Kevin Rossi, Lookaway Golf Club93
(a)Joshua Brauer, Spring Ford Country Club94
(a)Brian Dinuzzo, Green Valley Country Club97
(a)Lenny Welch, Indian Valley Country Club99
(a)Matt Milligan, Skippack Golf Club at Evansburg State Park105
Terry Hatch, Royal Oaks Golf ClubNS
(a)Daniel Rieger, Sunnybrook Golf ClubNS
(a)Noah Schwartz, Galloway National Golf ClubNS
(a)Nikita Romanov, Loch Nairn Golf ClubWD
Hugh Reilly, Jr., Upper Dublin Golf & Fitness ClubWD
(a)Kenneth Taras, Laurel Creek Country ClubWD
(a)Reed Winkler, DuPont Country ClubWD
(a) — denotes amateur
NS — no show; WD — withdrawal

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