Liotta breaks through with Marston Cup title at Springhaven

WALLINGFORD, Pa.- After 15 years of GAP competition, Whitemarsh Valley Country Club’s Dave Liotta has a piece of Association hardware — and exemptions into three GAP Majors next season — to call his own. | Scorecards | History |

  Liotta, an 11-time club champion at Whitemarsh, got over the hump Wednesday at The Springhaven Club (par 70, 6,437 yards), taking the 12th Marston Cup title with a 1-under 69. It was his first GAP win.

  “It’s really nice to [get my name on the trophy]. It’s been a long time, for me, playing in these events,” said Liotta, 46, of West Chester, Pa. “I’ve been really close a bunch of times, so it’s great to finally get this opportunity.”

  The lone-red round of the day started with a two-putt birdie on the par-5, 544-yard 2nd hole. It kept rolling throughout the front nine. After a 3-wood approach went wide right on No. 8 (par 5, 537 yards), Liotta pulled his trusty 60-degree wedge from his bag. He launched his third shot over a large tree, nestled it to within three feet, then converted for his second birdie of the day.

  After a tough bogey on No. 11 (par 4, 440 yards), a picture-perfect bunker shot, splashed to within inches on No. 12 (par 5, 513 yards), got Liotta back to 1 under. Another bogey arrived on No. 15 (par 4, 380 yards), but Liotta would bounce back yet again. His 25-foot birdie bomb on No. 17 (par 4, 364 yards) paved the way to victory.

  This is the sixth Marston Cup appearance for Liotta. In 2011, he barely fell short of a title after making bogey on his finishing hole at Philadelphia Cricket Club’s Militia Hill Course. With a 4-under 68, Liotta finished one back of Five Ponds Golf Club’s Steve Lubin.

  “That was a tough one. I shot a [4-under 68] that day and still lost it,” said Liotta, who paired with two-time Marston champion P. Chet Walsh in the 2015 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball.

  Ever since the honorary event went down from 45 years old to an age requirement of 40, it has been a mainstay on Liotta’s busy golfing schedule.

  “I probably don’t know [Marston’s] accomplishments as well as I should,” he said. “But anytime you have a chance to compete, or even win, a GAP title, it’s pretty special.”

  It has been a rough season overall for Liotta besides a notable T-23 finish in the GAP Middle-Amateur Championship presented by Callaway Golf. Today, however, there was plenty of good present. He’ll head into next season with important exemptions into the Middle-Amateur, BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship and Joseph H. Patterson Cup.

  “I’m usually right around [leaderboards], but this year has been bad for me. I think it’s age, and mental focus and capabilities that just have gone out the windows,” said Liotta, a quarterfinalist in the 2008 Philadelphia Amateur. “Today, it is what it is. Wherever it landed, I just tried to execute and make some shots. Luckily I was able to sink some putts today.”

  While it may have been a turbulent season overall for Liotta, there was plenty of good to take away from today’s win. He’ll also head into next season with important exemptions into the GAP Middle Amateur, BMW Philadelphia Amateur and Joseph H. Patterson Cup.

  A trio of Cricketeers — Kevin Kelly, Ryan Gelrod and Scott Storck — finished a shot back. For the second year in a row, Gelrod, playing alongside the eventual champion, finished as runner-up.

  The Marston Cup honors Max Marston. For four months in the summer of 1923, Marston was America’s best amateur golfer. Between mid-May and mid-September, Marston was virtually unstoppable through a series of club, state, national and international events.

  It began with the Walker Cup Matches, where Marston won two matches as the Americans successfully retained the Cup. Marston returned home to capture the Patterson Cup and Amateur Championship in successive weeks and, in doing so, earned the Silver Cross Award. In July, he took the Pennsylvania Amateur title and finished as low amateur in the Golf Association of Philadelphia Open. In September, Marston traveled to Floosmoor Country Club outside Chicago, Ill. for the U.S. Amateur. He rallied in the second round to defeat tournament favorite Bob Jones, 2&1, before knocking off Francis Ouimet in the semifinals. He stopped defending champion Jess Sweetser in the final on the 38th hole. In that four month span, he also captured the Merion Cricket Club championship and Pine Valley Golf Club’s Crump Cup.

  The tournament is limited to players 40 to 54 years of age with a 10.0 handicap index or lower.

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 151 Member Clubs and 57,000 individual members are spread across parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. 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.