ELVERSON, Pa. — W. Frank Skilton wasn’t pleased with his golf game entering the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Frank H. Chapman Memorial (Net) Monday. He may feel better about it now. The Manufacturers Golf & Country Club member posted 39 points to take the tournament’s 73rd edition at a pleasant French Creek Golf Club (par 71, 5,651 yards). Skilton nipped clubmate and good friend Ned Moore by a point to prevail.
“To be honest with you, I’m pretty surprised because I haven’t been playing that well,” Skilton, 64, of Doylestown, Pa., said. “My good friend Jack Endicott won [the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Fall Net Championship] last year, so to come in, win a GAP event behind him and be from Manufacturers was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it.”
A clutch bogey-save on No. 1 (par 4, 322 yards) settled Skilton’s early nerves. He “chunked it around” and made a seven-footer for a (net) par.
“That gave me a little confidence that I could putt the greens,” Skilton said.
Skilton also considers the par 3, 185-yard 17th hole an important junction in his championship journey. A wayward drive resulted in a lost ball. Keeping the driver in hand, Skilton re-teed, powered it just left of the flagstick and nestled his chip to a foot for a (net) bogey.
“Maybe it was just enough to beat Mr. Moore,” he said. “Under the circumstances, it was probably a good [gross] double bogey.”
Skilton’s lone (gross) birdie occurred on the par 5, 458-yard 11th hole. He launched a 5-wood into the left rough — some 80 yards from the flagstick. Skilton smacked a sand wedge to 17 feet and drained the downhill putt.
“Fortunately, it found the hole because if it didn’t, it was going to be a good five or six feet past it,” he said.
On a crisp autumn day, Skilton began his outward tour with 20 points, thanks to a stretch of four consecutive (net) birdies. He hit a 9-iron to eight feet and two-putted on No. 3 (par 3, 121 yards) to climb into contention early.
NOTES
Robert Link of Five Ponds Golf Club aced the aforementioned No. 3 with a pitching wedge. It was the Jenkintown, Pa. resident’s first hole-in-one.
“It landed about two and a half feet above the hole and spun back in,” Link, 59, said.
Frank H. Chapman, a Whitemarsh Valley Country Club member, served as the Association’s secretary-treasurer for 23 years. He died on June 7, 1955 at the age of 88. The Net tournament is held in his honor.
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 145 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.
Overall results
Name, club
Points
W. Frank Skilton, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
39
Ned Moore, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
38
Tom Cohen, Running Deer Golf Club
37
William Erskine, Philadelphia Publinks GA
37
Louis Graziano, The Bucks Club
37
Eric Whorral, Old York Road Country Club
37
Nick Pompo, Edgmont Country Club
37
Don Neill, Blue Bell Country Club
36
James Cardano, Cedarbrook Country Club
36
John Kivitz, McCall Golf & Country Club
35
Lloyd McGinley, Trenton Country Club
35
Andrew Worek, Yardley Country Club
35
James Wiley, Lu Lu Country Club
35
Robert Elker, Indian Valley Country Club
34
Ronald Rice, Sr., Lu Lu Country Club
34
Joseph DeAngelis, Jericho National Golf Club
33
Roland Thomas, Jr., McCall Golf & Country Club
33
Larry Kopec, Sakima Country Club
33
John Siegrist, Philadelphia Publinks GA
32
Tom Paul, Running Deer Golf Club
32
Robert Link, Five Ponds Golf Club
32
Kevin Merlini, Sandy Run Country Club
31
Andrew Hamilton, III, The Springhaven Club
31
Harold Alwood, Jr., Old York Road Country Club
31
Wayne Diluigi, Running Deer Golf Club
30
Gary Tiller, Talamore Country Club
30
William Hagel, McCall Golf & Country Club
30
Tom Riley, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
30
David Nave, Old York Road Country Club
30
Robert Fulton, Sandy Run Country Club
30
Joseph Dayton, McCall Golf & Country Club
29
Gerald Barr, Lehigh Country Club
29
Joseph Hendel, Sandy Run Country Club
29
Loren Pearson, Old York Road Country Club
29
Rick Rutter, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
29
James Zinkand, Broad Run Golfers Club
28
Richard Turner, Edgmont Country Club
28
Mark Pfeffer, Hidden Creek Golf Club
28
Mark Weinberg, Lookaway Golf Club
28
Gregg Gipp, Greate Bay Country Club
27
Scott Dichter, Meadia Heights Golf Club
27
Palmer Hossler, Loch Nairn Golf Club
27
Paul Watson, Makefield Highlands Golf Club
27
Mike Kyle, Talamore Country Club
27
Bob Watkins, Sandy Run Country Club
27
Jay McMenamin, Running Deer Golf Club
27
Edward Osciak, Jr., Loch Nairn Golf Club
27
Jack Endicott, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
26
Francis Sbandi, Esq., Edgmont Country Club
26
Francis Tan, Medford Lakes Country Club
26
Kevin McKeon, Moselem Springs Golf Club
26
Brian Mulvenna, White Oaks Country Club
26
Kenneth Prince, DuPont Country Club
25
David Newns, Sandy Run Country Club
25
Dave Furman, Running Deer Golf Club
25
Joe Roe, Reading Country Club
25
William Wilkinson, McCall Golf & Country Club
24
R. Dirk Edmiston, Penn Oaks Golf Club
23
Richard Hunt, Medford Lakes Country Club
23
E. Gerald Hurst, Jr., Philmont Country Club
21
Luke Pape, Tavistock Country Club
21
Dillon Halls, Mercer Oaks Golf Course
20
John O’Rourke, McCall Golf & Country Club
20
George Hilley, McCall Golf & Country Club
20
Bob Barron, Medford Lakes Country Club
18
Bob Abramski, Talamore Country Club
WD
WD – withdrawal
Handicaps 5-10
Name, club
Points
Tom Cohen, Running Deer Golf Club
37
William Erskine, Philadelphia Publinks GA
37
Joseph DeAngelis, Jericho National Golf Club
33
Don Neill, Blue Bell Country Club
36
Roland Thomas, Jr., McCall Golf & Country Club
33
Joseph Dayton, McCall Golf & Country Club
29
John Siegrist, Philadelphia Publinks GA
32
Wayne Diluigi, Running Deer Golf Club
30
Gerald Barr, Lehigh Country Club
29
Joseph Hendel, Sandy Run Country Club
29
James Zinkand, Broad Run Golfers Club
28
Richard Turner, Edgmont Country Club
28
Gregg Gipp, Greate Bay Country Club
27
Kenneth Prince, DuPont Country Club
25
Jack Endicott, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
26
Dillon Halls, Mercer Oaks Golf Course
20
Bob Abramski, Talamore Country Club
WD
Handicaps 11-14
Name, club
Points
Ned Moore, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
38
Louis Graziano, The Bucks Club
37
James Cardano, Cedarbrook Country Club
36
John Kivitz, McCall Golf & Country Club
35
Lloyd McGinley, Trenton Country Club
35
Andrew Worek, Yardley Country Club
35
James Wiley, Lu Lu Country Club
35
Robert Elker, Indian Valley Country Club
34
Larry Kopec, Sakima Country Club
33
Tom Paul, Running Deer Golf Club
32
Kevin Merlini, Sandy Run Country Club
31
Andrew Hamilton, III, The Springhaven Club
31
Gary Tiller, Talamore Country Club
30
William Hagel, McCall Golf & Country Club
30
Loren Pearson, Old York Road Country Club
29
Mark Pfeffer, Hidden Creek Golf Club
28
Scott Dichter, Meadia Heights Golf Club
27
Palmer Hossler, Loch Nairn Golf Club
27
Paul Watson, Makefield Highlands Golf Club
27
Mike Kyle, Talamore Country Club
27
Bob Watkins, Sandy Run Country Club
27
Francis Sbandi, Esq., Edgmont Country Club
26
David Newns, Sandy Run Country Club
25
William Wilkinson, McCall Golf & Country Club
24
R. Dirk Edmiston, Penn Oaks Golf Club
23
Handicaps 15-26
Name, club
Points
W. Frank Skilton, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
39
Eric Whorral, Old York Road Country Club
37
Nick Pompo, Edgmont Country Club
37
Ronald Rice, Sr., Lu Lu Country Club
34
Robert Link, Five Ponds Golf Club
32
Harold Alwood, Jr., Old York Road Country Club
31
Tom Riley, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
30
David Nave, Old York Road Country Club
30
Robert Fulton, Sandy Run Country Club
30
Rick Rutter, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
29
Mark Weinberg, Lookaway Golf Club
28
Jay McMenamin, Running Deer Golf Club
27
Edward Osciak, Jr., Loch Nairn Golf Club
27
Francis Tan, Medford Lakes Country Club
26
Kevin McKeon, Moselem Springs Golf Club
26
Brian Mulvenna, White Oaks Country Club
26
Dave Furman, Running Deer Golf Club
25
Joe Roe, Reading Country Club
25
Richard Hunt, Medford Lakes Country Club
23
E. Gerald Hurst, Jr., Philmont Country Club
21
Luke Pape, Tavistock Country Club
21
John O’Rourke, McCall Golf & Country Club
20
George Hilley, McCall Golf & Country Club
20
Bob Barron, Medford Lakes Country Club
18
