WALLINGFORD, Pa. — Meadia Heights Golf Club’s Scott Dichter and Running Deer Golf Club’s Wayne Diluigi shared the top seat in the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s TEE IT FORWARD — Spring Net Championship Thursday at The Springhaven Club (par 70, 6181 yards). Both players posted 41 points, and in a match of cards, Dichter emerged the victor.
“It feels strange,” Dichter, 67, of Lancaster, Pa., said. “I finished second in a [Golf Association of Philadelphia] net event 10 years ago, and [the medal] sits on a wooden base. Everything is overshadowed by my wife’s trophies.” Dicther’s wife Lisa holds hardware from a number of Lancaster County tournaments over the years.
Dicther played his final six holes in even par en route to a whopping 23-point inward tour. On the par 3, 96-yard 16th hole, he stopped a pitching wedge five feet above the hole, but missed the putt. Dichter lifted a 160-yard 6-iron out of the left rough on No. 17 (par 4, 320 yards) and onto the back fringe. He lagged his birdie try into tap-in territory. To cap off the flurry finish, Dichter, a health insurance agent, left a 9-iron from 125 yards short on No. 18 (par 4, 334 yards). He then eased a chip to four feet and cleaned up the par putt.
“It was my irons that made the difference,” Dichter said.
Prior to his victory Thursday, Dichter labeled his golf game “terrible.” He’s worked with Pete Kowalinski, Meadia Heights’ head professional, on swing changes.
“When I make good swings, I’ve been real happy with the ball flight and what it’s doing,” Dichter said. “I’ve been hitting so many terrible shots lately that each one costs me two strokes.”
Diluigi’s round juxtaposed Dicther’s; he posted 23 points on the front nine.
“I have not been playing well, but I really put it together today,” Diluigi, 58, of Washington Township, N.J., said. “I putted extremely well. I must have easily had six or seven one-putts. I had a really good round on good golf course today. I didn’t hit the driver real good, but I made putts all day. It’s not a ‘rip it and grip it’ golf course.”
Diluigi, a retiree who spent 28 years at DuPont, entered a zone immediately with a birdie on No. 1 (par 4, 408 yards), where he drilled a 7-iron 156 yards to 15 feet and drained a right-to-left breaker. Diluigi registered a 2 on the par 3, 162-yard No. 6 after stopping a 7-iron at 25 feet and snaking in a left-to-right slider.
Diluigi plays golf three times a week with clubmates Jay McMenamin, Tom Paul and Fred Spratt, who also toured The Springhaven Club Thursday. He holds bragging rights — at least for a day.
“Those guys can beat me any day, too,” he said. “We go back and forth. I just had the day today.”
The Spring Net Championship, formerly known as the First Handicap Tournament, is open to players 18 years of age and older with handicap index less than 36.0. The event began in 1946. The Association adopted the TEE IT FORWARD parameters last year. It also changed the scoring format to net Stableford.
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
*Scott Dichter, Meadia Heights Golf Club
41
Wayne Diluigi, Running Deer Golf Club
41
James Barron, Hartefeld National
40
Richard Turner, Llanerch Country Club
40
Rick Ames, Philadelphia Publinks GA
40
Terry Radcliffe, Lancaster Country Club
40
Andrew Hamilton, III, The Springhaven Club
40
W. Garth Sprecher, Lancaster Country Club
38
Jerry Owens, Flourtown Country Club
37
Kevin Daughtry, McCall Golf & Country Club
36
Mike Kyle, Talamore Country Club
36
Shawn Gross, Applecross Country Club
36
Bob Abramski, Talamore Country Club
35
Ned Moore, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
35
Michael Blaustein, Penn Oaks Golf Club
35
Rick Rutter, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
35
Mike Krantz, Middletown Country Club
34
Vito Caracappa, Golf Course at Glen Mills
34
Robert Murray, McCall Golf & Country Club
34
William Erskine, Philadelphia Publinks GA
33
Edward Blomstedt, Talamore Country Club
33
Joseph Dayton, Golf Course at Glen Mills
33
Robert Felter, Lancaster Country Club
33
Gary Moran, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
33
Jerry Whitman, Commonwealth National Golf Club
33
George Hilley, McCall Golf & Country Club
33
Charles Caparo, Plymouth Country Club
32
David Sim, Applecross Country Club
32
Robert Pingitore, French Creek Golf Club
32
Allan Shannon, Makefield Highlands Golf Club
32
Francis Sbandi, Esq., Edgmont Country Club
32
Fred Spratt, Running Deer Golf Club
32
Jack Endicott, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
32
David Daily, Moorestown Field Club
32
Robert Agran, Reading Country Club
31
Richard Kachur, Riverton Country Club
31
David Krausse, Jericho National Golf Club
30
Stephen Silvano, McCall Golf & Country Club
30
Matt Peters, Five Ponds Golf Club
30
Andrew Repetto, Philadelphia Publinks GA
30
James Flick, Jr., Bensalem Township Country Club
30
Gerald Barr, Lehigh Country Club
29
Keith McQueen, Makefield Highlands Golf Club
29
Ross Gershel, Yardley Country Club
28
Tom Paul, Running Deer Golf Club
28
Vincent Kraft, Jr., Lehigh Country Club
28
Edward Osciak, Jr., Loch Nairn Golf Club
28
John Convery, Northampton Valley Country Club
28
John Long, Edgmont Country Club
28
John O’Rourke, McCall Golf & Country Club
28
Jay Vasil, White Oaks Country Club
27
David Steele, Lancaster Country Club
27
Jay McMenamin, Running Deer Golf Club
27
Brian Mulvenna, White Oaks Country Club
27
Neil Fine, Makefield Highlands Golf Club
27
Joseph Templin, LedgeRock Golf Club
26
Jason Marie, Five Ponds Golf Club
26
Patrick Riley, The Bucks Club
25
Shahab Bina, Radnor Valley Country Club
25
Dave Dillon, Huntsville Golf Club
24
Tom Bell, Meadia Heights Golf Club
24
Frank Andrusiewicz, Mercer Oaks Golf Course
22
John VanDame, Five Ponds Golf Club
21
Greg Gray, DuPont Country Club
18
Peter Zukowski, Makefield Highlands Golf Club
WD
Rick Barrett, Golf Course at Glen Mills
NS
11-14 handicap
Wayne Diluigi, Running Deer Golf Club
41
Richard Turner, Llanerch Country Club
40
Rick Ames, Philadelphia Publinks GA
40
Kevin Daughtry, McCall Golf & Country Club
36
Mike Kyle, Talamore Country Club
36
Shawn Gross, Applecross Country Club
36
Ned Moore, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
35
Edward Blomstedt, Talamore Country Club
33
Joseph Dayton, Golf Course at Glen Mills
33
Robert Felter, Lancaster Country Club
33
Allan Shannon, Makefield Highlands Golf Club
32
Francis Sbandi, Esq., Edgmont Country Club
32
Fred Spratt, Running Deer Golf Club
32
Jack Endicott, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
32
Robert Agran, Reading Country Club
31
Matt Peters, Five Ponds Golf Club
30
Keith McQueen, Makefield Highlands Golf Club
29
Ross Gershel, Yardley Country Club
28
Tom Paul, Running Deer Golf Club
28
Vincent Kraft, Jr., Lehigh Country Club
28
Joseph Templin, LedgeRock Golf Club
26
Frank Andrusiewicz, Mercer Oaks Golf Course
22
Greg Gray, DuPont Country Club
18
Rick Barrett, Golf Course at Glen Mills
NS
15-17 handicap
Scott Dichter, Meadia Heights Golf Club
41
Terry Radcliffe, Lancaster Country Club
40
Jerry Owens, Flourtown Country Club
37
Vito Caracappa, Golf Course at Glen Mills
34
Gary Moran, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
33
Jerry Whitman, Commonwealth National Golf Club
33
David Daily, Moorestown Field Club
32
Edward Osciak, Jr., Loch Nairn Golf Club
28
John Convery, Northampton Valley Country Club
28
John Long, Edgmont Country Club
28
David Steele, Lancaster Country Club
27
Jay McMenamin, Running Deer Golf Club
27
Jason Marie, Five Ponds Golf Club
26
Patrick Riley, The Bucks Club
25
Shahab Bina, Radnor Valley Country Club
25
18-28 handicap
Andrew Hamilton, III, The Springhaven Club
40
Michael Blaustein, Penn Oaks Golf Club
35
Rick Rutter, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
35
Robert Murray, McCall Golf & Country Club
34
George Hilley, McCall Golf & Country Club
33
Richard Kachur, Riverton Country Club
31
Andrew Repetto, Philadelphia Publinks GA
30
James Flick, Jr., Bensalem Township Country Club
30
John O’Rourke, McCall Golf & Country Club
28
Brian Mulvenna, White Oaks Country Club
27
Neil Fine, Makefield Highlands Golf Club
27
Tom Bell, Meadia Heights Golf Club
24
