Stein medals; Cooley takes final #USAmateur Qualifier spot

ELVERSON, Pa. — Rain and inclement weather threatened – and arrived with a delaying impact – Monday’s U.S. Amateur Championship Qualifier at Stonewall, but in the end, it wasn’t wet or dark enough to keep medalist honors out of Dylan Stein’s grasp.

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  Stein, a rising University of Arizona junior who plays out of Mercer Oaks Golf Course, fired a 2-under total of 138 to lead a pack of 125 hopefuls competing on Stonewall’s two tracks — Old (par 70, 6,923 yards) and North (par 70, 6,821 yards).

  An hour and twenty-minute delay began the day in gloom due to rain accumulations – roughly three inches – that fell overnight. Tee times were pushed back, but the show went on. But as the 36-hole event carried on, the Flemington, N.J. resident’s medalist honors didn’t appear as if they would be awarded Monday after all.

  When the horn sounded at 7 p.m., Stein, who carded an even-par 70 in the morning, stood on the 16th green of the Old Course wondering if he’d squeeze his second round in.

  The green light was ultimately given to resume play at 8 p.m. Stein, hustling from tee-to-green, would go par-bogey-par to clinch the top honor. His 2-under 68 was tied for low on the Old track, which served as the main site of the 2016 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship.

  “I was definitely stiff heading back out there,” said Stein, who transferred to Arizona after spending his first season with Towson University. “But when I got out there I was still looking to make birdies. I wanted to be aggressive.”

  “I was actually worried the most about how the greens would be,” said Stein. “It did rain a little bit and I was worried if it was going to slow up or be more receptive. The course is unbelievable. It drained well and everything was great.”

  Stein says he’ll join a few of his Wildcat teammates for the championship proper. The #USAmateur is set for Aug. 14-20 at The Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif. and Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles, Calif.

  “I’d say I put extra pressure on myself today, knowing a few of our guys already made it. But it feels good to get a spot and I’m excited to play out there,” he said.

  The other two spots secured on Monday went to David Hicks of Cape May Court House, N.J., a College of William and Mary junior standout, and Michael Graboyes, a senior Cornell University player of Watchung N.J., who each carded 1-under totals of 139.

  The day’s overall low round – a 3-under 67 on the North track in the morning wave – propelled Hicks, a Wildwood Golf & Country Club member, into qualifying position.

  His name isn’t a new one to the Golf Association of Philadelphia region. Hicks has become a mainstay near the top of GAP Major leaderboards as of late. He’s recorded Top 10 finishes in the Joseph H. Patterson Cup in back-to-back years, and reached the Round of 16 in this year’s #BMWPhillyAm at Philadelphia Cricket Club.

  “Making a USGA championship has always been a goal for me,” said the 20-year-old Hicks. “I’ve always played OK and somewhat competitive in these events, but I’ve never really been near the cut at the end of the day.”

  Daylight also became an obstacle for Hicks in finishing off his dual stellar rounds. A form of speed golf was implemented by him and his group.

  “I’ve really got to thank my playing competitors. They kept saying, ‘We really don’t want to go out tomorrow so let’s just book it. They were really great with that,” he said. “I tried to take my time and missed a couple of putts but I was able to make a good one on No. 18 (par 4, 451 yards), a 10-foot par putt to finish.”

  Four contestants — Carter Thompson of Tallahassee, Fla., Ben Cooley of Rydal, Pa., Ryan Dornes of Lancaster, Pa. and Christian Sease of Mount Pleasant, S.C. returned to the Old course Tuesday morning to decide the final spot. All four players finished at even-par 140 on Monday.

  The playoff began on No. 9 (par 3, 218 yards) on Tuesday at 7 a.m. Cooley secured the fourth and final spot in result of a beautiful bunker blast that lead to a tap-in par. Sease was tagged as the first alternate after a great bogey despite finding the left water hazard off the tee, while Dornes, a Penn State University junior, went on to grab the second alternate position after birdieing the second playoff hole, No. 10 (par 4, 442 yards).

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.