ROYERSFORD, Pa.–Ernie Eichenberg, III of Waynesborough Country Club, healthy and pain free for the first time in many years, posted a net 9-under 63 at Spring Ford Country Club (par 72, 5,978 yards) to cruise to a Warner Cup (Net) title. Eichenberg, who faced hip, knee and multiple rotator cuff injuries the last five years, amongst other physical issues, posted a gross score of 84 with a 21-course handicap. He finished four shots clear of Dennis Gingrich of Conestoga Country Club.
This was Eichenberg’s second Warner Cup (Net) victory. He also won the 2010 title. In 2011 he tied for first, but placed second on a scorecard tiebreaker.
“I had hip surgery last July. Mentally, it’s taken awhile for my game to get better because my brain didn’t know I was physically better,” said Eichenberg, 75, of Berwyn, Pa. “I had to go hit a lot of balls before my brian finally figured it out. It did, just recently. I hadn’t broken 95 until earlier this month when I shot 89. I’ve been on the practice field a lot trying to get [my game] back again.”
His game was solid with both flashes of brilliance and some others on Tuesday.
Eichenberg carded two gross birdies, nine pars, three bogeys, one double and three triples.
He birdied No. 5 (par 5, 447 yards) with an 8-iron from 140 yards to 20 feet and No. 9 (par 5, 515 yards) when he dropped a 5-hybrid rescue club to six feet. He turned with a 5-over-par 41 gross which equated to 6-under net.
“I haven’t seen a 41 in a long, long time,” said Eichenberg, a 31-year member at Waynesborough. “I like these events because one hole is not going to kill your score. In a gross event, if you have a triple, you can put the clubs back in your car and head home.”
Eichenberg is no stranger to competitive golf.
He’s won club championships at both Waynesborough and Chester Valley Golf Club. Eichenberg’s also been a U.S. Senior Amateur Championship alternate five times, including 2004 when he was first alternate.
“I would like to be a 4 or 5 handicap by the end of the year,” said Eichenberg. “I want to get back to putting good scores up.”
Gingrich, 56, of Lancaster, Pa., who was competing in his first Golf Association of Philadelphia tournament, carded a gross score of 76 with a 10 course handicap.
“It’s been a longtime coming,” said Gingrich. “My handicap has gone from a 7 to and 11 the last two months. What helped me here today was taking the driver out of my hand.”
Gingrich, too, made two natural birdies. On No. 9 he hit a wedge from 110 yards to five feet to make the turn in 2-under net.
On the back side, Gingrich drained a 30-footer on the dog-leg right 13th (par 4, 337 yards) to get to 5-under net but failed to gain any more ground on the leader.
“It feels great to just play well again after struggling so long,” said Gingrich. “This gives me more confidence to get my handicap back down, hopefully.
Gingrich’s debut came as a result of Conestoga joining the Golf Association of Philadelphia as a Member Club this year.
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 143 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
Name, club
Net
Ernest Eichenberg, III, Waynesborough Country Club
63
Dennis Gingrich, Conestoga Country Club
67
W. Frank Skilton, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
70
Vaughn Smith, Penn Oaks Golf Club
71
David Spirt, Talamore Country Club
71
William Erskine, Philadelphia Publinks GA
72
Joseph DeAngelis, Jericho National Golf Club
73
Charles Caparo, Plymouth Country Club
73
Mark Pfeffer, Hidden Creek Golf Club
73
Vincent Kraft, Jr., Lehigh Country Club
73
Wayne Diluigi, Running Deer Golf Club
73
Macy Summers, St. Davids Golf Club
73
Richard Genoni, Waynesborough Country Club
74
Gary Chlapaty, RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve
74
Ned Moore, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
74
Luke Pape, Tavistock Country Club
74
Bernard Kelly, Little Mill Country Club
75
Hal Morris, Talamore Country Club
75
Vito Caracappa, Golf Course at Glen Mills
75
Jack Endicott, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
76
Dennis O’Donnell, Old York Road Country Club
76
Rick Rutter, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
76
Tom Seward, Limekiln Golf Club
76
Fred Olt, Little Mill Country Club
77
Fred Spratt, Running Deer Golf Club
77
William Kufta, Lu Lu Country Club
77
Gerald Barr, Lehigh Country Club
77
Don Neill, Lu Lu Country Club
77
Jim Campbell, Raven’s Claw Golf Club
77
John Clough, Philadelphia Cricket Club
77
Mike Kyle, Talamore Country Club
77
James Seward, Jr., Limekiln Golf Club
78
Terry Laudal, Applecross Country Club
78
Tom Bender, Waynesborough Country Club
78
Werner Cziriak, Talamore Country Club
78
John O’Rourke, McCall Golf & Country Club
78
Hank Collins, Philadelphia Publinks GA
78
John Siegrist, Philadelphia Publinks GA
79
Rick Ames, Philadelphia Publinks GA
79
Lester Michael, Lehigh Country Club
80
Steven Seide, Whitford Country Club
80
Neil Olson, Philadelphia Cricket Club
80
Thomas Morgan, Riverton Country Club
80
Timothy Kiorpes, Lookaway Golf Club
80
Scott Dichter, Meadia Heights Golf Club
80
Jay McMenamin, Running Deer Golf Club
80
Donald Galbraith, Stonewall
81
W. Garth Sprecher, Lancaster Country Club
81
James Miller, Makefield Highlands Golf Club
81
Bill Blackburn, Concord Country Club
81
Robert Agran, Reading Country Club
81
William Jones, McCall Golf & Country Club
81
James Barron, Hartefeld National
82
Andrew Worek, Yardley Country Club
82
James Wiley, Old York Road Country Club
82
Francis Tan, Medford Lakes Country Club
82
Richard Turner, Llanerch Country Club
83
Tom Paul, Running Deer Golf Club
84
Richard Hunt, Medford Lakes Country Club
84
Timothy Joyce, Edgmont Country Club
84
Brian Mulvenna, White Oaks Country Club
84
Robert Rosenwasser, Hopewell Valley Golf Club
85
John McKenna, Commonwealth National Golf Club
86
Edward Osciak, Jr., Loch Nairn Golf Club
88
George Hilley, McCall Golf & Country Club
90
John Hayes, Lehigh Country Club
91
Bill Arent, Makefield Highlands Golf Club
101
Don Silverson, Brookside Country Club
NS
George Connell, Wildwood Golf & Country Club
NS
Bob Silsbe, Downingtown Country Club
WD
Jay McLaughlin, Mercer Oaks Golf Course
WD
R. Lamar Kilgore, Stonewall
WD
Handicap 6-11
Name, club
Net
Dennis Gingrich, Conestoga Country Club
67
William Erskine, Philadelphia Publinks GA
72
Joseph DeAngelis, Jericho National Golf Club
73
Charles Caparo, Plymouth Country Club
73
Mark Pfeffer, Hidden Creek Golf Club
73
Richard Genoni, Waynesborough Country Club
74
Gary Chlapaty, RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve
74
Bernard Kelly, Little Mill Country Club
75
Hal Morris, Talamore Country Club
75
Fred Olt, Little Mill Country Club
77
Fred Spratt, Running Deer Golf Club
77
William Kufta, Lu Lu Country Club
77
Gerald Barr, Lehigh Country Club
77
James Seward, Jr., Limekiln Golf Club
78
Lester Michael, Lehigh Country Club
80
Steven Seide, Whitford Country Club
80
Neil Olson, Philadelphia Cricket Club
80
Donald Galbraith, Stonewall
81
W. Garth Sprecher, Lancaster Country Club
81
James Miller, Makefield Highlands Golf Club
81
Bill Blackburn, Concord Country Club
81
James Barron, Hartefeld National
82
Richard Turner, Llanerch Country Club
83
Tom Paul, Running Deer Golf Club
84
John Hayes, Lehigh Country Club
91
Bob Silsbe, Downingtown Country Club
WD
Jay McLaughlin, Mercer Oaks Golf Course
WD
Handicap 12-15
Name, club
Net
Vaughn Smith, Penn Oaks Golf Club
71
Vincent Kraft, Jr., Lehigh Country Club
73
Wayne Diluigi, Running Deer Golf Club
73
Macy Summers, St. Davids Golf Club
73
Ned Moore, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
74
Jack Endicott, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
76
Dennis O’Donnell, Old York Road Country Club
76
Don Neill, Lu Lu Country Club
77
Jim Campbell, Raven’s Claw Golf Club
77
John Clough, Philadelphia Cricket Club
77
Terry Laudal, Applecross Country Club
78
Tom Bender, Waynesborough Country Club
78
John Siegrist, Philadelphia Publinks GA
79
Rick Ames, Philadelphia Publinks GA
79
Thomas Morgan, Riverton Country Club
80
Timothy Kiorpes, Lookaway Golf Club
80
Robert Agran, Reading Country Club
81
Andrew Worek, Yardley Country Club
82
James Wiley, Old York Road Country Club
82
Francis Tan, Medford Lakes Country Club
82
Robert Rosenwasser, Hopewell Valley Golf Club
85
Don Silverson, Brookside Country Club
NS
Handicap 16-25
Name, club
Net
Ernest Eichenberg, III, Waynesborough Country Club
63
W. Frank Skilton, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
70
David Spirt, Talamore Country Club
71
Luke Pape, Tavistock Country Club
74
Vito Caracappa, Golf Course at Glen Mills
75
Rick Rutter, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
76
Tom Seward, Limekiln Golf Club
76
Mike Kyle, Talamore Country Club
77
Werner Cziriak, Talamore Country Club
78
John O’Rourke, McCall Golf & Country Club
78
Hank Collins, Philadelphia Publinks GA
78
Scott Dichter, Meadia Heights Golf Club
80
Jay McMenamin, Running Deer Golf Club
80
William Jones, McCall Golf & Country Club
81
Richard Hunt, Medford Lakes Country Club
84
Timothy Joyce, Edgmont Country Club
84
Brian Mulvenna, White Oaks Country Club
84
John McKenna, Commonwealth National Golf Club
86
Edward Osciak, Jr., Loch Nairn Golf Club
88
George Hilley, McCall Golf & Country Club
90
Bill Arent, Makefield Highlands Golf Club
101
George Connell, Wildwood Golf & Country Club
NS
R. Lamar Kilgore, Stonewall
WD
NS-no show; WD-withdrawal
