MARLTON, N.J.–Art Kania, Jr. of Overbrook GC survived brutally, windy afternoon conditions to card a 4-over-par 75 at Links GC (par 71, 6,536 yards) and earn medalist honors in the first of two Golf Association of Philadelphia Middle-Amateur Championship Qualifiers.
Kania heads a group of 39 players from the Links GC to qualify for the Middle-Amateur Championship set for May 25-26 at Spring Mill CC. The second and final Middle-Amateur Championship Qualifier is scheduled for May 3 at Cavaliers CC.
“I thought the scores would be high because of the way the wind was blowing,” said Kania, a resident of Haverford, Pa. “I knew 76 was the medalist from the morning so I figured I had a chance to beat it.”
Kania started his round on the back nine with a double bogey after a wayward drive found the left woods. Another bogey on No. 13 (par 5, 575 yards) pushed him to 3 over. It was a bogey that actually turned his day around. Kania lost a ball to the right but salvaged the hole with a 20-foot bogey putt. He remained at 3 over par through the turn.
On the front side, Kania birdied No. 3 (par 4, 377 yards) after hitting a gap wedge to three feet, but followed up with a bogey on No. 4 (par 3, 198 yards) when finding the left-hand bunker and a double bogey on No. 5 (par 4, 375 yards).
Kania birdied No. 7 (par 3, 135 yards), a 9-iron to 2 ½ feet, but bogeyed No. 8 (par 4, 360 yards) when he missed an up-and-down opportunity. The 49-year-old Kania then finished strong with a birdie on No. 9 (par 5, 515 yards), an L-wedge to 20 feet.
“With the wind it went from a demanding placement course to a frightening event of survival,” said Kania. “I hit a lot of 3-irons off the tee to keep the ball in play.”
Kania is hoping for his first Middle-Amateur Championship. He fell in a three-way playoff with Roc Irey of Cedarbrook CC to John Elder, Jr. of Little Mill CC in 1992.
Carlos Ochoa of Little Mill CC and Peter Moran of Edgmont CC tied for second place with 76s.
“The course is a good test of golf,” said Ochoa, 42, of Marlton, N.J. “On the back side, the wind started to pick up. It was a club to club-and-a-half wind. And you can’t get too defensive out there because then the trees and white stakes start to jump up and get you.”
Last year, Michael McDermott of Merion GC became a two-time winner of the Mid-Am when he birdied the 18th hole at Gulph Mills GC to edge Chris Lange of Overbrook GC by a shot.
| Qualifiers | |
| Name, club | Score |
| Arthur Kania, Jr., Overbrook GC | 36-39=75 |
| Carlos Ochoa, Little Mill CC | 40-36=76 |
| Peter Moran, Edgmont CC | 36-40=76 |
| Doug Domeshek, Heidelberg CC | 38-39=77 |
| Lee Cook, Laurel Creek CC | 38-39=77 |
| Leonard Pearson, Philmont CC | 36-41=77 |
| Michael LaGrasso, Burlington CC | 40-37=77 |
| Sean Leonard, Tavistock CC | 38-39=77 |
| Frank Balcavage, Bellewood GC | 37-41=78 |
| Joseph Russo, Running Deer GC | 41-37=78 |
| Peter Mimmo, North Hills CC | 41-37=78 |
| Charles Jones, Philadelphia Publinks GA | 37-42=79 |
| Eric Meyer, Whitford CC | 39-40=79 |
| Frank Filippo, Makefield Highlands GC | 39-40=79 |
| John Quirk, Overbrook GC | 36-43=79 |
| Joseph Costanzo, Blue Bell CC | 38-41=79 |
| Mark Kosko, Seaview Marriott Resort & Spa | 39-40=79 |
| Rick Custer, Spring Ford CC | 40-39=79 |
| James Arsenault, Little Mill CC | 34-46=80 |
| Mark Battista, Philadelphia Publinks GA | 39-41=80 |
| Wayne Bartolacci, Jericho National GC | 36-44=80 |
| Bryan McClaskey, Merchantville CC | 41-40=81 |
| Dino Volpi, III, Plymouth CC | 40-41=81 |
| Francis Downey, North Hills CC | 41-40=81 |
| Fred Giblin, Merchantville CC | 45-36=81 |
| Jeff Huntzinger, North Hills CC | 42-39=81 |
| Larry Silk, Greate Bay GC | 43-38=81 |
| Mark Shuman, Philadelphia CC | 39-42=81 |
| Mark Walker, Laurel Creek CC | 43-38=81 |
| Michael Nilon, Philadelphia CC | 38-43=81 |
| Ted Harris, Makefield Highlands GC | 44-37=81 |
| Tony Lepre, Galloway National GC | 39-42=81 |
| Eric Buck, Coatesville CC | 42-40=82 |
| Eugene Gordon, Lookaway GC | 40-42=82 |
| Jay Howson, Jr., St. Davids GC | 39-43=82 |
| Jim Gavaghan, Torresdale-Frankford CC | 40-42=82 |
| Patrick Dougherty, Talamore at Oak Terrace CC | 40-42=82 |
| Phillip DiGiacinto, Ballamor GC | 38-44=82 |
| Bill Milner, Running Deer GC | 40-42=82 |
| Alternates (in order) | |
| Anthony Kondracki, Fox Hill CC | 41-41=82 |
| Graham Desmond, GC at Glen Mills | 39-43=82 |
| Edward Kelly, Jr., Lu Lu CC | 41-42=83 |
| Robert Lodovici, Little Mill CC | 38-45=83 |
| Daniel Doyle, Edgmont CC | 42-41=83 |
| Bill Murray, Merchantville CC | 42-41=83 |
| Mark Wachter, Philadelphia Publinks GA | 44-39=83 |
| David Hoegel, Little Mill CC | 38-45=83 |
| Steve Pence, Little Mill CC | 39-44=83 |
| Jason Barkley, Berkleigh CC | 42-42=84 |
| : | |
| Failed to qualify | |
| Brian Powell, Burlington CC | 40-44=84 |
| Byron Whitman, Golden Oaks GC | 41-43=84 |
| David Levine, Greenacres CC | 38-46=84 |
| James White, Philadelphia Cricket Club | 42-42=84 |
| Larry Paster, Philmont CC | 43-41=84 |
| Michael Metz, Fox Hill CC | 45-39=84 |
| Shawn Knechtel, Whitemarsh Valley CC | 37-47=84 |
| Christopher DeSana, Philadelphia Publinks GA | 39-46=85 |
| Peter Barron III, Stone Harbor GC | 44-41=85 |
| Thomas Hyland, Little Mill CC | 43-42=85 |
| Tom Cohen, Running Deer GC | 40-45=85 |
| Tom Hogan, Little Mill CC | 40-45=85 |
| Brian Dobisch, Talamore at Oak Terrace CC | 40-46=86 |
| Gary Gordon, Talamore at Oak Terrace CC | 41-45=86 |
| Glenn McClaskey, Philadelphia Publinks GA | 43-43=86 |
| Gregg Angelillo, Moselem Springs GC | 44-42=86 |
| John Cobb, Tavistock CC | 41-45=86 |
| Jon Mabry, Moorestown Field Club | 40-46=86 |
| Scott Kalan, Radnor Valley CC | 41-45=86 |
| Geoffrey Cooper, Ballamor GC | 47-40=87 |
| Kenneth Ralston, Huntsville GC | 47-40=87 |
| Tom Coyne, Edgmont CC | 43-44=87 |
| Paul Stewart, Pine Hill GC | 41-47=88 |
| Robert Mairone, Ballamor GC | 48-40=88 |
| Robert Tredinnick, Commonwealth National GC | 45-43=88 |
| Shane Gunning, Silver Creek CC | 41-47=88 |
| Thomas DiCinti, Little Mill CC | 47-41=88 |
| Thomas McCabe, Manufacturers Golf & CC | 47-41=88 |
| Andrew Lombard, The Springhaven Club | 44-45=89 |
| D. Drew Siok, Tavistock CC | 45-44=89 |
| Paul Hamilton, Ashbourne CC | 41-48=89 |
| Ryan Ade, Philadelphia Cricket Club | 41-48=89 |
| Ed Bernasky, The Ridge at Back Brook | 44-46=90 |
| Gordon Jamieson, Merion GC | 48-42=90 |
| Joe Olin, Little Mill CC | 43-47=90 |
| John Ward, Ballamor GC | 40-50=90 |
| Dylan Spadt, Silver Creek CC | 42-49=91 |
| Erik Githens, Links GC | 44-47=91 |
| Michael Lewers, St. Davids GC | 45-46=91 |
| Michael Walsh, III, Aronimink GC | 50-41=91 |
| A. Kent Weymouth, Jr., Lu Lu CC | 47-45=92 |
| Craig Burton, Commonwealth National GC | 45-47=92 |
| Tim Sindorf, Burlington CC | 44-48=92 |
| Peter Totten, Yardley CC | 47-46=93 |
| Stephen Conway, Burlington CC | 50-43=93 |
| Andrew Dietz, Laurel Creek CC | 50-45=95 |
| Christopher Scott, Bucks County CC | 47-48=95 |
| Michael Frisella, Deerwood CC | 44-52=96 |
| Brad Jankowski, Links GC | 52-49=101 |
| Charles Kraatz, Talamore at Oak Terrace CC | WD |
| Craig Larsen, Aronimink GC | WD |
| Robert Powelson, Kennett Square Golf & CC | WD |
| Timothy Burns, CC of Scranton | NS |
| Richard Bass, Commonwealth National GC | DQ |
| : | |
| WD-withdrawal; NS-no show; DQ-disqualification |
