Overbrook GC’s Lange repeats as Mid-Am Champion - The Golf Association of Philadelphia

May 24, 2006

Overbrook GC’s Lange repeats as Mid-Am Champion

HORSHAM, Pa.-Chris Lange of Overbrook GC seized another piece of the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s history today, becoming the first individual to capture consecutive Middle-Amateur Championship titles in the tournament’s 23 years. Lange finished at 6-over-par 148 for the 36 holes after posting a final round 77 at a very difficult Commonwealth National GC (par 71, 6,977 yards).

*Day One results

Chris Lange lines up
his putt on No. 18

Lange dueled with Chip Lutz of LedgeRock Golf Club throughout and Mike Danner of Lu Lu CC early before finishing a shot better than the field. The victory adds a second Middle-Amateur Championship trophy to Lange’s GAP title collection, a compilation that already includes three Amateur Championship crowns, three Patterson Cup wins and a 2004 Philadelphia Open Championship.

  “Jay Sigel’s the greatest Amateur to ever play, I’m not in his boat, or William Hyndman, III’s or a number of other great Philadelphia amateurs,” said Lange, 51, of Bryn Mawr, Pa., of his place in GAP history. “I’m just happy I’ve been able to play as long as I have.”

  Lutz, the 1998 Mid-Am winner, pulled even with the defending champion after a sensational birdie on No. 12 (par 3, 175 yards), but Lange answered with his own two on the lengthy, over the water three par, to retake the lead for good.

  Lange and Lutz both finished the demanding final six holes in 4-over par.

  “I knew I would have to have a pretty special round today [to defeat Chris]. At least I figured I did,” said Lutz, 51, of Reading, Pa., who played Junior golf with Lange. “I saw him back up a little bit at the turn and then I started missing some putts. I missed three putts down the stretch which was unsettling because I’d been very steady with my putter the last two days.”

  Lutz missed short par putts on No. 13 (par 4, 463 yards), a four-foot downhill slider; No. 16 (par 3, 193 yards), a three-footer he pulled left; and No. 18 (par 4, 456 yards), a three-footer he pushed right.

  “I wasn’t right in my gut,” said Lutz. “It was a little more unsettling than I had been in the rest of the round. I knew I had to play well and I was trying but it just wasn’t happening.”

Runner-up
Chip Lutz

Lange had his own troubles in various ways.

  He three putted No. 13 after running his lengthy downhill birdie attempt past the hole. On No. 14 (par 4, 433 yards) he blocked his drive into the right tree line that resulted in another bogey and on No. 15 (par 4, 420 yards) his approach just trickled off into the left greenside rough. However, staring at a straight downhill chip on a speedy green, Lange ran it 20 feet past. He then two putted for bogey. Thinking he needed a par for the title on the difficult No. 18 (par 4, 456 yards), Lange made a poor swing on his second shot and bogeyed that hole as well. Not knowing, a round of applause proved that final putt didn’t matter.

  The GAP Middle-Amateur started in 1984, three years after the USGA created the U.S. Mid-Am as a formal championship for post-college amateurs. The Association followed suit with the USGA in creating a Mid-Am, but initially differed in its administration of the tournament in a couple of respects.

  The most obvious difference was the age requirement. Prior to 2001, the GAP Mid-Am was for players 30 years of age and older. That Committee reviewed and revised that age requirement in 2001 to match the USGA’s guidelines of 25 years of age or older for eligible players. Also at that point, the Committee changed the format of the event to a two-day stroke play tournament (instead of a one-day medal play event) with a cut to the low 70 players and ties after the first round. The field begins with 132 players. Players must have a GAP/USGA Handicap Index of 7.0 or lower.

  This is the first full scoring event toward the William Hyndman, III Player of the Year standings.

NameClubRd 1Rd 2Total
Christopher LangeOverbrook Golf Club7177148
Chip LutzLedgeRock Golf Club7673149
Bill MurrayMerchantville Country Club7577152
Mike DannerLu Lu Country Club7280152
Michael MoffatCommonwealth National Golf Club7975154
Mark PetersonPhiladelphia Cricket Club7778155
John BrennanSpring Ford Country Club7580155
Glenn SmeraglioYardley Country Club7778155
James DonnellyPhiladelphia Cricket Club8075155
Thomas GramignaTavistock Country Club7679155
Tom BorselloDelaware National Country Club7778155
Thomas Bartolacci, Jr.Saucon Valley Country Club7976155
Robert DziakSpring Ford Country Club7680156
John RobinsonCommonwealth National Golf Club8076156
David LiottaWhitemarsh Valley Country Club8175156
P. Chet WalshPhiladelphia Country Club8175156
Brian RothausPhilmont Country Club8175156
Drew PanebiancoTalamore at Oak Terrace Country Club8076156
Daniel DelaneyConcord Country Club7977156
Ken SimCommonwealth National Golf Club8076156
David WestWhitford Country Club7879157
Brian CorbettHuntsville Golf Club8176157
Mark CoassoloBerkleigh Country Club7582157
Robert BechtoldFieldstone Golf Club8176157
Michael McDermottMerion Golf Club8078158
Rich PruchnikWest Chester Golf & Country Club7583158
Scott CarneyCommonwealth National Golf Club8376159
Gregg AngelilloMoselem Springs Golf Club8277159
Robin McCoolSaucon Valley Country Club7782159
Michael AndersonCommonwealth National Golf Club7980159
Scott McIntoshMakefield Highlands Golf Club7882160
Steve OwensCommonwealth National Golf Club8476160
Thomas HylandLittle Mill Country Club7783160
Ryan GelrodCommonwealth National Golf Club8080160
Jamie HarrellCommonwealth National Golf Club7981160
Edward EricksonYardley Country Club8179160
James WhitePhiladelphia Cricket Club8279161
Brian GillespieSt. Davids Golf Club7982161
Robert GillFox Hill Country Club8180161
Wayne BartolacciJericho National Golf Club8279161
Daniel DoyleEdgmont Country Club8378161
Douglas SchroerSt. Davids Golf Club8280162
Douglas ZelnerCoatesville Country Club7884162
Kenneth MattCommonwealth National Golf Club8082162
Arthur Kania, Jr.Overbrook Golf Club8280162
James KiesermanTalamore at Oak Terrace Country Club8281163
Francis DowneyNorth Hills Country Club8281163
Jamie SlonisTavistock Country Club8281163
Edward GregorczykGlenmaura National Golf Club8281163
Ted HarrisMakefield Highlands Golf Club8182163
Keith MattLu Lu Country Club8380163
Thomas DiCintiLittle Mill Country Club8281163
Roc IreyCedarbrook Country Club8083163
Sean CliffordPhiladelphia Publinks GA7985164
Joseph RoederLinks Golf Club7986165
G. Patrick DoughertyTalamore at Oak Terrace Country Club8184165
Darrell ClaytonCavaliers Country Club8283165
Robert ArthurTavistock Country Club7986165
Santo LafocaHuntsville Golf Club8086166
Lance OberparleiterWedgwood Country Club8383166
Chris AndersonWilmington Country Club8482166
Scott ShoreAronimink Golf Club7987166
R. Blake SlaweckiSpring Ford Country Club8384167
Joseph RussoRunning Deer Golf Club8186167
Dan Pinciotti, Jr.Huntingdon Valley Country Club8484168
Andrew CaldwellThe Springhaven Club8486170
Michael LewersSt. Davids Golf Club8486170
John AltermanCommonwealth National Golf Club8288170
Jason BarkleyBerkleigh Country Club7892170
Ronald Cusick, Sr.Tavistock Country Club8487171
Dave O’BrienCedarbrook Country Club8388171
Chris TerebesiChester Valley Golf Club8487171
Peter MoranEdgmont Country Club8389172
Ronald JamarowiczCavaliers Country Club8488172
David StrohlMoselem Springs Golf Club8391174
Chris EsbenshadeMeadia Heights Golf Club8393176
Charles Dowds, IIINorth Hills Country Club79WDWD
Pat NeinMedford Village Country Club84WDWD
 
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