HUNTINGDON VALLEY, Pa. — It’s easy to see why Philmont Country Club is Michael R. Brown’s favorite golf course in the Delaware Valley. He won the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Open Championship at the venue in 2010 by defeating Greg Farrow, Deerwood Country Club’s head professional, in a marathon playoff (four-hole aggregate score followed by sudden-death).
On Friday, Brown returned to his successful surroundings and departed with another GAP trophy. The Philadelphia Publinks GA member etched a 6-under-par 64 to capture the 56th Tournament of Champions. Brown carded seven birdies — the most he’s converted during a round this season — on the par 70, 6,457-yard layout and fell a stroke shy of tying Philmont’s competitive course record.
“I certainly remember well three years ago, so I was probably more comfortable,” Brown, 40, of Cheltenham, Pa., said. “I always feel good when I’m on this property. I just think it’s a good, fair and difficult test. The greens are really difficult, and it makes you think on every shot. I just love the challenge of this place. I had a feeling I was going to play well today.”
Those senses didn’t let Brown down. He opened with back-to-back birdies, drilling a 6-iron 131 yards to 15 feet on No. 1 (par 4, 388 yards) and an 8-iron 142 yards to 25 feet on No. 2 (par 4, 407 yards). Brown’s outward tour ended in identical fashion. He stopped a 52-degree wedge 25 feet above the No. 8 (par 3, 130 yards) flagstick and converted the downhill putt for a 2. On the difficult dogleg right No. 9 — a 564-yard par 5, Brown knocked a pitching wedge 113 yards to 15 feet for birdie.
“The putter was as good as it’s been all summer for me today,” Brown, who operates a soft pretzel factory in Cherry Hill, N.J., said. “I haven’t made a lot of mid-range putts, and they all came on the same day.”
Brown’s only blemish occurred on the par 3, 210-yard 11th hole, where a three-putt from 30 feet resulted in a bogey. But the 2010 William Hyndman, III Player of the Year bounced back with a birdie on the next hole (par 5, 487 yards), powering a hybrid left of the green and lofting a wedge to three feet. Brown smashed a 7-iron 161 yards to 15 feet and converted a right-to-left breaker on No. 14 (par 4, 430 yards). His last red figure came unexpectedly on the par 4, 439-yard 16th hole. Brown slammed an 8-iron 161 yards to 25 feet after nearly losing his ball off the tee.
“I didn’t deserve to make birdie there,” Brown said. “I hit a provisional there because I hit the ball right, and I don’t know if it hit a tree, but I guess it did. That was a very timely break.”
A well-deserved victory highlights an otherwise ordinary year. He earned medalist honors in a U.S. Open Local Qualifier at Whitford Country Club in May, but struggled to find a groove since.
“I’ve had a pretty modest year, so this will make the winter feel good and not as long,” Brown said. “It’s been a frustrating year, and so have the last couple. It’s a direct reflection of the work I’m putting in, so there’s no reason other than that. I remembered how to play today.”
Brown’s 64 is a Tournament of Champions scoring record; Overbrook Golf Club’s Ray Thompson held the previous mark of 3 under 67, set in 2005 at nearby Huntingdon Valley Country Club.
Senior Division
Edgmont Country Club’s Michael Quinn registered a 2-over-par 72 to top the event’s Senior Division (par 70, 6,092 yards).
Michael Quinn
“It’s unbelievable because of the competition,” Quinn, 64, of East Fallowfield, Pa., said. “We’ve got the club champions from one of the best sections in the country, so I feel really lucky to be able to persevere.”
Quinn, the 2013 Brewer Cup runner-up, carded three birdies against five bogeys on the day. On No. 2 (par 4, 377 yards), he knocked a sand wedge 108 yards to 20 feet and converted the downhill putt. An aggressive drive on the par 4, 316-yard 10th hole left Quinn on a patch of dirt 45 yards from the flagstick. He then stopped a 56-degree wedge at 30 inches. Quinn lifted a 56-degree wedge from 92 yards out of a divot and dropped a 15-footer in the heart for a birdie on No. 15 (par 4, 372 yards).
“I’m happy with my play from tee to green,” Quinn said. “I putted well today. The only thing that really held me back this year was putting. I really hope to work on my putting for next year to be more competitive.”
Open to current Member Club amateur champions, senior amateur champions and previous winners, the Tournament of Champions was initiated in 1962 in memory of Larry Malmed. The Association then accepted the event in 1984 after Al Porter, the tournament’s coordinator, was forced to retire because of an illness. The Golf Association of Philadelphia added a Senior Division in 1992.
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.
Results
Amateur Division
Name, club
Scores
Michael R. Brown, Philadelphia Publinks GA
64
Ryan Kline, Golden Oaks Golf Club
70
Vincent Kwon, Links Golf Club
71
Glenn Smeraglio, Mercer Oaks Golf Course
72
Austin Smith, Huntsville Golf Club
73
John LeBoeuf, Philadelphia Country Club
73
Michael Vassil, Country Club of Scranton
73
Joseph Roeder, Little Mill Country Club
75
Mark Farley, Lu Lu Country Club
75
Neil Gordon, Five Ponds Golf Club
75
Brian Rothaus, Five Ponds Golf Club
77
Chris Lange, Jr., Overbrook Golf Club
77
Kevin Kramarski, Riverton Country Club
77
Eric Slawter, St. Davids Golf Club
78
Ben Feld, Green Valley Country Club
79
Gene Flanagan, The Springhaven Club
79
Jonathan Radick, Northampton Valley Country Club
79
Edward Enoch, Old York Road Country Club
80
John Willadsen, Sakima Country Club
80
Michael Walker, Loch Nairn Golf Club
80
Rich Thon, The Springhaven Club
80
Michael Fireman, Talamore Country Club
81
Patrick Welsh, Makefield Highlands Golf Club
81
Brian DiStefano, Loch Nairn Golf Club
82
Robert Gill, Fox Hill Country Club
82
Joseph Kinsman, Coatesville Country Club
83
Connor Sharp, Torresdale-Frankford Country Club
84
Dave Gardener, Middletown Country Club
84
Michael Beran, RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve
84
Steven Passalacqua, Wedgwood Country Club
84
Adam Warner, Merchantville Country Club
85
Michael Korcuba, Medford Village Country Club
85
Michael Quinn, Edgmont Country Club
85
Kevin Bondi, Huntingdon Valley Country Club
86
Larry Gauger, Radnor Valley Country Club
87
Tom Moogan, Cedarbrook Country Club
89
Jeff Scharf, Downingtown Country Club
91
Karl Janke, Golden Pheasant Golf Club
92
Paul Kupcha, Hidden Creek Golf Club
92
Shiv Shah, Deerwood Country Club
96
John Speidel, Limekiln Golf Club
98
Brian Kenny, Greate Bay Country Club
NS
Cameron Campbell, McCall Golf & Country Club
DQ
Daniel Hewson, West Chester Golf & Country Club
WD
Simon Hagger, Fieldstone Golf Club
WD
Senior Division
Name, club
Scores
Michael Quinn, Edgmont Country Club
72
Tom DiCinti, Little Mill Country Club
76
Brian Corbett, Huntsville Golf Club
77
Michael Vassil, Country Club of Scranton
77
Richard Umani, Honeybrook Golf Club
77
Roc Irey, Lookaway Golf Club
77
Alan Van Horn, Commonwealth National Golf Club
78
Edward Enoch, Old York Road Country Club
78
Frank Polizzi, Whitemarsh Valley Country Club
78
Jay Ward, Cedarbrook Country Club
78
Robin McCool, Saucon Valley Country Club
78
Drew Panebianco, Five Ponds Golf Club
79
Jon Mabry, Moorestown Field Club
79
Robert Gill, Fox Hill Country Club
79
Thomas Michalek, LedgeRock Golf Club
79
Chappy Rice, Golden Pheasant Golf Club
80
Dave Jacobson, Medford Village Country Club
80
Mike Owsik, Philadelphia Publinks GA
80
Scott Sherman, Mercer Oaks Golf Course
81
Andrew Harmer, The Springhaven Club
82
Keith Li, Heidelberg Country Club
82
Michael Rose, Talamore Country Club
82
William Erskine, Skippack Golf Club
82
Mark Quigley, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
83
Rick Bunn, McCall Golf & Country Club
83
Edward Ellis, Chester Valley Golf Club
84
Marlin Detweiler, Lancaster Country Club
84
John Kernan, Riverton Country Club
85
Bill Moyer, Downingtown Country Club
86
Frank Tuscano, North Hills Country Club
86
Jim Macallister, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
86
Bill Augustyn, West Chester Golf & Country Club
87
Donald Ashley, Philadelphia Country Club
88
Gary Gordon, Philadelphia Cricket Club
88
Herb Feinstein, Talamore Country Club
89
Paul Koelling, Greate Bay Country Club
89
Ed Zebrowski, Sea Oaks Golf Club
90
John Cronan, Inniscrone Golf Club
90
John Duke, Sandy Run Country Club
90
John Penn, Sakima Country Club
90
Kurt Hettel, Deerwood Country Club
91
Scott Hynes, Hopewell Valley Golf Club
92
Nate Holtzman, Meadowlands Country Club
97
Ronald Pogue, Limekiln Golf Club
97
Gary Daniels, Applebrook Golf Club
WD
