NORTH HILLS, Pa. — Philadelphia Publinks Golf Association’s Michael Brown and Scott McNeil followed similiar golf trails this season. They competed in many of the same events, typically finishing within five strokes of each other. Brown and McNeil also lead comparable professional lives. They start work at 4 a.m. — Brown manages a soft pretzel factory, McNeil a parking garage in Rittenhouse Square.
So when the Golf Association of Philadelphia brought its Four-Ball Stroke Play Championship to North Hills Country Club Wednesday, Brown, who spent seven years as an assistant professional at the club, knew who to enlist as a partner.
“I’m not bashful. I’ll dig out the talent,” Brown said.
He chose wisely; Brown and McNeil carded a sensational 8-under-par 63 on the par 71, 6,350-yard layout to seize the tournament’s 41st edition.
“Anytime you beat a field in Philadelphia, you did some good things,” Brown, 39, of Cheltenham, Pa., said. “Today was no different. I rode my partner most of the day and contributed a few on the second nine, so I watched most of the show.”
“It’s nice to finally get a GAP win,” McNeil, 26, of Philadelphia, Pa., said. “Hopefully, we can build off it for next year. It was a great time at a great venue. I can’t complain.”
Eight birdies left little room for complaining. Starting on the back nine, the Brown and McNeil team posted its first birdie on the par 5, 519-yard 12th hole. McNeil powered a 4-iron 215 yards to the front of the green and two-putted. He and Brown dominated the next par 5 (No. 15, 500 yards) with a pair of 4s. Brown came up short of the putting surface on his second stroke — a 4-iron from 200 yards — and left his chip three feet from the jar. McNeil hooked a 6-iron onto the green and, given Brown’s position, made a run for eagle, but watched his putt slide four feet by the cup.
The duo then used a four-birdie stretch to accelerate ahead of the 65-team field. On No. 17 (par 4, 420 yards), Brown deposited a 15-footer following a 9-iron approach, McNeil a three-footer after a sand wedge set-up. The par 4, 280-yard 18th hole — a dogleg right temptress flaunting a forward tee — prompted both players to equip 3-woods. McNeil powered his onto the practice green — a good 20 yards behind the hole location. He pitched it to 35 feet and converted a spectacular left-to-right bender.
“That was after Mike’s putt just rolled over the edge, so I had a good idea that it was going to turn like crazy right at the hole,” McNeil, who qualified for match play in this year’s U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, said. “It really started moving laterally.”
On No. 1 (par 4, 340 yards), Brown, the 2010 William Hyndman, III Player of the Year, hit a lob wedge 70 yards to eight feet for birdie. He nearly reached the par 5, 504-yard No. 2 on his second stroke with a 4-iron. An effective chip-and-putt led to a 4. Brown hit a lob wedge 82 yards to four feet for birdie on No. 5 (par 4,364 yards). The team’s red figure campaign ended on No. 8 (par 4, 430 yards), where McNeil knocked a sand wedge 114 yards to 10 feet and drained a right-to-left breaker.
Brown and McNeil will briefly go their separate ways. The two will compete in the Pennsylvania Golf Association’s Middle-Amateur Championship at The ACE Club next week. They will reunite as a team in October for the Publinks Challenges.
Medford Village Country Club’s Pat Curiale and Laurel Creek Country Club’s Andrew Dietz birdied five of their final nine holes to win the Net Division with a 63.
The Four-Ball Stroke Play Championship is open to players from Member Clubs with a maximum, combined handicap index of 18.0 or lower. Partners need not be members of the same club.
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 145 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.
Gross
Name, club
Score
Michael Brown/Scott McNeil, Philadelphia Publinks GA
63
Pat Curiale/Andrew Dietz, Medford Village CC/Laurel Creek CC
65
Chris Anderson/Todd Anderson, Wilmington CC
65
Doug Fedoryshyn/Bill Dwyer, Concord CC
66
Anthony Ventura/Peter Barron, III, Greate Bay CC/Stone Harbor GC
67
Jalen Griffin/Dan Farragut, Talamore CC/Philadelphia Cricket Club
68
John Kennedy/Christopher Terebesi, Honeybrook GC
69
J. Kirk Luntey/Mark Still, Merion GC
70
Andrew Strock/Michael Minter, Makefield Highlands GC
70
Neil Gordon/John Simone, Five Ponds GC/Philmont CC
70
Jason Barkley/Donny Wessner, Moselem Springs GC/Golden Oaks GC
70
Joshua Isler/Ed Chylinski, Chester Valley GC
70
Patrick Dougherty/Drew Panebianco, Philadelphia Cricket Club/Five Ponds GC
70
John Aloisio/Michael Korcuba, Running Deer GC
70
Adam Mastone/Mark Walker, Trump National GC – Philadelphia
70
Gary Yaglenski/Rob Francis, Brookside CC
70
Jonathan Shevlin/David Marcinowski, North Hills CC
71
John Willadsen/Andrew Willadsen, Sakima CC
71
John Boyce/Patrick Murray, North Hills CC
71
Sean Fahey/William Breskman, Overbrook GC/Rolling Green GC
71
Robert Dziak/Blake Slawecki, RiverCrest GC & Preserve/Brookside CC
71
Bill Burke/Richard Sinopoli, Jr., Sea Oaks GC
71
Bob Harris/Anthony Stephenson, Blue Bell CC
71
Perry Landis/Joshua Krumholz, Moselem Springs GC
71
Michael Rose/Tom DiCinti, Talamore CC/Little Mill CC
71
Tim Deery/Alexander Maguire, Jr., Meadia Heights GC/Brookside CC
72
Ryan Kelly/Thomas Fisher, Philadelphia Cricket Club/North Hills CC
72
Michael Carr/Dino Volpi, III, Plymouth CC
72
James Braunsberg/Mark Czerniakowski, Blue Bell CC
72
David Chenard/Jim Muehlbronner, Sandy Run CC
72
Drew Garis/Patrick O’Brien, North Hills CC
72
David Maddock/Michael Manci, Glen Oak CC/Huntsville GC
73
Carl Danzig/Michael Kerzetski, Glen Oak CC
73
Ari Flaisher/Jeff Schmidt, McCall G&CC
73
Steve Ebersole/Mark Dennish, The Ridge at Back Brook
73
Ben Feld/Benjamin Cooley, Green Valley CC/Huntingdon Valley CC
73
Ryne Francis/Eric Householder, Brookside CC
74
Christopher Kaspar/Gary Smith, Manufacturers G&CC/Huntingdon Valley CC
74
Steven Tuscano/Frank Tuscano, North Hills CC
74
Jim Kaiser/David Guertler, Merchantville CC
74
Mario Canal/Mike Miklinevich, Laurel Creek CC/Greate Bay CC
75
Michael Dafnis/Patrick McCusker, Jr., Plymouth CC
75
Thomas Alestock/Rocky Dare, Running Deer GC
75
Thomas Ritter/Paul Koelling, Greate Bay CC
75
Robin Roberts/Vince Dginto, Limekiln GC
76
Bob Ball/Matthew Shevlin, Philadelphia Cricket/North Hills CC
76
Jim Braunsberg/Jeff Rittenhouse, Blue Bell CC
76
Chad Collingwood/Kevin Seese, Spring Ford CC/Talamore CC
77
James Wiley/John Patton, Lu Lu CC/Little Mill CC
77
Joe Warusz/Richard Speranza, Jericho National GC
78
David Kearney/Gerald Barr, Lehigh CC
79
Jules Quinones/Bob Hillen, Blue Bell CC/North Hills CC
79
Andy Green/Kevin Logue, DuPont CC/Huntingdon Valley CC
80
Robert Link/Thomas Mallouk, Five Ponds GC/Lookaway GC
80
John Thach/Anthony Cottone, Waynesborough CC
81
Jason Kowalski/Robert Kowalski, Yardley CC/Philadelphia Publinks GA
81
Thomas Grimac/Brian Minemier, Tavistock CC/Burlington CC
82
William Johnston/Gilbert Golding, Commonwealth National GC
82
Jeff Abbott/Richard Turner, Fieldstone GC/Edgmont CC
83
Mike Connell/Don Skahan, Downingtown CC/GC at Glen Mills
84
Rick Ames/Robert Agran, Philadelphia Publinks GA/Reading CC
88
Robert Jenkins/Carmen Caruso, Spring Ford CC
92
John Quirk/Jack Quirk, Huntingdon Valley CC
WD
Net
Name, club
Score
Pat Curiale/Andrew Dietz, Medford Village CC/Laurel Creek CC
63
Michael Brown/Scott McNeil, Philadelphia Publinks GA
64
Chris Anderson/Todd Anderson, Wilmington CC
64
Doug Fedoryshyn/Bill Dwyer, Concord CC
65
Gary Yaglenski/Rob Francis, Brookside CC
65
Jonathan Shevlin/David Marcinowski, North Hills CC
66
Steven Tuscano/Frank Tuscano, North Hills CC
66
Anthony Ventura/Peter Barron, III, Greate Bay CC/Stone Harbor GC
67
John Willadsen/Andrew Willadsen, Sakima CC
67
John Boyce/Patrick Murray, North Hills CC
67
Robert Dziak/Blake Slawecki, RiverCrest GC & Preserve/Brookside CC
67
Chad Collingwood/Kevin Seese, Spring Ford CC/Talamore CC
67
Jalen Griffin/Dan Farragut, Talamore CC/Philadelphia Cricket Club
68
J. Kirk Luntey/Mark Still, Merion GC
68
Neil Gordon/John Simone, Five Ponds GC/Philmont CC
68
Joshua Isler/Ed Chylinski, Chester Valley GC
68
Bill Burke/Richard Sinopoli, Jr., Sea Oaks GC
68
Bob Harris/Anthony Stephenson, Blue Bell CC
68
David Chenard/Jim Muehlbronner, Sandy Run CC
68
Thomas Ritter/Paul Koelling, Greate Bay CC
68
Drew Garis/Patrick O’Brien, North Hills CC
69
Carl Danzig/Michael Kerzetski, Glen Oak CC
69
Ari Flaisher/Jeff Schmidt, McCall G&CC
69
John Kennedy/Christopher Terebesi, Honeybrook GC
70
Andrew Strock/Michael Minter, Makefield Highlands GC
70
Patrick Dougherty/Drew Panebianco, Philadelphia Cricket Club/Five Ponds GC
70
John Aloisio/Michael Korcuba, Running Deer GC
70
Sean Fahey/William Breskman, Overbrook GC/Rolling Green GC
70
Tim Deery/Alexander Maguire, Jr., Meadia Heights GC/Brookside CC
70
Michael Carr/Dino Volpi, III, Plymouth CC
70
Steve Ebersole/Mark Dennish, The Ridge at Back Brook
70
Mario Canal/Mike Miklinevich, Laurel Creek CC/Greate Bay CC
70
Robin Roberts/Vince Dginto, Limekiln GC
70
Robert Link/Thomas Mallouk, Five Ponds GC/Lookaway GC
70
John Thach/Anthony Cottone, Waynesborough CC
70
Jason Barkley/Donny Wessner, Moselem Springs GC/Golden Oaks GC
71
Perry Landis/Joshua Krumholz, Moselem Springs GC
71
Michael Rose/Tom DiCinti, Talamore CC/Little Mill CC
71
Ryan Kelly/Thomas Fisher, Philadelphia Cricket Club/North Hills CC
71
David Maddock/Michael Manci, Glen Oak CC/Huntsville GC
71
Jim Kaiser/David Guertler, Merchantville CC
71
James Wiley/John Patton, Lu Lu CC/Little Mill CC
71
Jeff Abbott/Richard Turner, Fieldstone GC/Edgmont CC
71
Adam Mastone/Mark Walker, Trump National GC – Philadelphia
72
James Braunsberg/Mark Czerniakowski, Blue Bell CC
72
Michael Dafnis/Patrick McCusker, Jr., Plymouth CC
72
Bob Ball/Matthew Shevlin, Philadelphia Cricket/North Hills CC
72
Ryne Francis/Eric Householder, Brookside CC
73
Thomas Alestock/Rocky Dare, Running Deer GC
73
Jim Braunsberg/Jeff Rittenhouse, Blue Bell CC
73
David Kearney/Gerald Barr, Lehigh CC
73
Jules Quinones/Bob Hillen, Blue Bell CC/North Hills CC
73
Andy Green/Kevin Logue, DuPont CC/Huntingdon Valley CC
73
William Johnston/Gilbert Golding, Commonwealth National GC
73
Mike Connell/Don Skahan, Downingtown CC/GC at Glen Mills
73
Joe Warusz/Richard Speranza, Jericho National GC
74
Jason Kowalski/Robert Kowalski, Yardley CC/Philadelphia Publinks GA
74
Ben Feld/Benjamin Cooley, Green Valley CC/Huntingdon Valley CC
75
Christopher Kaspar/Gary Smith, Manufacturers G&CC/Huntingdon Valley CC
75
Robert Jenkins/Carmen Caruso, Spring Ford CC
76
Thomas Grimac/Brian Minemier, Tavistock CC/Burlington CC
77
Rick Ames/Robert Agran, Philadelphia Publinks GA/Reading CC
77
John Quirk/Jack Quirk, Huntingdon Valley CC
WD
