COATESVILLE, Pa.–Stephen Frisch, III of Saucon Valley Country Club needed to gauge his game prior to next week’s Pennsylvania Amateur Championship Qualifier. The meter readings are high.
Frisch, 30, of Northampton, Pa., registered a 1-under-par 70 to top the 68th Caddie Tournament Ages 24-30 Flight at Coatesville Country Club (par 71, 6,276 yards). It was the tournament’s lone under-par score.
“I’m real excited to play here today. It’s nice to have such an event for caddies from all the clubs. This is the start up of the year for me,” said Frisch, who played four years at Coker College. He graduated in 2006. “Last year was the first year I got back into playing competitively. Work is why I stopped playing. It’s more or less comfort and feeling right now. I’ve been swinging for so long. It’s really about setting up and making a good swing.”
Frisch unsuccessfully attempted to qualify for the State Amateur and U.S. Mid.-Amateur Championship a year ago.
He heads to Wyoming Valley Country Club next week searching for a berth to the Pennsylvania Amateur at Oakmont Country Club.
Frisch cited the need to strengthen his short game as a focus.
With that said, it was a clutch play around the green, in particular No. 9 (par 4, 335 yards), that made the difference on Monday.
Frisch, who has been caddying at Saucon for the last six years, stood 1 under after eight holes. He hit a wedge from 74 yards on No. 3 (par 5, 531 yards) to 10 feet for birdie and added a fantastic 5-iron on No. 6 (par 3, 188 yards) to 15 feet for a 2. A poor chip on No. 7 (par 4, 323 yards) resulted in his lone front-side bogey. On No. 9, it was that aforementioned clutch shot that became a decisive factor. He holed a 54-degree wedge from 35 yards out for eagle.
“I was just short of the bunker right. I hit it over the bunker, it landed in the fringe and I heard it hit the flag,” said Frisch.
He made the turn at 3 under.
Frisch bogeyed two of his next three holes, Nos. 10 (par 5, 519 yards) and 12 (par 3, 200 yards), with a couple of loose pitch shots and three-putted No. 16 (par 4, 309 yards) for a third over-par number on the inward side. However, Frisch finished strong, lifting a 54-degree wedge from 105 yards to 12 feet and made the birdie putt.
“I putted really well today but I have to tighten up my short game,” said Frisch. “I played competitively right out of college but I haven’t done so for the last four or five years.”
Steven Owens, III, 20, of Commonwealth National Golf Club took the Ages 18-23 Flight with an even-par round.
In his third year of caddying at CNGC, Owens’ game is in prime condition. He and father Steve placed second in the Father-Son (Middle) the last week of May. He, too, looks to challenge his talents. His coming in a Golf Association of Philadelphia Open Championship Qualifier on Wednesday at Greate Bay Country Club.
“I was excited coming in here today because I have been hitting it well,” said Owens, who won the 2011 Philadelphia Catholic League Championship while at Father Judge High School. “I kept it in play pretty well. I hit 15 greens.”
Owens turned in 1-under par and had his round to 3 under after birdies on Nos. 11 (par 4, 304 yards) and 12. He hit a gap wedge from 84 yards to five feet on 11 before rocketing a 3-hybrid on No. 12 up the hill to 40 feet. However, a double-bogey on the ensuing 217-yard, par-3 13th came as a result of bunker issues. He finished with two pars, two bogeys and a birdie.
The Caddie Tournament had five flights. There is no overall champion.
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 150 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.
Ages 17 and under
Ages 18 to 23
Ages 24 to 30
Ages 31 to 42
*1. Nigel Scott, Philadelphia CC, 72
Ages 43 and over
Ages 17 and under
Name, club
Score
Sawyer Wolfers, Waynesborough Country Club
78
Vincent Lucchesi, Llanerch Country Club
94
Logan Rosa, Lancaster Country Club
99
Mac Wilson, Huntingdon Valley Country Club
131
Ages 18-23
Name, club
Score
Steven Owens, III, Commonwealth National Golf Club
71
Robert Crawford, Lookaway Golf Club
73
James Fricke, Lancaster Country Club
78
Aaron Fricke, Lancaster Country Club
80
Mike Janninek, Commonwealth National Golf Club
83
Shane Cummings, Commonwealth National Golf Club
86
Quinn Bryant, The Springhaven Club
87
Shane Sarbieski, Chester Valley Golf Club
88
Joel Shulman, Philadelphia Cricket Club
91
Ryan Hughes, Applebrook Golf Club
91
Shawn Gensbauer, The ACE Club
91
Anthony Sam, Overbrook Golf Club
92
Josh Redmond, Overbrook Golf Club
92
Christian Smith, Llanerch Country Club
93
Christopher Lee, Whitemarsh Valley Country Club
94
Jake Mingione, Philadelphia Country Club
94
Nathaniel Fricke, Lancaster Country Club
96
Calvin Given, Meadowlands Country Club
97
Harrison Welsh, St. Davids Golf Club
97
Sawyer Rice, Waynesborough Country Club
100
Nicholas Hussey, Meadowlands Country Club
101
Ray Wenner, The Springhaven Club
101
Tyler Cook, Chester Valley Golf Club
102
Charlie Shulman, Philadelphia Cricket Club
106
Austin Leach, The Springhaven Club
107
John Thomas Peyton, Old York Road Country Club
108
Michael Costello, Philadelphia Country Club
108
Rory Clemens, Philadelphia Cricket Club
108
Christian Bell, Philadelphia Cricket Club
111
Ages 24-30
Name, club
Score
Stephen Frisch, III, Saucon Valley Country Club
70
Chris Button, Stonewall
74
Brian Egan, Saucon Valley Country Club
75
Jeff Kostelnk, Pine Valley Golf Club
75
Brian Devlin, Philadelphia Cricket Club
77
Chris Knee, Applebrook Golf Club
77
Jason Wilt, Applebrook Golf Club
78
Kurt Walker, The Springhaven Club
78
Timothy Marshall, The Springhaven Club
78
Mark Grilli, Philmont Country Club
81
Kyle Rooney, Old York Road Country Club
84
Adam Shorey, Applebrook Golf Club
85
Jameson Donahue, Overbrook Golf Club
85
Jose Centurion, Philadelphia Cricket Club
85
Myles Makaila, Lancaster Country Club
85
Nick Oatman, Lancaster Country Club
87
Seth Hartman, Stonewall
87
Brett Sheva, Commonwealth National Golf Club
88
Mitchell Witman, Lancaster Country Club
88
Robert Bangs, Jr., Merion Golf Club
88
Tom Crawford, Jr., Philadelphia Cricket Club
88
Kyle Maiale, Applebrook Golf Club
90
Matthew Craig, Merion Golf Club
90
Timothy Zimmaro, The ACE Club
90
Ronald McAllister, Philmont Country Club
97
Michael Testa, IV, Llanerch Country Club
108
Tyler Noll, Stonewall
WD
Zack Hutchinson, Gulph Mills Golf Club
WD
Ages 31-42
Name, club
Score
*Nigel Scott, Philadelphia Country Club
72
Russ Danyluk, Philadelphia Cricket Club
72
Chris Tobias, Merion Golf Club
75
Serge Hogg, Pine Valley Golf Club
76
Jon Rudisill, Pine Valley Golf Club
78
Michael Dever, Applebrook Golf Club
78
Michael Quinn, Philadelphia Country Club
80
Trevor Pope, Lancaster Country Club
81
Eric Dahl, Overbrook Golf Club
82
Josh Keyser, Philadelphia Cricket Club
84
Timothy Marshall, Pine Valley Golf Club
85
Eddie Westley, Llanerch Country Club
87
Peter Han, Lookaway Golf Club
87
Sean Jarjavejian, Philadelphia Cricket Club
88
Ryan Sensenig, Lancaster Country Club
90
Timothy Mallowe, Merion Golf Club
90
Matthew Reusche, Llanerch Country Club
91
Lesley Ivory, Saucon Valley Country Club
95
Mike Knowles, The Springhaven Club
117
Preston Baxter, Gulph Mills Golf Club
WD
Ages 43 and over
Name, club
Score
Lance Hornung, Merion Golf Club
78
Robert Clark Jr, Saucon Valley Country Club
82
William Erskine, Green Valley Country Club
84
Bill Kindt, Saucon Valley Country Club
87
Eric Miller, Merion Golf Club
87
Tom Valek, Lookaway Golf Club
88
Michael Hickey, Overbrook Golf Club
90
Thomas McCarthy, Saucon Valley Country Club
90
Tom Burke, Saucon Valley Country Club
91
Craig Gemmill, Lancaster Country Club
92
Raymond McClarin, Old York Road Country Club
93
Roger Leister, Philmont Country Club
93
Dean DiBonaventure, Gulph Mills Golf Club
95
David Taylor, Llanerch Country Club
97
Mike Kaplan, Philmont Country Club
98
Rocky Colavita, Overbrook Golf Club
98
Kevin Nicolas, Saucon Valley Country Club
103
Dennis Fisher, Chester Valley Golf Club
119
John McNeill, Stonewall
WD
Randolph Reid, Sr., Philadelphia Country Club
NS
Owen Samuda, Pine Valley Golf Club
DQ
*-determined in scorecard playoff
NS-no show; WD-withdrawal; DQ – disqualification
