Scott Shore and John Brennan head Mid-Am Qualifier at Honeybrook GC

  HONEY BROOK, PA–Scott Shore of Aronimink GC and John Brennan of Spring Ford CC emerged triumphant under wind-brushed and sun-splashed conditions to card a pair of even-par 70s at Honeybrook GC (par 70, 6,317 yards) and earn co-medalist honors in the first of two Golf Association of Philadelphia Middle-Amateur Championship qualifiers.

  Shore and Brennan headed a field of 46 playersthat qualified Thursday for the Middle-Amateur Championship set for May 23-24 at Commonwealth National GC. The second and final Mid-Am Qualifier is scheduled for May 3 at Wedgwood CC.

  Shore, a club Champion at Aronimink GC, hit 15 greens in regulation and registered two birdies and as many bogeys while Brennan, 27, carded three birdies, one bogey and one double-bogey.

  “I thought the course played well and was set up very fair,” said Shore, 34, a resident of Plymouth Meeting, Pa. “The greens were in great shape.”

  Brennan also praised the course and the conditions of the greens.

  “They were rolling great,” said Brennan, a Norristown, Pa., resident. “All I had to do was get it on line and hit it.”

  With a cool blue sky as a backdrop and the occasional strong gust of wind, Honeybrook GC provided a picturesque landscape for the first of two GAP Middle-Amateur Championship qualifiers. The playing conditions were somewhat altered by a spirited breeze.

  “The wind gusted pretty well at times, especially on No. 9 (par 4, 406 yards) and No. 18 (par 4, 405 yards),” said Shore, who teed off in the early morning. “I had to take a lot more club to those holes.”

  Even though Shore was confident in his round and said he drove the ball really well all day, he didn’t think he would remain alone atop the leaderboard.

  “I thought somebody would break that, especially if the wind died down during the afternoon,” Shore said.

   He was half right as Brennan joined him at even-par, but the winds remained.

   As one of the event’s late afternoon pairings, Brennan’s even-par 70 came amidst similar windy conditions.

  “You had to pay attention to what you were doing out there,” Brennan explained. “If you over-clubbed one with that wind, you could put yourself in a bad situation.”

  Brennan said the turning point in his round was when he birdied No. 7 (par 4, 337 yards) and No. 8 (par 3, 212 yards).

  Brennan attacked the No. 7 green with a sand wedge to then birdie the hole from about eight feet. The eighth hole saw Brennan hit a 6-iron to within 18 feet of the hole, to witch he birdied from there.

  Six other players finished a stroke behind the top pair.

  Scott Carney of Commonwealth National GC, Mark Czerniakowski of Philadelphia Publinks, Michael Domenick of Pheonixville CC, John Kennedy of Honeybrook GC, Dan Pinciotti Jr. of Huntingdon Valley CC and David West of Whitford CC all carded a one-over 71.

  West, 46 of Downingtown, Pa., had nothing but praise when it came to the course.

   “Golf needs more courses like this,” said West who birdied No. 1 (par 4, 368 yards), No. 5 (par 4, 418 yards), No. 8 and No. 16 (par 4, 277 yards).

   The cut-line landed at 76 as the day concluded with a 12-man playoff competing for five qualifying positions.

   Chris Lange of Overbrook GC is the defending champion.