Spring Ford CC’s Dziak, Brennan edge field to take Four-Ball Championship

SKILLMAN, N.J. – Spring Ford CC’s Robert Dziak and John Brennan birdied their final hole to card a 4-under-par 68 and avoid a sudden-death playoff at the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s 36^th Four-Ball Stroke Play Championship Monday at Cherry Valley CC (par 72, 6,896 yards).

  “We only gave two back,” said Brennan, in reference to the pair’s two bogeys. “We really didn’t do anything stupid all day.”

  “The two of us were in play all day long,” Dziak said. “Our games complemented each other well.”

  Coming to No. 9 (par 5, 555 yards), the team’s last hole of the day, Dziak and Brennan stood tied with three other partners at 3-under par. That was before Dziak ripped a 3-wood off the tee and again in the fairway just missing the green in two and short of the bunker. He then flipped a wedge to within eight feet short of hole and made what turned out to be the tournament-winning birdie putt.

  “That was a great way to finish,” said Brennan, who said he and his partner had no idea how close the scores were.

  Dziak’s final birdie putt allowed him and Brennan to forge ahead of a very crowded leaderboard. Already in at 3-under-par 69, and preparing for a possible sudden-death playoff, were Joe Dellicarpini and Bryan Winsko of Philadelphia Cricket Club, Greenacres CC’s Adam Reiss and David Levine and Thomas DiCinti of Little Mill CC and partner James Arsenault of Laurel Creek CC.

  “The biggest thing for us today was not having any bogeys,” Winsko said. “Throw two bogeys in there and we were out of it.”

  “The holes that we were not in it together, one of us made a great par,” Dellicarpini said. “We made a lot of good [pars] today and that proved to be huge.”

  Such was the case was on No. 2 (par 3, 211 yards) when Dellicarpini knocked a 4-iron 15 feet beyond the hole, while his partner pushed his tee shot left and was virtually out of it. Dellicarpini two-putted making a tricky slider for par to keep the duo bogey free.

  The Reiss and Levine duo made just as many birdies as the leaders (six) but suffered one more bogey (three) to finish in a three-way tie for second along with DiCinti and Arsenault who registered five birdies and two bogeys of their own.

  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 135 Member Clubs and 60,000 individual members are spread across parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. The purpose of the Association is simple: To promote, protect and preserve the game of golf in the region.