Tavistock’s Rexon tops Mid.-Am. Qualifier at Hopewell Valley

HOPEWELL, N.J. — Daniel Rexon swept his singles match in Week One of the BMW GAP Team Matches. His performance at Glenmaura National Golf Club reassured the Cherry Hill, N.J. resident that his golf game is trending into positive waters.

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  Rexon carried such spunk into the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Middle-Amateur Championship Qualifier presented by Callaway Golf at a quaint Hopewell Valley Golf & Country Club (par 72, 6,535 yards) Thursday. The Tavistock Country Club member carded a 2-under-par 70 to earn medalist honors. He led a field of 79 players hoping to earn one of 21 qualifying spots and ties for the Championship proper, set for May 24-25 at Overbrook Golf Club.

  The cut line stopped at 76 by day’s end.

  “I played really well in the Team Match last weekend and was kind of riding a really good round into today,” Rexon, 29, of Cherry Hill, N.J., said. “It was one of the best matches I’ve played in a long time. I feel good right now. I’m hitting the ball solid. I’m happy right now. Mission accomplished.”

  With flying colors no less.

  Rexon opened his qualifying bid in ideal fashion. On No. 1 (par 4, 374 yards), he knocked a sand wedge 110 yards to 20 feet and drained a firm, right-to-left breaker for birdie. Rexon nearly notched an ace on the par 3, 163-yard No. 3, sending a smooth 6-iron into the flagstick. He cleaned up a five-footer. The sales engineer also birdied No. 8 (par 4, 400 yards). After extricating a 9-iron from 145 yards out of a flyer lie, Rexon dropped a downhill 10-footer. Tree trouble spearheaded a pair of frontside bogeys. Rexon left drives in precarious positions on Nos. 2 (par 4, 388 yards) and 6 (par 4, 396 yards) and failed to recover on both.

  After issuing a self-plea for more birdies on the 10th tee, Rexon finally obeyed on the par 4, 331-yard 12th hole. Facing a flyer lie once again, he lifted a pitching wedge 140 yards to 20 feet and watched his putt tumble over the right edge. Rexon chipped in for birdie on No. 14 (par 4, 352 yards) from a pace over the putting surface. A 135-yard pitching wedge shot set up the spectacular feat. Rexon reverted to 2 under thanks to a buried lie on the par 5, 491-yard 16th hole. He only advanced a “hack 9-iron” 10 feet. A key up-and-down on the next hole (par 3, 200 yards) preserved red. Rexon bumped a pitching wedge from 10 paces off the front of the green and buried an anxious three-footer.

  “I didn’t hit it great off the tee today, to be honest with you,” Rexon said. “I was really hitting some nice approach shots from the rough. I hit a couple of them close and made a few putts. It was kind of a scrappy round really.”

  A putter change “from a little Scotty [Cameron] blade to a nice, heavy mallet” continues to add green comfort, which Rexon used to his advantage Thursday.

  “[The putter has] made it a lot easier for me. It’s great on greens like this,” an enthusiastic Rexon said. “These greens were fine. I love being able to let the club do the work on those lag putts.”

  Rexon, who plays sans hat and lets his long locks flow, will compete in his second Middle-Amateur Championship. Perhaps the momentum wave will splash into Overbrook as well.

  “I just want to go out there and play how I’ve played recently,” Rexon said. “I feel really good with my irons right now. If I can get the driver straightened out like I did last weekend, it sets everything up. I expect to play well. Why not?”

  The final Middle-Amateur Championship Qualifier presented by Callaway Golf will take place Monday, May 1 at Whitford Country Club.

  The Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Middle-Amateur Championship started in 1984, three years after the USGA created the U.S. Mid-Amateur as a formal championship for post-college amateurs. The Association followed suit with the USGA in creating a Mid-Am, but initially differed in its administration of the tournament in a couple of respects.

  The most obvious difference was the age requirement. Prior to 2001, the GAP Middle-Amateur was for players 30 years of age and older.

  The Association’s Executive Committee reviewed and revised that age requirement in 2001 to match the USGA’s guidelines of 25 years of age or older for eligible players. Also at that point, the Committee changed the format of the event to a two-day stroke play tournament (instead of a one-day medal play event) with a cut to the low 70 players and ties after the first round. The field begins with 132 players.

Callaway Golf
Callaway Golf was founded in 1982 by the late Ely Callaway, a visionary entrepreneur who operated under a simple but profound business promise: Deliver Demonstrably Superior, Pleasingly Different products and services. That philosophy turned what was originally a boutique manufacturer of high-quality wedges and putters into the world’s largest maker of premium, performance golf products. The Callaway mission and vision has remained the same; we passionately pursue advanced, innovative technologies that help golfers of all abilities find more enjoyment from the game. Under the Callaway and Odyssey brands, Callaway manufactures and sells golf clubs and golf balls, and sells golf apparel, footwear and accessories in more than 110 countries worldwide.

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 153 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.