U.S. Mid-Amateur Qualifying: Wyncote

Barrett, Davis and Golliday share medal

OXFORD, Pa. – The spirit of Mid-Am golf was on full display Monday at Wyncote Golf Club (par 72, 6,952 yards).

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In tough conditions, which included rain showers of varying intensities throughout the afternoon, Nick Barrett of Catonsville, Md., Michael Davis of King of Prussia, Pa. and Jacob Golliday of Outer Banks, N.C. carded 4-under 68s to share medalist honors in U.S. Mid-Amateur Qualifying. 

Morning tee times were delayed thirty minutes due to heavy fog in the area. 

The cutline stopped at 69. Rye Stinson of Columbia, Md. and Dan Walters of Winston Salem, N.C. prevailed in a 6-for-2 playoff for the final qualifying positions. Stinson made birdie on No. 4 (par 4, 455 yards), the second playoff hole, to advance. Walters made birdie on No. 9 (par 5, 570 yards), the fourth playoff hole, to grab the final qualifying position.

The 43rd U.S. Mid-Am will take place Sept. 21-26 at Kinloch Golf Club in Manakin Sabot, Va.

Barrett, a UPS delivery driver by trade, carried his share of the medal during the day’s morning wave. 

“I just made some grindy pars all the way till 15,” Barrett, 31, said. “[Then,] I was like, ‘Alright, we’ll see if we can piece this together and just hold on.’ I was definitely holding on.”

Barrett, who started on Wyncote’s back nine, managed five birdies and a single bogey during his round. On No. 10 (par 5, 558 yards) he laid up to 114 yards with a 7-iron. From there, he flighted a pitching wedge to four feet for his first red figure. He kept momentum going with birdies on Nos. 15 (par 4, 350 yards) and 16 (par 4, 417 yards). A pitching wedge from 125 yards did the trick on the former, a 56-degree wedge from 100 yards got the job done on the latter. On No. 18 (par 5, 516 yards) his 5-iron from 220 yards settled 20 yards short, right of the green. He chipped the next one to a foot with his 60-degree wedge. Barrett’s last stop on his birdie delivery route was on No. 4. Here, he hit a pitching wedge from 142 yards to six feet.

Not a bad sequence for his first loop around Wyncote.

“Everything is right out there in front of you,” Barrett said. “There are a couple blind shots, but all in all, you can see everything from the tee.”

Despite a demanding profession, especially around the holidays, Barrett makes it a point to keep his competitive spirit alive. In 2016, he qualified for the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball with his partner Connor Flach. The pair lost in the Round of 32. Last year, Barrett advanced through U.S. Open Local Qualifying at Country Club of York. He did not advance past Final Qualifying at Woodmont Country Club. Additionally, the Maryland Amateur Championship is always circled on his calendar.

The combination of competitive zeal and a demanding work life makes practice sessions even more valuable.

“I have to take advantage of the time that I do have, whether that is just playing 18 holes or hitting the range for a couple of hours or something like that,” Barrett said. “I’m usually good for one day on the weekend. During the summer months I can get lucky and if I get out of work at a good time, I can maybe sneak out for one weekday.” 

Michael Davis is also finding balance between work and golf. Recently, he and his younger brother Matt started a real estate private equity business called Aronwold Real Estate Group. 

“It’s great. My brother and I get along super well,” Davis, 28, said. “It’s been very easy and very fun to be able to spend a lot of time together and do something we’re both excited about.” 

While new business often demands his time, Davis, who holds memberships at Aronimink Golf Club and Merion Golf Club, makes sure his game works as hard as he does.

“For me, ball-striking is going to be day-to-day,” Davis, who finished runner-up in the 2015 BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship at Llanerch Country Club, said. “With short game, assuming I keep up with it and practice frequently, I find it enhances the game and sort of makes it a little bit more consistent than the ball-striking could be.” 

Aided by a red-hot putter, the perennial GAP Major competitor stacked eight birdies against four bogeys to get to his number.

Following a 6-iron layup on No. 1 (par 5 , 565 yards), Davis lifted a 58-degree wedge from 90 yards to seven feet for his first red number. He found two more to close his front nine on Nos. 8 (par 4, 380 yards) and 9. On the former, he lifted the same 58-degree wedge, this time from 87 yards, to five feet. On the latter, the same tool executed a chip shot from 20 yards to one foot. 

Rain showers during Davis’ inward nine weren’t an issue for the steely competitor. On No. 11 (par 4, 455 yards) Davis speared an 8-iron from 167 yards to seven feet for another circle on the card. Immediately after, a pitching wedge from 150 yards on the par 4, 360-yard 12th hole settled five feet away and kept momentum going. Birdie pairs continued. On No. 14 (par 3, 184 yards), Davis’ 8-iron landed nine feet away before he swept it in for a two. On No. 15, he stuck a 58-degree wedge from 81 yards to 15 feet. To bookend his round with birdies, he executed a 15-yard chip to a foot after his 4-iron from 220 yards landed short of the green on No. 18. 

Davis’ championship chronicle is rather extensive. To date, he’s competed in two U.S. Junior Amateurs (2011, 2013), one U.S. Amateur (2016) and one U.S. Amateur Four-Ball (2021). 

“Playing all the stages of golf I’ve played, I think I’ve learned a lot over that time,” Davis, who finished T2 in this year’s GAP Middle-Amateur Championship, said. “[I’m] definitely a lot smarter I think as a golfer than I was [during] my junior career just in terms of what risks to take and what risks not to take.”

He will rely on his prior USGA championship experience while preparing for his freshman U.S. Mid-Am appearance.

Unlike Davis, Golliday’s competitive golf lightbulb flashed later in life. At 26 to be exact. 

After finishing his baseball career at Francis Marion University, he transitioned to golf in 2016. Around that time, he entered the world of professional long-drive competitions. In 2017, he competed in his first World Long Drive World Championship. Golliday says he finished T17 that year. He’s currently ranked 24th in the Open Division of the 2024 World Long Drive Rankings.

“[My] mom played at Minnesota and was a tournament director at Pinehurst,” Golliday, 34, said. “Golf was always part of my life, so the transition wasn’t too tough.”

During a hiatus from professional long drive, which lasted from 2020-21, Golliday strengthened his presence on social media as an influencer working with brands such as Lexus, Malbon Golf, and COBRA Golf. It was during this time he also launched his own lifestyle social media brand @JesusofGolf which currently boasts 26.5k Instagram followers.

“My demeanor fit these brands, and I kind of got lucky with the way golf was changing a little bit,” Golliday said. “It’s been fun to see art, music [and] all these things that I enjoy starting to make their way into [golf] as well.” 

More recently, Golliday has invested more time into his competitive golf career. The U.S. Mid-Am will be his first USGA championship experience. 

“It’s a goal always to be medalist no matter what qualifier it is,” Golliday said. “Long drive is going well and golf is going a little bit better, so it’s been fun.” 

Golliday, who started on Wyncote’s back nine, made the turn at even par. His lone birdie on his front nine came on No. 18 after his 8-iron from 145 yards landed 25 feet from the hole. Heading in, he made a pair of birdies on Nos. 3 and 4. On the former his drive landed over the creek which left him 40 yards in. From there he hit a 60-degree wedge to 10 feet. On the latter, he hit a 50-degree wedge from 132 yards to 40 feet and cashed in on the lengthy attempt. He found another pair of birdies on Nos. 6 (par 3, 161 yards) and 7 (par 4, 427 yards). On No. 6 he hit a 9-iron to five feet. On No. 7, he hit an 8-iron from 173 yards to 15 feet.

“Long drive is adrenaline fueled. One swing you have to hit it as far as you can. In golf, it’s whoever makes the most putts,” Golliday said. “The only thing comparable is when you have a chance to qualify or you have a chance to birdie, that heartbeat and that adrenaline is very similar to having your sixth ball [or] having to hit your farthest ball of the day.” 

Timing of the U.S. Mid-Am Qualifier at Wyncote fit into Golliday’s schedule. 

Monday marks Stinson’s first time through USGA Championship Qualifying. Walters will be making his third U.S. Mid-Am appearance. He qualified in 2021 and 2023.

GAP
Celebrating Amateur Golf since 1897, GAP, also known as the Golf Association of Philadelphia, is the oldest regional or state golf association in the United States. It serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. The organization’s 345 Member Clubs and 110,000 individual members are spread across Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland. The GAP’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.