Warner Cup (Gross): Super-Senior Division goes to Saucon’s McCool

EXTON, Pa. – Robin McCool of Saucon Valley Country Club encompasses everything the Golf Association of Philadelphia is all about. Not only is McCool one of the more accomplished players in the region, but he has given back to the game more than just about anyone, including nine years (2004-2012) of service on the GAP Executive Committee. | Scoresheets | History | Lu Lu’s Smeraglio snags Senior title |

  On Thursday at Whitford Country Club (par 72, 6,180 yards) the game he loves gave back to him. McCool added another piece of winning hardware to his trophy case in result of posting an impressive 3-over-par round of 75 to top a field of 40 Super-Senior Division players in the Francis B. Warner Cup (Gross).

  The Bethlehem, Pa. resident was crowned the winner after Pine Valley Golf Club’s O. Gordon Brewer, Jr., a 2011 GAP Hall of Fame inductee, was unavailable for the playoff. Brewer, a two-time U.S. Senior Amateur champion and friend of McCool’s, left the course early in order to catch an escaping flight to Florida’s warmer weather.

  McCool ignited a hot stretch on No. 5 (par 3, 122 yards) with a sloping 12-foot birdie conversion. After four consecutive pars, McCool struck again on the 10th, a 351-yard par 4. He pushed his driver out to the right but was gifted a generous angle. McCool flushed a 6-iron to eight feet and sunk it.

  The winning round hit somewhat-rocky waters near the finishing stretch due McCool’s shaky short-distance putting. His biggest challenge of the day arrived on No. 18 (par 4, 376 yards) after McCool left a birdie attempt roughly eight feet short of the cup.

  “I misjudged my birdie putt as going downhill, but it ended up being level. I didn’t know if anyone had bettered Gordon’s early score, but I knew I had to make that next one,” said McCool, 65. ”I made that last putt on the 18th when I knew I needed it, so that had to be my best shot of the day.”

  In addition to today’s victory, McCool has won the Silver Cross Award twice (1990-91), the Brewer Cup Senior Division twice (2010, 2013), a Senior Amateur Championship (2006), and the Tournament of Champions three times (2006-07, 2012). Most recently, McCool claimed the Pennsylvania State Senior Amateur Championship in back-to-back years (2013-14).

  Another title McCool added to his legacy as of late was “author.” In December, he published his first book, titled “Once Upon A September: Saucon Valley and the 1951 U.S. Amateur”.

  It’s quite the résumé, to say the least. But at some point in the near future, don’t be surprised if you see that widely-respected résumé expand.

  McCool is now 1-for-1 in the new territory after making his Super-Senior Division debut at Whitford. He hopes to conquer that territory, just like he has consistently throughout his lengthy GAP career.

  “I’ve had success at every [GAP] Division growing up. Obviously, I was hoping to have success at this level, and perhaps I will,” he said. “This Association has been a big part of my life. It’s one of the best in the country, and it feels great getting back into the GAP winner’s circle today.”

  Francis B. Warner of Philadelphia Cricket Club served as the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s secretary-treasurer for 18 years. After his death in 1933, the Association started the Francis B. Warner Cup as an ongoing tribute in his memory. The event marks the first Senior Major of the organization’s tournament season.

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 151 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.