Whitemarsh duo grab 23rd Hussey in a two-hole playoff

 SPRINGFIELD, Pa.– Edward McCrossen, Jr., and Jeff Blechschmidt, both of Whitemarsh Valley CC, took the 23rd Francis X. Hussey Memorial Championship on Monday at Rolling Green GC (par 71, 6,458 yards) in a two-hole playoff over Austin Wolf of Bent Creek CC and Michael Kania of Overbrook GC.

  After knocking a pitching wedge from 131 yards out to 15 feet left of the hole, McCrossen rolled in a solid two-putt par to win the event for his side.

  “To win this in a playoff against competition like Michael [Kania] and Austin, it’s just great,” McCrossen said. “It’s just awesome.”

  Both teams arrived at the playoff after carding a pair of 4-under-par 67s in regulation play.

  A score Blechschmidt said was direct result of their timely putting.

  “We just made a bunch of pars with a couple birdies, but we didn’t miss many putts all day,” said McCrossen who fired a 1-under-par 69 on his own ball.

  The duo first got into red figures on the par 4 5^th hole (375 yards) after McCrossen sank a downhill, right-to-left breaking 40-footer for birdie.

  “We made a bunch of par-saving putts and a couple long one’s, too,” said Blechschmidt who contributed with a 40-foot birdie putt of his own on the par 5 7^th hole (500 yards) to bring the pair to 2-under at the time. “We were making a lot of putts.”

  But the best part of the event for the Whitemarsh Valley members was playing alongside one another.

  “It’s great,” said McCrossen of teaming up with Blechschmidt. “We’re best friends so it’s awesome to win this.”

  “We’ve been playing as partners for about six years,” Blechschmidt said. “And we’re best friends outside of golf so it’s pretty cool to win with him.”

Junior-Junior Divisions (par 35, 2,704 yards)
  Kyle Sterbinsky of Yardley CC and Michael Davis of Merion GC, grandson of former GAP treasurer Jim Davis, took the Junior-Junior Division of the Francis X. Hussey Memorial Monday with a 1-under-par 34.

  Davis, who comes off a win in the Junior-Junior Boys’ Division of the Jock MacKenzie Memorial with a 2-over-par 38, fired a 3-over-par 38 on his own ball Monday. And Sterbinsky chimed in with a birdie on the par 5 17^th hole (440 yards) and fired a 1-over-par 36 to help the duo best the field by three strokes.

  The Junior-Junior Division competes over nine holes. This year the back nine was used for the event. The nine-hole sides are alternated every year.

Notes:
  A total of 54 teams competed in the Hussey, named in honor of the former Rolling Green GC junior member.

  Francis suffered with congenital heart disease and passed away in December of 1983 while undergoing major heart surgery. He was 13 years old when he died. Francis was a student in the Haverford Township School system, an avid sports fan and an active junior member at Rolling Green. His courage in the face of his illness was a great inspiration to all who knew him.

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  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 136 Member Clubs and 56,000 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.