ORELAND, Pa. — The Mitchell family needs to clear more space in its rapidly expanding trophy case.
Four days after Randy and his son Davis captured the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s 56th Father & Son (Younger), Davis and his younger brother Colman won their respective divisions in the 29th Jock MacKenzie Memorial at a steamy Sandy Run Country Club (par 72, 6,405 yards). The Wilmington Country Club members became the second set of brothers in the last three years to sweep the event; Trenton Country Club’s Reilly and Reagan Erhardt did so in 2011.
“It means more than winning individually,” Davis, 15, said. “We’re pretty close and play a lot of golf together. We just try to come out and have fun. I’ve been working pretty hard on my game, and to see the results is a great feeling. I’ll always remember today. I’ve talked to past champions about this tournament and know how big it is.”
“It’s really awesome to have us win together because we’ve been playing for a long time,” Colman, 11, said. “I try to practice a lot of things he does. This is really cool.”
Playing in the day’s third group, Davis Mitchell fired a 3-under-par 69 to put the Junior Division on notice immediately. A dialed-in wedge game provided the Wilmington, Del. resident with a plethora of tap-in birdie opportunities. For example, on the par 4, 384-yard No. 5, he knocked a wedge 105 yards to five feet. Davis nearly jarred a 40-yard wedge for eagle on No. 7 (par 4, 317 yards). The straightaway par 5, 564-yard 11th hole showed a similar story as he stopped a 70-yard wedge at a foot. Davis inked red on the next par 5 (No. 15, 487 yards) as well, powering a 4-iron 210 yards to a fairway upslope 30 yards from the flagstick. A tight-wedge tactic translated into a two-footer for birdie.
“My wedges were my strong point today,” Davis, 15, an incoming sophomore at The Tatnall School, said. “My ball-striking and irons were pretty good too, so everything’s clicking right now.”
Sensing his contentious status on the leaderboard, Davis found the No. 18 (par 4, 322 yards) fairway and hit a gap wedge 125 yards to 12 feet right of the hole location.
“I was kind of nervous,” he said. “I heard Andrew [Carber of Talamore of Country Club] was playing well, so I was just trying to play it smart. I got lucky.”
A focused Davis sunk a right-to-left breaker for birdie, retrieved his golf ball from the jar, grabbed the flagstick and shed an uncharacteristic smile.
“I usually keep my emotions in check,” he said. “I’m a competitor and I’m just trying my hardest on each shot. I’m trying to get the best result out of it. Once I start getting confident, I feel like I can hit every shot.”
The red figures more than made up for a pair of missteps for Davis. He reached the No. 6 (par 4, 377 yards) green with a 75-yard wedge shot to 10 feet and proceeded to three-putt. Unfamiliarity on the par 4, 324-yard No. 9 led to a bogey as well. Davis steered a 5-iron into the right tree-line, and with his view to the flagstick obscured, missed the green on his second stroke.
Although he’s been eligible to compete in the Jock MacKenzie for a few years, Davis didn’t enlist.
“I felt like I needed to improve my game to play in a tournament like this,” he said.
Colman fired a 4-over-par 40 to take the tournament’s Junior-Junior Division by a stroke.
“It feels really good. I was just thankful that I played really well,” Mitchell, an incoming sixth grader at The Tatnall School, said.
Colman, also of Wilmington, Del., played his first three holes in 1 under. On the par 5, 564-yard No. 11, he drilled an 8-iron 110 yards to 20 feet for birdie.
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 143 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.
Results
Junior Division
Name, club
Scores
Davis Mitchell, Wilmington Country Club
69
Cole Berman, Philadelphia Cricket Club
70
Jalen Griffin, Talamore Country Club
71
Ethan Heller, White Manor Country Club
72
Jack Gregor, Huntingdon Valley Country Club
72
Jake Van Arkel, Merion Golf Club
72
Thomas Fisher, North Hills Country Club
72
Brandon Raihl, Heidelberg Country Club
73
Kevin Conners, Jr., Whitford Country Club
73
Andrew Carber, Talamore Country Club
74
Brock Kovach, Berkshire Country Club
74
Andy Butler, Meadia Heights Golf Club
75
Evan Thornton, Berkshire Country Club
75
Kevin Kramarski, Riverton Country Club
75
Paul Mauer, Stonewall
75
Andrew Willner, Phoenixville Country Club
76
Jacob Klaus, Tavistock Country Club
76
Michael Reed-Price, Sunnybrook Golf Club
76
Nat Gallen, Berkshire Country Club
76
Brendan Young, Chester Valley Golf Club
77
Daniel Altieri, Hopewell Valley Golf Club
77
Luke McKeogh, Commonwealth National Golf Club
77
Matthew Ade, Riverton Country Club
77
Nick Cappetti, Burlington Country Club
77
Phillip Held, Jr., Whitemarsh Valley Country Club
77
Sam Gallen, Berkshire Country Club
77
Steven Altieri, Hopewell Valley Golf Club
77
Benjamin Kotler, Bala Golf Club
78
Matt Grubb, Overbrook Golf Club
78
Robert Firth, Jr, Commonwealth National Golf Club
78
Connor Goodrich, Merchantville Country Club
79
David Pontari, Whitemarsh Valley Country Club
79
Kyle Allan, Phoenixville Country Club
79
Quinn Dolan, Rolling Green Golf Club
79
R.J. Wren, Applecross Country Club
79
Carter Field, Sandy Run Country Club
80
David Gall, Riverton Country Club
80
Gary McCabe, Jr., RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve
80
Jack Grasso, Sunnybrook Golf Club
80
Jack Quirk, Huntingdon Valley Country Club
80
Nick Calabrese, Edgmont Country Club
80
Otis Baker, Gulph Mills Golf Club
80
Chris Binet, Whitemarsh Valley Country Club
81
Cole Swiger, Huntingdon Valley Country Club
81
Frankie Brigidi, Philadelphia Cricket Club
81
Griffin Colvin, Concord Country Club
81
Hugh Farris, Huntingdon Valley Country Club
81
Luca Jezzeny, The Bucks Club
81
Matthew Bastian, Jr., Rolling Green Golf Club
81
Michael Winter, Seaview Resort & Spa
81
Patrick Corcoran, Sandy Run Country Club
81
Ben Litt, Riverton Country Club
82
Jack McAleese, Aronimink Golf Club
82
Michael Barychewsky, Yardley Country Club
82
Nicholas Mazza, Sandy Run Country Club
82
Spencer Needham, Hopewell Valley Golf Club
82
Trey Croney, Overbrook Golf Club
82
Brian Fischer, Commonwealth National Golf Club
83
Joseph Rueter, Jr., Huntingdon Valley Country Club
83
Mark Lunney, Sandy Run Country Club
83
Reid Worster, Huntingdon Valley Country Club
83
Brad Ebersole, The Ridge at Back Brook
84
Kyle Kost, Lookaway Golf Club
84
Peter Dissinger, Merion Golf Club
84
Ryan Bowman, Aronimink Golf Club
84
Teddy Selverian, Aronimink Golf Club
85
Patrick Clearkin, Old York Road Country Club
86
Cameron Cathcart, The Ridge at Back Brook
87
Nick Fizzano, Rolling Green Golf Club
87
JB Bradbeer, Merion Golf Club
88
Andrew Todaro, Rolling Green Golf Club
89
Cabot Asplundh, The Ridge at Back Brook
89
Drew Petri, Jericho National Golf Club
89
James Gavaghan, Sandy Run Country Club
90
Christopher Morrison, Merion Golf Club
91
Max Harrington, Brookside C.C. of Allentown
91
Cody Smith, Huntingdon Valley Country Club
92
Patrick Walsh, Aronimink Golf Club
95
Brendan Steiner, Sandy Run Country Club
102
Buddy Hansen, IV, Blue Bell Country Club
106
Drew Guarino, Burlington Country Club
WD
Michael Reynolds, Jr., Sandy Run Country Club
WD
Sam Soeth, White Manor Country Club
WD
Thomas Gravina, Jr., Aronimink Golf Club
WD
Junior-Junior Division
Name, club
Scores
Colman Mitchell, Wilmington Country Club
40
Frankie Gregor, Huntingdon Valley Country Club
41
Brian Isztwan, Huntingdon Valley Country Club
43
Daniel Bastian, Rolling Green Golf Club
43
Stephen Lorenzo, Manufacturers Golf & Country Club
44
Billy Civitella, Aronimink Golf Club
46
Cael Willner, Phoenixville Country Club
49
Kevin Civitella, Aronimink Golf Club
49
Archie Filshill, Jr., Huntingdon Valley Country Club
51
Matthew Lafond, Blue Bell Country Club
51
Jack Burton, Overbrook Golf Club
53
Matthew Hladczuk, Huntingdon Valley Country Club
54
Beckett Chapin, Jericho National Golf Club
55
Junior Girls’ Division
Name, club
Scores
Annika Vandayar, Penn Oaks Golf Club
76
Cassidy Gavaghan, Sandy Run Country Club
91
Emily Gilbert, Brookside Country Club
91
Meghan Donahue, Rolling Green Golf Club
93
Keenan Eichman, Llanerch Country Club
102
Anna Haley, Llanerch Country Club
106
Meghan Fahey, Overbrook Golf Club
106
