What a beautiful day. Perfect temperatures, no wind, and most importantly, NO RAIN!
The excitement and field size on the Central PA Chapter of the Amateur Players Tour continues to grow. A sold-out field of 80 players showed up ready to take on the competition on Sunday, May 19, at The Bridges Golf Club in Abbottstown, PA. The course was in fantastic condition and the greens were the best we’ve seen this season. This was an Elevated Event with double the prize pool ($40 per players) and double the division points. Total payout between the prize pool and skins was $6000!
Division 1 (Field size 7 players) – Dan Ayars, out of Millville, NJ, continues to outpace the competition, although I overheard a lot a smack talk on the first tee, as the other players vowed they were ready to take him down. It didn’t happen. Dan carded a 3 under 69 for 1st place taking home the trophy and $240 in tournament credit. Chris Meares from Swell, NJ, was pleased with his play after working on a swing correction to come in at a score of 75 for 2nd place and $40 in tour credit for his efforts. Ian Patterson from Hyattsville, MD, finished a close 3rd place with a score of 76.
Division 2 (Field size 14 players) – When you’re hot, you’re hot. Gil Moniz, of Woodbury Heights, NJ finished the day with 2 bogeys and a birdie along with 15 pars to shoot a 1 over 73, outdistancing the field by 4 strokes. Gil took home the trophy and $335 in Visa Gift Card credit. Chris Bevelheimer, out of Wilmington, DE, took 2nd place with a score of 77 and received $140 in Visa Gift Card credit. There was a 3-way tie for 3rd between Dave Baca, Maryland Chapter Owner, David Ayars from Sewell, NJ, and Ed Kochanek out of Woolwich, NJ. All three player shot a score of 78 and spilt the pot earning $28 each.
Division 3 (Field size 25 players) – Division 3 saw a race to the finish between youth and wisdom. Senior player James Volpi, Sterling, VA, secured the final win over Mervin Lapp, Gordonville, PA by one stroke carding a 77 to Mervin’s 78. Division 3 saw the largest field size for the day with 25 players vying for the trophy and $1000 in the pot. For his win, James took home the trophy and $450 in combined Visa Gift Card credit and tournament credit. Mervin was well compensated with Visa Gift Card worth $200. Chad Hertzog, Lebanon, PA, and John Eastlack, Philadelphia, PA tied for 3rd with 80’s and Larry Barber, Paulsboro, NJ, took 5th place with an 81.
Division 4 (Field size 22 players) – A total 3 strokes separated the top 5 finishers in a crowed field, but it was Brad Winnish, Boyertown, PA, stepping into the winner’s circle for the first time in his amateur career, carding a strong score of 81 and winning by one stroke over 2nd place finisher Matthew McGee, Morgantown, WV. Brad took home $440 in Visa Gift Card credit and the trophy. Matthew took home $220 in Visa Gift Card credit for 2nd place. There was a tie for 3rd between Brandon Buchanan, Harrisburg, PA, and Andrew Repetto, Wilmington, DE. Both players received $110 each for their scores of 83. Roger Love, Etters, PA, took the 5th place spot with a score of 84.
Division 5 (Field size 12 players) – Michael Knepp, Mechanicsburg, PA, continues his rise to the top of the leaderboard for Division 5 Local Player of the Year Race with his 2nd win of the 2024 season. Michael carded a low round of 88 and earned $320 in Worldwide Golf Gift Cards, a major sponsor of the Amateur Players Tour. Worldwide Golf will contribute an additional 10% to Michael’s winnings adding $32 to his total for the day. Jeff Brodsky, Merion Station, PA, took home 2nd place and $160 in tournament credit with a score of 91. Jordan Miller, Elizabethtown, PA, carded a score of 93 for 3rd place.
Senior Net (Field size 29 players) All 5 place winners in the optional Senior Net competition scored in negative figures for the day. Brad Winnish, Boyertown, PA, bested them all with a Net 8 under 64 for 1st place giving him the trophy and $260 in Visa Gift Card credit. Brad’s total winnings for the day came out to $700. That’s a nice chunk of money. Gil Moniz, Woodbury Heights, NJ, had a great day with a Net 5 under 67 for 2nd place and he added another $115 to his Visa Gift Card credit totaling $450 for the day. Another nice paycheck. Continuing the theme of adding to their pot, James Volpi, Sterling, VA, was a close 3rd with a Net 4 under 68. James added $85 to his purse bringing home a combined $540 in Visa Gift Card and tournament credit. Larry Barber, Paulsboro, NJ, and Bill Eissler, Camp Hill, PA, took 4th and 5th place each with Net scores of 69 and 71.
Open Net (Field size 19 players) A new contest this, Open Net is a Net competition much like Senior Net, but for players age 49 and under. Interest continues to grow and the competition is fierce. Only 1 stroke separated the top 6 players for there was a 3-way tie for first followed by a 3-way for 4th. Players shooting a minus net 2 under were Dan Ayars, Millville, NJ, Chad Hertzog, Lebanon, PA, and John Eastlack, Philadelphia, PA. Because it is a net competition we do not do an on the field playoff. Instead, we use the USGA rules for a scorecard playoff to see who gets the trophy and then the prize pool for the top three is split 3 ways. We started off comparing the last 9 hole net scores for each player. Both Dan and John had net scores of 36, leaving out Chad with a net score of 39. The score was settled using the last 6 net scores with John inching out Dan by one stroke. The three players split a pot of $340 giving each player $113. The next three players all tied for 4th with a net 1 under. Connor Campbell, Lebanon, PA, Brandon Buchanan, Harrisburg, PA and Michael Knepp, Mechanicsburg, PA. These three players split $40.
Folds of Honor – Closest to the Pin (Field size 27 players) Amount raised to date: $910
27 players opted in to participate in the Folds of Honor Closest to the Pin contest sponsored by Momentum Hearing Aid Services of Harrisburg. The winner received a $25 gift card from Sheetz and coffee mug. The winner of the Bridges contest was Dan Ayars.
