Defending champion Connor Bennink extended his lead to 5 after completion of the second round in the 102nd EDGA Amateur Championship. His round of 65 puts him at 12-under par for 36 holes. His performance thus far has been record breaking. His 7-under par 65 betters the mark of 6-under held by 5 players, the 36-hole score of -12 is 5 shots better than the record held since 1988 by Mike Capotis. The tournament record of -9 is certainly in jeopardy with one round to go. He also can become the event’s 10th back-to-back champion.

The previous low score at Lawrence Park was 68. Thus far that mark has been beat 4 times, twice by Bennink with his rounds of 67 and 65, and twice more in round two by Abe Holmes and Alex Weir who both shot 67. Weir, last year’s runner up and the runner up in the last 2 Match Play Championships sits in second at -7 on rounds of 70 and 67. Mike Wolfe, who missed last year’s playoff by 1 stroke is 3 more back at -4 with a second round 68.

The 2022 EDGA Match Play Champion Matt Barto is tied for 4th with 2017 & 2019 Champion Tyler Cozad. Both players had rounds of 70 and 71. There are 4 players tied for 6th at 2-under par, Abe Holmes (75-67), Jimmy Callaghan (71-71), Ryan Ferry (71-71) and Isaiah Swan (70-72).  The top ten is rounded about by 3 players at +2, Billy Colbert (75-71), 4-time EDGA Major Champion Drew Deimel (74-72), and 2021 EDGA Match Play Champion Jon Merriott (72-74).

The cut line fell at a score of +7 151 with 24 players and ties. The players will play in the event’s final round tomorrow beginning at 9:30am at Lawrence Park. Prizes will be awarded to the top 15.

Full Field Results

Full Field Results

2021 Champion Connor Bennink picked up right where he left off with a second consecutive 67. The last one was in the final round of the 2021 EDGA Amateur Championship at Lake View which he later won in a playoff. Today’s 67 was in the first round of the 2022 Amateur at Lawrence Park GC, 2 shots better than Joe Fugagli.

Bennink’s round included 7 birdies offset by 2 bogies, going out in 33 and back in 34. Fugagli had the lowest front 9 with a 4-under 32 and then came home in 37 for 69.

Four players completed the first round with 2-under par 70 including 2-time Champion Tyler Cozad, this year’s match play champion Matt Barto, last year’s Amateur runner-up Alex Weir and 2021 PSAC individual champion, Isaiah Swan. There were two others who broke par, Jimmy Callaghan and Ryan Ferry. Both players shot 71 and are 4 shots back.

The 2021 EDGA Match Play Champion, Jon Merriott sits tied for 9th with Mike Wolfe and Evan Rowane at even par. Mac Deitrick sits alone in 12th with 73 before a group of 4 who finished with 74. That group includes 4-time EDGA Major Champion Drew Deimel, 2-time Champion Ted Grassi, III, Dean Rainville, Carter Hassenplug, and Michael Wareham.

Round 2 begins tomorrow at 10am at the Park. After 36 holes the field will be cut to the top 24 and ties. Currently 24th place is at +4.

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The EDGA Team Championship was conducted today at Lake View Country Club, one week after originally scheduled due to a rain out last Monday.

In the Championship Division 2021 EDGA Match Play champion Jon Merriott partnered with Bobby Scalise and finished with a score of 5-under par 67 which was one better than runners up Dave Mazza and Tim Moore. The champions closed with a birdie which was enough to capture the title. Mazza and Moore finished strong themselves, carding birdies on 15, 16 and 18 to jump into second.

Dave Spitzer and Mike Newcomer were third with a score of 3-under par 69. With Mazza and Moore placing in the Net Division, Spitzer and Newcomer claimed second gross. Jared Schmader and Ryan Ferry finished 3rd with a score of 70. The final teams to place in the Championship Gross division were Dustin Coleman and Mark Majewski and Troy Hassenplug and his son Carter. Both teams finished with a score of 72.

On the Net side of the Championship division, Mazza and Moore claimed first place in a scorecard playoff with Phil Pedano and Trey Crispen. Both teams shot 67 but the title went to the former team with their birdie on hole 18. Third place net with a score of 68 went to Tom Will and Mark McMahon. There was a tie for fourth with 70 by the teams of Levi and Lucas Marsh and Patrick and Nick Arrigo.

In the Senior Division Rick Carlotti and David Hewet defeated Ron Coleman and Dan Achille in a three hole playoff. Both teams finished regulation with scores of 2-under par 70. Carlotti and Hewett were champions of this event in 2020 while Coleman and Achille were the defending champions.

With Coleman and Achille taking the top prize in the net division, Mark Trigilio and Dave Martin finished second in the gross division with 72 followed by a 74 by Steve Schilling and John Laird.

On the net side there was a three way time at 69 with Coleman and Achille taking first by virtue of their birdie on the 17th hole. Scott Simonsen and R.C. Chase and Steph Urban and Guy Santone were the other teams to split the three net prizes.

In the Super Seniors division there was a tie for first in the only division, low net. With a score of 71 the teams of Jim Delsandro and Jim Kirk and Chuck DuShole and Rick Hersey. The Delsandro/Kirk team took the lead on 17 with a net birdie but that lead was erased when the DuShole/Hersey team made a net birdie on the 18th.

Prize winners are as follows and can be claimed at the pro shop at Lake View:

Championship

Gross

1st – Jon Merriott/Bob Scalise 67 – $350 ($175 ea) + Trophies
2nd – Dave Spitzer/Mike Newcomer 69 – $300 ($150 ea)
3rd – Jared Schmader/Ryan Ferry 70 – $250 ($125 ea)
4th – Dustin Coleman/Mark Majewski & Troy Hassenplug/Carter Hassenplug – 72 – $200 ($50 ea)

Net

1st – Dave Mazza/Tim Moore 67 – $325 ($162 ea) + Trophies
1st – Phil Pedano/Trey Crispen 67 – $325 ($162 ea)
3rd – Tom Will/Mark McMahon 68 – $250 ($125 ea)
4th – Levi Marsh/Lucas Marsh & Pat Arrigo/Nick Arrigo 70 – $200 ($50 ea)

Net

Gross

1st – Rick Carlotti/David Hewett 70 – $320 ($160 ea) + Trophies
2nd – Dave Martin/Mark Trigilio – 72 – $260 ($130 ea)
3rd – Steve Schilling/John Laird – 74 – $200 ($100 ea)

Net

1st – Ron Coleman/Dan Achille – 69 – $260 ($130 ea) + Trophies
1st – R.C. Chase/Scott Simonsen – 69 – $260 ($130 ea)
1st – Steph Urban/Guy Santone – 69 – $260 ($130 ea)

Super Seniors

Net

1st – Jim Delsandro/Jim Kirk – 71 – $150 ($75 ea)
1st – Chuck DuShole/Rick Hersey – 71 – $150 ($75 ea)

Skins

Championship – $160 each / $80 per player

#1 – 4 – Matt Arrigo & Jon Arrigo
#16 – 3 – Dave Mazza & Tim Moore

Seniors – $80 each / $40 per player

#2 – 3 – Steve Schilling & John Laird
#3 – 3 – Rick Carlotti & David Hewett
#9 – 3 – Matt Modica & Gary Paparelli
#10 – 3 – Steph Urban & Guy Santone

Click here for complete results

With a slurry of birdies on his home track, Whispering Woods’ Tim Weyand captured the JC Martin Seniors tournament by 2 strokes over 2-time champion, Ron Coleman.

Weyand’s card included birdies on 3,5,7,8, and 9 enroute to a front nine 31. A birdie on hole 12 moved him to 6-under par for the day before recording back-to-back bogies on 13 and 14. His seventh birdie came on 15 and then closed with 3 more bogies to finish with 70.

Even with his super hot round, Weyand was not without chasers. Kahkwa’s Mike Capotis moved to 3-under after his 5th birdie on number 15. At that point Weyand was sitting at 4-under with 2 to play. Capotis’ hopes were dashed with an untimely double on 16 followed by 2 closing bogies for 73. Coleman also gave himself a chance. His 6th birdie of the day also came on the 15th and he was 2-under. His title hopes were lost with a double on the par-4 17th. Coleman finished as the runner-up with an even par 72. Mark Noce, twice a runner up also had it to 2-under on the back night but strung together consecutive bogies on holes 14 through 17 to finish with 74.

The net champion was Dave Irwin. His birdies on 10, 12, and 13 got him to 1-under but then offset those 3 birds with bogies on 15, 16, and 18. His net score of 68 was one better than both Jeff Weyand and Homer Capotis and good for the title.

In the super seniors (70 & over) Jim Delsandro tied with Dave Lehner with 76 for low gross and John Adituori finished with 65 to win the low net prize.

Here are the prize winners (which can be claimed at the Whispering Woods pro shop) :

Overall – $200 – Low Gross – Tim Weyand – 70, Low Net – Dave Irwin – 68
50-59 – $160 – Low Gross – RC Chase & Chris Keim – 77, Low Net – Jeff Weyand – 69
60-69 – $160 – Low Gross – Ron Coleman – 72, Low Net – Homer Capotis – 69
60-69 – $100 – 2nd Low Gross – Mike Capotis – 73, Low Net – Tony Pepicello & Mark Noce – 71
70-over – $160 – Low Gross – Dave Lehner & Jim Delsandro – 76, Low Net – John Adituori 65

Click Here for full event results.

The next EDGA event is the 2-man team championship, Monday July 18th at Lake View.

For Matt Barto it seemed like a long wait. In his first EDGA Match Play in 2019 he made it to the finals only to lose to Drew Deimel. The next year he was right back in the finals, this time losing to Ryan Peters at Whispering Woods. Last year he lost to Jon Merriott in the quarter finals at Jon’s home course, Lawrence Park. Three tournaments and his only losses were against the eventual champions. If he couldn’t pull off the win today it would have been 4 for 4 but he was determined to make sure that wasn’t the result in today’s final against Alex Weir.

Alex has been dealing with his own near misses. In 2018 and again in 2020 he lost in the semi-finals to the eventual champions, Deimel and Peters and last year lost in the finals to Jon Merriott 2 up. In his only other EDGA Match Play, he lost in the quarter finals to Barto in 2019.

The match was contested at Downing with cool and somewhat windy conditions. The match went back and forth with both players holding 1 up leads. Both players opened with birdies but an errant approach by Weir on 2 led to the first lead of the day. After matching pars on the next two holes it was Barto’s errant shot on the par 3 5th that led to a bogey and the match was back to even. Both players birdied both 6 and 7 and Barto continued his string, converting a 20 footer for birdie on 8 and another 1 up lead. That was short lived as Weir closed the front nine with a sand save for par while Barto three putted from the fringe and, at the halfway point, the match was even.

Barto found a little trouble with both his tee shot and his second while Weir calmly hit driver and an iron to Downing’s par 5 tenth. With Barto unable to salvage par Weir’s short birdie putt was conceded and he had his first lead of the day. Both players faces testing par saves on 11 but both converted. When Weir’s tee shot on 12 found the right trees it appeared that Barto was in position to re-tie the match. Weir punched out just short of the green and then chipped to about 5 feet. Barto had left his approach on the front fringe and his first putt to the front pin left him short … and still away. When he missed the short putt Weir was in position to take the first 2 up lead of the match. Unfortunately, he too missed and his lead remained at 1 up.

On the short par 5 thirteen it was Barto who would miss right but played a fabulous iron to the green, leaving himself only about 12 feet for eagle. Weir too had iron into the green but missed left. His short-sided pitch left him about 6 feet for birdie but Barto canned his eagle putt and the match was again tied. On 14 both players left themselves with good chances for birdie but both missed. On the long par 3 15 again both players hit quality shots leaving mid-range putts for birdie. Both missed but it was Weir’s miss that left him with a 4 foot tester to keep the match tied, a putt that he was not able to convert so the match headed to Downing’s difficult finishing holes with Barto ahead by 1.

After long drives into the wind both players were in excellent position with about 110 yards to make that needed birdie. Both players hit similar shots, well short of pin high and to the left leaving both of them unable to convert that birdies that they so sorely needed.

Downing’s 17th was playing difficult as a left-to-right wind made the long dogleg left a formidable challenge. Barto was able to keep his tee shot left of the tree line on the right but Weir was not. Barto’s tree troubles were not as severe as he was able to clear the left side of the tree in front of him but his shot missed the green slightly to the left. Weir faced either a long, low punch shot or a dramatic hook to avoid his tree troubles. He opted for the hook but, with his ball fighting the wind, he ended up well right of the green on the short side. He attempted a risky flop shot fearing that it was necessary with the match in the balance but he didn’t pull it off and was still short of the green on the right side.

Barto hit a bit of a substandard chip leaving himself a good 10 feet breathing just a bit of life into Weir’s hopes. However, facing yet another delicate short sided chip he was unable to get his 4th closer than Barto’s 3rd. When he was unable to convert his saving putt Barto was left with 2 putts to win the match. He would need only one, rolling his putt right into the center, ending the match 2&1.

Full scores and tournament results are available here.