Chip Lutz beats Craig Scott 3 & 2; Charles McClaskey defends with a 3 & 2 victory over Ken Gaskill
POTTSTOWN, Pa. (July, 13, 2011) -- The Chip Lutz locomotive arrived at its desired destination Wednesday. The relentless LedgeRock GC member defeated a steadfast Craig Scott of Huntingdon Valley CC, 3&2, to capture the Brewer Cup Senior title at Bellewood GC.
“I’m thrilled to have my name on a trophy in honor of Gordon,” Lutz, of Reading, Pa., said. "Anytime I get my name on a Golf Association of Philadelphia trophy is always fantastic. It’s something you hope to achieve over your various points of life. I was fortunate I played as I well as I did over the course of the tournament to come out on top.”
Lutz emerged as the tournament’s titan when he qualified as the No. 1 seed Monday. The reigning Senior Player of the Year showcased his superior stature in the final. Lutz, 56, stuck a 60-degree wedge 90 yards to two feet on No. 1 (par 4, 389 yards) to earn a conceded birdie and a 1-up lead. After a bogey on No. 4 (par 4, 366 yards), Lutz reclaimed command by drilling a 9-iron to a foot on the downhill par 3, 158-yard No. 6.
“It was a perfect club for me on that hole. I felt confident with it and executed a great shot,” he said.
The next par 3 (No. 8, 200 yards) saw the match tilt farther in Lutz’s favor. He executed a spectacular up-and-down from the front left bunker. Scott struggled off the tee, veering his 4-iron behind the aforementioned bunker. He reached the green with a sound chip, but two-putted from 15 feet.
“It’s been a bad hole for me every time I’ve played it,” Scott said. “I never really felt comfortable there.”
In his three previous matches, Lutz birdied the par 4, 397-yard 11th hole. He followed that trend against Scott, hitting a 60-degree wedge 75 yards to eight feet above the hole location.
“For some reason, that hole’s been very good to me,” Lutz said. “I hit it about hole-high. It released out, and I had a good uphill putt coming back to it. Ball-positioning on these greens is really critical.”
Scott’s moment to make a move came on the treacherous No. 13 (par 4, 337 yards). A low 58-degree wedge shot from 70 yards out checked nicely and coasted on the sloping green to two feet. Scott, however, missed a birdie putt that could’ve changed the momentum.
“It was one of those where you have it short, you want to ram it in the back, and I just got so quick on the transition through that I pulled it just a hair and it went left,” Scott said. “That was a turn-around. I just got anxious with that putt.”
Lutz was dormie on the uphill par 4, 387-yard 16th hole. He pulverized a pitching wedge 112 yards to eight feet. Scott rifled a 9-iron 127 yards to 25 feet above the flagstick and watched the downhill slider drop for a 3. A proficient putter all week, Lutz converted his red figure putt to halve the hole and to win his second Senior Division tournament.
“I stayed with my fundamentals this week,” Lutz, who captured last year’s Chapman Memorial (Gross), said. “I had great patience throughout the entire tournament. That was really the key to my victory.”
This marked Scott’s second finish as runner-up in the Brewer Cup. He fell to clubmate and friend David Brookreson in the 2008 final at Huntingdon Valley CC.
“It was just an honor to get here with the caliber of players we have,” Scott, of Marshalls Creek, Pa., said. “I knew going in against Chip that he’s a special player. He’s a fine gentleman and played great today. He hits it long. He hits it straight. Those are pretty good ingredients for success. Even though I lost, I lost to a great player at a great level of golf.”
Semifinals
Lutz birdied the first hole (No. 1, par 4, 389 yards) to immediately hop into the driver’s seat in his semifinals match against defending champion Robin McCool of Saucon Valley CC. McCool, of Bethlehem, Pa., bogeyed Nos. 3 (par 4, 366 yards) and 4 (par 4, 417 yards) and double-bogeyed No. 6 (par 4, 411 yards) to plummet into a hole he would never climb out of.
"I was about five yards off directionally on most of my shots,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of talent among all of the seniors in the GAP. To make it to the semifinals in our match play championship is an accomplishment. We always like to repeat last year’s magic, but it didn’t work out.”
Scott dispatched a determined Francis McFadden of Overbrook GC in 19 holes to advance. On No.1, McFadden, of Newtown Square, Pa., dumped his gap wedge 118 yards into the front bunker and failed to get up-and-down for par. Scott’s chip shot from 20 feet behind the flagstick stopped a foot shy, and he was conceded par.
“Neither of us played any good. It was a 20-ounce pillow fight,” McFadden said.
Final
Chip Lutz, LedgeRock GC d. Craig Scott, Huntingdon Valley CC, 3&2
Semifinals
Lutz d. Robin McCool, Saucon Valley CC, 6&5Scott d. Francis McFadden, Overbrook GC, 19 holes
SUPER SENIORS
Charles McClaskey of Back Creek GC is gradually compiling a brilliant Super-Senior career in the division’s short history. The Elkton, Md. resident successfully defended his Brewer Cup crown Wednesday by knocking off a diligent Ken Gaskill of Rancocas GC, 3&2. He’s now attained two Super-Senior trophies in as many attempts in 2011. McClaskey, the reigning Super-Senior Player of the Year, won the Warner Cup (Gross) at Lu Lu CC in May.
“It’s very pleasing to me to have my name on a trophy that represents Gordon Brewer,” McClaskey, 72, said. “He’s a fine man and has been a great friend of mine. I appreciate the fact that my name will be on there with his.”
McClaskey didn’t waste any time in making his repeat bid a reality. He hit a gap wedge 110 yards to eight feet for a 3 on No. 1 (par 4, 361 yards). Gaskill, of Moorestown, N.J., conceded No. 2 (par 5, 499 yards) to McClaskey following consecutive shots into the hazard. A pair of McClaskey mistakes on Nos. 3 (par 4, 344 yards) and 4 (par 4, 394 yards) nearly altered the match’s make-up. On No. 3, McClaskey didn’t reach the green with a sand wedge from 100 yards. His chip out of the rough released to 15 feet behind the cup. McClaskey missed the par putt. A three-putt from 35 feet on No. 4 evened the contest.
McClaskey then unveiled his championship grit. He stopped a pitching wedge at two feet on No. 6 (par 3, 134 yards) for birdie. He nestled a chip to eight feet on No. 7 (par 5, 503 yards) for another red figure. A routine par on No. 10 (par 5, 537 yards) gave McClaskey a 3-up advantage. Gaskill miscalculated his distance into the hole location. He nuked a gap wedge 105 yards to the back of the green and failed to save par. Successful recoveries on Nos. 11 (par 4, 359 yards) and 12 (par 3, 158 yards) rejuvenated Gaskill, but he couldn’t sustain the newfound energy. He pushed a gap wedge 100 yards into the front bunker on No. 13 (par 4, 333 yards), smacked a sand shot into the left rough and watched his chip to save par clank off the flagstick. McClaskey regained a 3-up lead following a birdie on the par 4, 379-yard 15th hole. He fired a 60-degree wedge 85 yards to four feet.
The bout concluded somewhat poetically on the par 4, 366-yard 16th hole. Gaskill came up short of the green with his approach. He elected to putt his ball from fairway surface, but only advanced it 10 feet. Gaskill then snaked in a left-to-right breaking 25-footer to save par.
“I got over the putt and thought, I’m just going to hit this to get this thing over with," Gaskill, 65, said. “I couldn’t believe it went in.”
Not be outdone, McClaskey extricated himself from the front bunker and deposited a 10-footer for a 4 and the victory.
“I was really concentrating on trying to make my putt before he even hit,” McClaskey said. “I was happy to see it go in because I didn’t want the match to go to any more holes.”
“It was special to make it this far,” Gaskill said. “It was special to play with Charlie in the final because I’ve read about him. He’s like this well-oiled 72-year-old machine. Nothing bothers him. He’s a real professional out there.”
Final
Charles McClaskey, Back Creek GC d. Ken Gaskill, Rancocas GC, 3&2
About the Brewer Cup
Named after O. Gordon Brewer Jr., a two-time U.S. Senior Amateur Champion, this three-day event consists of a one-day, 18-hole stroke-play qualifier followed by match play for the Top 16 players in the Senior Flight and the Top 8 players for the Supe...
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