Roberto Nieves, a former University of Delaware standout making his first individual GAP championship appearance after recently returning to the area, stormed through the field in record-setting fashion Thursday at Jeffersonville Golf Club (par 70, 6,488 yards) during the 43rd Middle-Amateur Championship (players 25 years of age and older) presented by Parx Casino.
Nieves carded a pair of even-par rounds of 70 to finish the 54 holes at 4 over (214 strokes) and six shots clear of second place. The margin of victory is the largest in the tournament’s history. The previous mark was four strokes (2005, 2025).
Chris Baloga of Briarwood Golf Club and fellow LuLu member Ryan Tall tied for second at 10 over.
“I’m new to GAP but everybody’s been really welcoming,” said Nieves, 25, who lives in the Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia, Pa. “I know there’s a lot of history behind GAP and this tournament. It means a lot to be a champion.”
Nieves returned to the Delaware Valley in February 2025 as a TrackMan Collegiate Regional Manager for the Northeast. He landed at LuLu courtesy of former University of Delaware teammates and current club members Jack Melville and R.J. Wren. That pair knew what the rest of GAP found out: Nieves is a stick. He holds University of Delaware program records for season stroke average (2021-22, 70.58); career stroke average (2018-22, 71.71) and most rounds in the 60s (29). He also recorded two collegiate victories in the Loyola Intercollegiate (2020) and Wildcat Fall Invitational (2021).
Those wins were bumped down a rung on the Nieves ladder today, and rightly so. Conditions were extremely difficult with persistent rains and temperatures approximately 40-degrees cooler than Wednesday (93 degrees yesterday, 57 today). His two 70s were the only two scores at even par or better.
“I’ve had a couple chances to win in my career and it’s always nerve-wracking,” said Nieves, who played professionally on mini-tours from July 2023 through March 2025 after playing a bonus college year at Pepperdine University after Delaware. “I was nervous out there, and it’s hard to keep it together. I think playing in high-level golf environments helps that.” ...
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