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Former champion Kevin Rossi is qualifying medalist at 2018 Lehigh Valley Amateur
September 23, 2018
Defending Champion – Cody Cox
BETHLEHEM TWP. — Kevin Rossi of Scranton shot 2-under-par 35-34–69 to earn medalist honors in Sunday’s final qualifying round of the 82nd Lehigh Valley Amateur.
Rossi, the 2014 tournament champion, birdied holes 2, 3, and 7, and had an eagle-2 on the par-4, 13th hole. The 42-year-old Rossi bogeyed the first, fifth and 18th holes.
Match play begins Thursday. The championship match is scheduled for Sunday afternoon.
Defending champion Cody Cox of Milford, PA will be the first seed in the 64-player championship flight. Cox, 23, is a former Penn State (2017) golfer. Cox won the 2018 Bethlehem Golf Club Amateur Stroke Play Championship in July.
The cutoff score of 79 for the 64-player championship flight was the lowest since 2006. A ten-way playoff for the final three spots in the championship flight will be held Monday afternoon at 5:00 p.m.
The cutoff score for the lower 64-player presidential flight was 85. A five-way playoff for the final four spots in the presidential flight will be held Monday afternoon at 5:00 p.m.
Two golfers shot 70: Jason Wilson and Ryan Orcutt.
Wilson, a 44-year-old South Whitehall Township resident, won the 2017 Pennsylvania Mid-Amateur title, 2017 Lehigh Valley Medal Play Championship, and the 2010 Lehigh Valley Inter-Club Championship. He will be inducted into the Lehigh Valley Golf Hall of Fame in October.
Orcutt, a 40-year-old Bethlehem resident, is a former Freedom High School golfer (1996). Orcutt has won two consecutive Lehigh Valley Regular-Senior Better Ball of Partners events (with Jeff Hudson and Tom Lusto), and combined with former Freedom golf teammate Ryan Hally to win the 2017 Donald Ross Invitational at the Steel Club.
Nazareth native Nate Fry and Steve Kluemper of Bethlehem shot 71.
Fry, a 35 year-old Coplay resident, lost in the 2008 championship match, and was a semifinalist in 2017.
Kluemper, 25, played golf at Freedom High School (2011) and Centenary College (2015). Kluemper won the 2015 Eastern Pennsylvania Amateur. He advanced to the sectional qualifying stage of the 2018 U.S. Open, and was the 2018 Lehigh Valley Medal Play Championship runner-up.
Past Lehigh Valley Amateur champions making the championship flight were Kevin Rossi (2014), Brian Johnson (2008, 2011), Phil Ries (2009), Justin Tresslar (2015), Grant Schumaker (2013), and Tony Sarko (2016).
Former Lehigh Valley Amateur runner-ups making the championship flight were Nate Fry (2008), Tyler Smith (2013), and Rob Arnts (2011).
82nd Lehigh Valley Amateur
Green Pond Country Club (par-71)
Championship Flight qualifying scores
Defending champion: Cody Cox
69 — Kevin Rossi (2-under-par)
70 — Ryan Orcutt, Jason Wilson
71 – Steve Kluemper, Nate Fry
72 — Brian Johnson, Riley Hogan
73 — Matt Long, Andrew Frank, John Hartzell, Jim Rattigan, Mike Englert III, Joe Jasinski, Lonnie Pintande, Kyle Pritchard
74 — Joe Coulson, Bill Ianieri, Steve Castellani, Phil Ries, Andrew Bradley, Tom Tyler, Trevor Mertz
75 — Marc Ashner, Zach Fischl, Eric Ostrosky, Leo Fischl, Lee Nonnemacher, Jim Maru, Tyler Smith, Kyle Henofer, Schuyler Hart, Kyle Buchman, Kevin Kunkle
76 — Mike Casella, Justin Tresslar, John Olszewski, Dave Olexson, Grant Schumaker, Will Marquette, John Buliga
77 — Jason Matuczsinski, Ryan Matuczsinski, Zach Juhasz, Jason Barkley, Rob Arnts, Ryan Caverly, Kyle Morrow, Brendan Mohler, Kevin Fisher, Mike Dickey, Connor Vanin
78 — Frank Betz, Chris Sakasits, Trevor Buss, Brandon Nardella, David Howard, Tony Sarko, Alex Green, Mike Kacelowicz, Jesse Bingaman
79 — Three players out of ten players who survive the sudden-death playoff Monday at 5:00 p.m. will make the championship flight: Pat Denman, Ken Bontz, Rich Kovacs, Randy Brown, Jeff Hamley, Bob Posocco, Matt Crilley, James Mack, Bryan Barker, Dan Cahill.
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