NEWS
Former Parkland golfer Chad Hess wins 2017 Bethlehem Golf Club Amateur title
March 26, 2018
BETHLEHEM — Two NCAA Division 1 golfers battled Sunday afternoon at the Bethlehem Golf Club.
In the end, former Parkland golfer Chad Hess held off a furious rally from recent Nazareth graduate Kevin Scherr to win the 62nd annual Bethlehem Golf Club Amateur Stroke Play Championship.
Hess, a rising senior golfer at Old Dominion University, finished with a 36-hole score of 2-under-par 68-72–140 to outlast Scherr, who shot 70-74–144.
Former Freedom golfer Joey Cappelli (2009) was in third place at 75-70–145.
The victory for Hess represents his third regional individual amateur title. A 21-year-old Upper Macungie Township resident, Hess won the 2016 Eastern Pennsylvania Amateur and 2015 Allentown City Amateur Stroke Play Championship.
In 2015, Hess lost sudden-death playoffs in the Bethlehem Golf Club Amateur Stroke Play Championship and Eastern Pennsylvania Amateur.
Paired together both rounds, Hess (68) and Scherr (70) were separated by two strokes after Saturday’s opening round.
During Sunday’s second round front nine, Hess shot 2-under-par 34 to build a five stroke lead over defending champion Jim Maru of Allentown, and a six stroke edge over Scherr.
Scherr, the 2016 PIAA state champion, charged out of the gate on the back nine with three consecutive birdies on the 10th, 11th, and 12th holes to cut Hess’s lead to one stroke after Hess three-putt the 10th and 13th greens for bogeys.
Headed to Youngstown State University on a partial golf scholarship, the 17-year-old Scherr began his rally with a 160-yard 8-iron approach shot two feet from the tenth cup, then sank 10 foot and six foot putts respectively for birdies on the 11th and 12th holes.
Hess insisted he wasn’t flustered by Scherr’s stunning rally.
“I thought I’m going to keep making pars,” Hess said. “If I keep playing my game, I can make birdies too. I kept playing my game, and it was good enough for today.”
While Hess made four consecutive two-putt pars on the 14th to 17th holes before closing with a bogey on the last hole, Scherr fell three strokes behind when he bogeyed the par-3 14th and 16th holes after his tee shots found a greenside bunker, and he couldn’t make the putt for par.
Playing with his father’s (Chuck) putter, Hess had only 41 putts through the first 27 holes. Three weeks ago at Woodstone Country Club, a balky putter (seven three-putt greens) cost Hess a potential opportunity to win the Lehigh Valley Medal Play Championship.
“I switched putters,” Hess said. “Yesterday, it worked well. It’s all a mental aspect.”
Hess hopes the victory builds momentum for the upcoming Pennsylvania Golf Association R. Jay Sigel Match Play Championship, Lehigh Valley Open, and Eastern Pennsylvania Amateur.
“I feel that I am hitting the ball better,” Hess said. “My expectations are fairly high.”
In the Senior Amateur Division, Mike Guro of Bethlehem shot 2-over-par 71-73–144 to win the title for the third consecutive year by one stroke over Jeff Hudson of Upper Saucon Township (73-72–145). Guro, 53, has also won three Silver Creek CC club titles, and a Southmoore GC club championship.
Hudson, 52, won the 2004 Lehigh Valley Amateur and 2014 Lehigh Valley Tournament of Champions.
62nd annual Bethlehem Golf Club Amateur Stroke Play Championship
Bethlehem Golf Club (par 71)
Final 36-hole scores:
Amateur Division: 1. Chad Hess 68-72-140 (2-under-par); 2. Kevin Scherr 70-74-144; 3. Joey Cappelli 75-70-145; 4. John Dimler 73-75-148; 5. Jim Maru 73-76-149; 6. Lee Nonnemacher 75-76-151; 7. Nick Vecellio 72-80-152; 8-T. Kevin Rossi 81-72-153, Ryan Orcutt 77-76-153, J.T. Barker 75-78-153, Connor Vanin 74-79-153; 12-T. Andrew Frank 76-79-155, Michael Casella 75-80-155; 14. Bob Evans 76-81-157; 15. Thomas Lakata 83-80-163; 16. William Rolli 88-83-171; 17. Chris Trotta 87-91-178.
Senior Amateur Division: 1. Mike Guro 71-73-144 (2-over-par); 2. Jeff Hudson 73-72-145; 3. Dylan Spadt 79-77-156; 4. Rob Smith 79-80-159; 5. Fred Lening 80-80-160; 6. Bob Schubach 84-77-161; 7. Andy Lykon 80-82-162; 8. Rob Schultz 83-80-163; 9. Bill Pursell 85-85-170.
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