East grad Sheehan picks up a pair of wins
ORELAND >> In a summer of close calls, it seems fitting — and bizarrely ironic — that a callout allowed CB East graduate Patrick Sheehan to call up a pair of wins Monday.
The Talamore Country Club member (carded a 2-under-par 70 to capture the 35th Jock MacKenzie Memorial, part of the GAP Junior Series presented by Citadel, at a spectacular Sandy Run Country Club (par 72, 6,469 yards). He also earned the prized Harry Hammond Award with a remarkable score of 6-under-par 208. The Harry Hammond Award is emblematic of the Junior Boys’ Championship Qualifier, Christman Cup and Jock MacKenzie.
Sheehan’s haul almost never happened. His name didn’t occupy the Jock MacKenzie Memorial tee sheets prior to the weekend. Huntsville Golf Club’s Brett Ostroski withdrew from the event, opening a spot for the next individual on the waitlist. Sheehan’s call came.
“I didn’t even know about the Harry Hammond Award.”
“Another tournament that I
forgot to sign up for, and another email to Chris (Roselle, GAP Tournament Director) asking if I can be put on the waitlist,” Sheehan, 18, of Doylestown, Pa., said. “It was nice to get that text on Saturday that someone withdrew and I could get into the Jock MacKenzie. I had nothing to do today. It’s kind of weird. I never played in this event before, so I never knew too much about it.”
In the realm of the unknown, Sheehan didn’t realize he stood tied for the Harry Hammond Award lead with Loch Nairn Golf Club’s Austin Barbin after 36 holes. He, coincidentally, finished second to Barbin in both the GAP Junior Boys’ Championship (a 5&4 loss in the Final) and The Christman Cup (one stroke back in the weathershortened event at The 1912 Club). Barbin is competing in this week’s U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio.
“I didn’t even know about the Harry Hammond Award. I saw that I was leading (after 36 holes) in a tweet at The Christman Cup, and I was confused about what it was. I looked it up,” Sheehan, who will attend Penn State University in the fall, said.
Looking up the Harry Hammond and Jock MacKenzie leaderboards Monday resulted in Sheehan’s name occupying the first line. Four-straight birdies separated the willful walloper from his chasers.
On No. 8 (par 5, 540 yards), Sheehan knocked a wedge 91 yards to 14 feet above the flagstick. He buried the downhill, left-to-right breaker. Sheehan’s monstrous drive on the gettable par 4, 324-yard No. 9 landed long left. A heavy flop shot made a birdie appear far less likely. Sheehan defied those golf odds by executing a brilliant chip-in. On the par 3, 128-yard 10th hole, Sheehan’s 52-degree wedge shot set up an eight-footer for birdie. His par-5 mastery continued on the next hole (490 yards), where Sheehan launched a 4-iron 260 yards to the green’s front edge. Two putts for birdie No. 4.
After logging a bogey from 40 yards out on No. 14 (par 4, 428 yards), Sheehan, whose distance affords an advantage, responded with accustomed par-5 proficiency on the next hole (490 yards). His 8-iron from 193 yards bounced onto the green and stopped 30 feet below the hole location. Sheehan rolled his eagle attempt up the slope and into tap-in birdie territory.
Heading into Sandy Run’s closer (par 4, 337 yards), Sheehan held a two-stroke edge over Kennett Square Golf & Country Club’s William Bennink. A bogey there following a conservative 4-iron into the left fairway bunker merely meant a margin of one and nine stroke victories in the Jock Mackenzie and Harry Hammond, respectively.
Rolling Green Golf Club’s Andreas Aivazoglou, who carded an even-par 72 Monday, placed second in the Harry Hammond Award race. Bennink, 18, of Kennett Square, Pa., finished one back of Sheehan with a 1-under-par 71. He converted a 30-footer for birdie on No. 18 to solidify sole runner-up status.
“That’s one of the biggest fist pumps I’ve given on the golf course, for sure. I was so happy,” Bennink, who will attend Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill., said. “My goal since last summer was to win a substantial tournament. I gave it a good shot today, so I’m really proud of that.”
A sense of pride is apparent in Sheehan, though he shies from showing it. He’s like the guy who eats his meal at the table, gives others time to indulge and then picks at the discarded yet delectable portions waiting for a mouth to call home.
“How could you not want more?” Sheehan said. “I’ve had a lot of good finishes, but I’m disappointed in the second-place finishes that I’ve had because I knew there was something there. I knew I could’ve won them, but then there was something in my game that wasn’t all there.”
With his Junior Division curtain call cultivating two trophies, a humbled humility finally cracks the surface.
“It’s nice to get a win because I haven’t won anything this summer. I like where my game is heading as I get ready for college,” Sheehan, identified as a “Player on the Rise” in the Spring 2019 edition of GAP Magazine, said. “That’s a good thing.”