NJSGA Edged By Gap In 53rd Compher Cup Matches
Six months after the matches were originally scheduled, the Golf Association of Philadelphia defeated a team from the New Jersey State Golf Association, 9.5 –8.5 , on Tuesday, October 21, to win the 53nd Compher Cup Matches at the 7,190-yard, par-70 Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pa., with GAP as the host team.
The squads compete annually as 12-man teams. In Compher Cup play, all 12 players from each side square off in individual matches and simultaneously in four-ball matches for a total of 18 points at stake. The event was rescheduled from April 30 when it was postponed due to inclement weather.
GAP leads the series, 35-13-4. The Compher Cup began in 1962 with the NJSGA winning at Hollywood G.C. in Deal. The 2005 event was canceled due to weather.
“It was a good, hard battle. It’s a tremendous golf course,” said team captain Niall Handley of Essex Fells. “Other than Brian Komline and Steve Zychowski dominating their match, everybody else had to fight back really hard.
“It came down to the final match. I’m very proud of the team’s commitment to the New Jersey State Golf Association. The way the golfers conducted themselves and handled themselves on the golf course proved they were true competitors,” he added.
“I was very honored to have served as team captain, especially in Steve Foehl’s final year as executive director. I was proud to represent the NJSGA,” Handley stated.
Zychowski, of Mendham, and Komline, of Black Oak, each won their individual matches, 5 and 4, and also took a point in the four-ball competition, 5 and 4.
Peter Barron of Stone Harbor won, 5 and 4, and teamed with Handley to win the Four-ball match, 1 up. Jay Blumenfeld of Mountain Ridge won, 2 up, and Dan Levinson of Bayonne won, 1 up. The Four-ball duo of Eric LeFante of Hominy Hill and Mike Deo of Black Oak won, 2 and 1. The Four-Ball pairing of Levinson and Nick Desai of Baltusrol halved their match.
The Compher Matches are named for Frederic M. Compher, who donated a silver cup in 1959, leading to the start of competition in 1962 between the two associations. The teams play simultaneous Four-Ball and Singles matches.
In 2013 at Galloway National, the NJSGA defeated GAP, 10.5 to 7.5, for its first victory since 2009. Last year, the teams of Allan Small of Fairmount and Pat Wilson of Panther Valley and Blumenfeld of Mountain Ridge and Matt Finger of Darlington each swept their matches, handing the NJSGA three points per team by winning the individual matches and the four-ball match.
Playing for the NJSGA were Gregg Angelilo of Baltusrol, Barron of Stone Harbor, Jay Blumenfeld of Mountain Ridge, Deo of Blck Oak, Desai of Baltsurol, Handley of Essex Fells, Komline of Black Oak, LeFante of Hominy Hill, Levinson of Bayonne, Allan Small of Fairmount , Benjamin Smith of Neshanic Valley and Zychowski of Mendham.
Barron, Blumenfeld, Handley, Small and Smith were part of the 2013 victorious NJSGA squad.
“The Compher Cup is a goal for all New Jersey players every year, because it is a reflection on your performance from the previous season and it also encourages you to shake off the winter rust and start practicing for the season ahead,” said team captain Handley.. “Everyone loves being part of a team and I feel very fortunate and proud to be defending my captaincy on the NJSGA team. We have a very talented team this year and there are the usual seasoned veterans and also some fresh young blood in our team.
“Having grown up in Ireland and watching the Ryder Cup like it was a religion, I was intrigued by the camaraderie that the European team always had to beat the stronger U.S. team. I feel that there is a very strong team camaraderie with our New Jersey team and every one of us will fight for every point we can get,” Handley continued .
Small was competing in his 27th Compher Cup match, while Blumenfeld represented the NJSGA for a 17th time.
Fred Compher, a former New Jersey State Golf Association president, conceived the neighborhood matches after leaving his post in 1959. Compher donated a silver trophy that year earmarked for such a rivalry.
The inaugural Compher up matches took place in 1962 with the NJSGA claiming an 11.5-6.5 victory.
After the New Jersey victory, Compher, who was known at the time as the most innovative NJSGA president in its history, presented the trophy “to promote golf between the groups.”
