June 25, 2013
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. -
Former Saint Joseph's golfing standout Michael McDermott '97 captured his second Golf Association of Philadelphia "major" of the season as we won the Amateur Championship on Saturday at Aronimink Golf Club.
The Golf Association of Philadelphia Recap
Having won the Middle-Amateur Championship in May, McDermott continued his string of strong play en route to a 5&4 victory over Alexander Hicks in the title match.
Earning the third seed after qualifying, McDermott advanced to the title match of the 24-player bracket having played fewer than 17 holes in each matchup leading up to the championship.
In the 36-hole championship, McDermott jumped out to a two-hole lead after the opening 18 holes. Holding a three-hole lead through 24 holes, he'd extend his lead over Hicks to as many as six over the next six holes. After giving back a point to Hicks at the 31st hole, McDermott scrambled back from a poor drive on the par-3 14th. After shanking a shot from the tee, McDermott recovered with a great second shot, and would go on to tie Hicks with a bogey to clinch the title.
"When I saw Aronimink was the venue I definitely thought it was a course I could play well at," McDermott told the Golf Association of Philadelphia. "[The Amateur] is a fun one to win. It's a hard one to win. Getting No. 2 sounds really good. One is good, but two validates it a little bit."
With the "major" victory, McDermott, representing Merion Golf Club, has now claimed the the Amateur Championship twice (2008, 2013) to go along with four Middle-Amateur titles (2001, 2004, 2008, 2013), two Silver Crosses (2003, 2007) and a Patterson Cup (2007). Additionally, he is the only player in to ever win Middle-Amateur and Amateur back-to-back, a feat he has now accomplished twice (2008, 2013).
A 1997 graduate of SJU, McDermott remains the only hawk golfer to earn Atlantic 10 All-Conference honors three times. As a senior, he led the nation with nine top-five finishes. He was inducted into the Saint Joseph's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010.
