Brown-Troutman Grind Their Way into Sullivan Semis

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Brown-Troutman Grind Their Way into Sullivan Semis

Jul 28, 2019
Jeff Falk
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FEATURE STORIES, Golf
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BY JEFF FALK

LEBANON – Thirty-seven holes of match play can be a lot of golf in one day. That’s why you need a friend, a partner.

Someone to lean on, and someone to pick you up when you’re down.

On a hot Saturday at the 6,652-yard, par-72 Lebanon Country Club, Dan Brown was there when partner Jason Troutman needed him most, during the quarterfinal round of the championship flight, at the 74th annual W.B. Sullivan Better-Ball-of-Partners tournament. After Troutman had misfired on a short, potential match-clinching putt at Number 18, Brown canned an eight-foot birdie on the initial hole of a sudden-death playoff to give their side a 19-hole triumph over the Baltimore-area duo of Jeff Castle and Alex Church.

The victory lifted Brown-Troutman into a Sunday morning semifinal showdown with Ron Robinson and Andrew Lombardo, who disposed of Kyle Barlow-Justin Foster, 4&3 in their Saturday quarterfinal match. The other half of the bracket will feature the medalist duo of Drew Patterson and Jeff Stine taking on Connor Sheehan-Matt Keim.

The survivors will meet for the championship of the prestigious event, around 2 p.m.

Patterson-Stine, who won the 2015 edition of the Sullivan, nudged the semi-local tandem of Stu Hanford-John Little, 3-1 in another quarterfinal match on Saturday afternoon. Sheehan-Keim edged Ken Bolcavage and John Mikewicz, 1 up, in the quartefinal round.

Brown and Troutman, a resident of Dannville, reached this same point of the Sullivan last season. Brown is a two-time Sullivan champion, having worn the crown with Brian Auman in 2009 and 2001.

“I was glad to give Jason a little redemption,” said Brown, of the decisive turn of events. “I did feel good about that one (the eight-footer at the 382-yard, par-four First hole). At that point, I didn’t care which way it was going to go. I’m not a real technical putter. I just feel it and hit it..

“Two holes was the biggest lead of the match,” Brown continued. “They were two up on us on the front and we got two up on them on the back. It was pretty taxing all day. It was stressful golf throughout the day. Every shot was pretty stressful.”

Before their misfire on Number 18, Brown and Troutman had assumed a one-up advantage with an eight-foot birdie at the par-four 17th hole. But the turning point may have come during the middle of their quarterfinal match, a seven-hole stretch when they went from two down to two up.

First, Troutman chipped close for birdie at the 493-yard, par-five seventh and Brown stuck his approach shot at the difficult par-four 11th hole. Then, they won the 196-yard, par-three with a par and Troutman drained a tricky, downhill 20-footer at the par-four 13th.

“Every hole was literally a grind,” said Brown. “It was back and forth. It was like a boxing match – a right and a left. But I felt a little bit of a momentum swing at 11 and 12. We were able to build a little bit of a cushion.

“Coming in, we expected to do well,” added Brown. “We’re both pretty good golfers. If we’re ‘on’, we can do pretty well. We compete. With those two guys (Castle and Church), they’re top-notch players. When you hear you’re going to play Jeff, it’s very difficult.”

“It’s fun when you get rewarded,” said Troutman. “If you pull out the win, it’s rewarding. And when you lose, it motivates you to practice and play better.”

Castle and Church won the first two holes of the match with birdies, at Number One and at the 507-yard, par-five second hole. But Troutman got one back for his team, with a 15-foot birdie putt at the 125-yard, par-three third hole.

“Props to those guys, it was a great match,” said Brown, who, along with Troutman, had scored a two-up triumph over Steve Rice-Luke Morgan during Saturday morning’s opening round. “They’re great players. It’s all putting. We were probably the underdogs, but we were up for the challenge. We did our best. We just tried to hang in there.

“Yeah, we played well,” Brown continued. “Generally, it wasn’t lightning or anything like that. Maybe we played as well as we had to.”

After downing the team of Brock Karsnitz-Greg Seidel 4&2 in their opening match, Hanford-Little had their run ended by Patterson-Stine – a pair of 24-year-olds from Hummelstown – in the quarterfinals.

Patterson and Stine won three of the first five holes and led most of the way. But Hanford and Little made a late charge – with birdies at the par-five 15th hole and the par-four 16th hole – before Paterson’s birdie at Number 17 ended the match.

“I don’t want to say we lost,” said Hanford. “That would be disrespectful to them. They played a little better than us.

“You can’t get your name on the trophy if you’re not in the championship flight,” added Hanford. “We were hoping to play better than we did. It’s the way it goes. I didn’t want him (Little) to come all the way up from Florida to lose.”

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W.B. Sullivan Better-Ball-of-Partners
(at Lebanon Country Club)
Past Champions

2018 – Chris Gebhard-Noah Firestone

2017 – Chris Gebhard-Noah Firestone

2016 – Jeff Castle-Jimmy Green

2015 – Chad Stine-Drew Patterson

2014 – Brady Goodling-Kyle Deisher

2013- Scott Mayne-Derek Price

2012 – Andy Gibbons-Jimmy Gardner

2011 – Dan McCreesh-Anthony Campanile
2010 – Dan Brown-Brian Auman
2009 – Darren Zendt-Jim Rattigan
2008 — Ben Rowe-Robby Gilbert
2007 — Brian Golembiewski-Chris Schultz
2006 — Michael Tydings-Jeff Castle

2005 — Ira Cohen-David Kaplan
2004 — Chuck Tait-Scott Mayne
2003 — Ira Cohen-David Kaplan
2002 — Jim Gardner-Jim Calhoun
2001 — Dan Brown-Brian Auman
2000 — Gary Mankulish, Sr. – Gary Mankulish, Jr.
1999 — Jim Gardner-Jim Calhoun
1998 — Gary Mankulish, Sr.-Gary Mankulish, Jr.
1997 — Larry Fulkroad-Steven Shrawder
1996 — Lance Oberparleiter-Bill Kennedy
1995 — Jonathan Clark-Sean Duffy
1994 — Mike Reitz-Joe Records
1993 — Mike Reitz-Joe Records
1992 — Scott Orr-Marty Dorminy
1991 — Mark Ditzler-John Gross

1990 — Dennis Toomey-Steve Krall
1989 — Jim Douglass-Dave Johnson
1988 — Jim Douglass-Dave Johnson
1987 — Roger Karsnitz-Jay Hileman
1986 — Byron Whitman-Chuck Scally, Jr.
1985 — George Connolly-Drew Devan
1984 — Greg Lesher-Mark Ditzler
1983 — Pete Gebhard-Dave Kurtz
1982 — Bill Grove-King Knox
1981 — Hugh Vaughn III-Stu Ingraham
1980 — Hugh Vaughn III-Stu Ingraham
1979 — Hugh Vaughn III-Stu Ingraham
1978 — Hugh Vaughn III-Stu Ingraham
1977 — Rick Hirp-Charles Springfellow

1976 — Bob Kreider-Marlin Detweiler
1975 — Bob Kreider-Marlin Detweiler
1974 — Dr. John Gadd-Dr. Pete Richter
1973 — Don DeAngelis-Eric Stevenson
1972 — Wayne Jacobs-Sherman Keeney II
1971 — Bill Shoop-Joe Faller
1970 — Wayne Jacobs-Sherman Keeney II
1969 — Wayne Jacobs-Sherman Keeney II
1968 — Bobby Huber-Chuck Schmidt
1967 — James Dolan-Joseph Durante
1966 — Jim Taylor-Bob Tibbons

1965 — King Knox-Gerald Book
1964 — Jim Meyer-Larry Feldman
1963 — Earl Mumma-Charles Springfellow
1962 — Don Chornak-Jim Taylor
1961 — Bob Bierne-Bill Davidson
1960 — Charles Fink-G.J. Moeschlin, Jr.
1959 — Mike Karapcik-Wano Thompson
1958 — Joe Spesak-William Rakow
1957 — Marvin Serber-Henry McQuiston
1956 — Marvin Serber-Henry McQuiston
1955 — Al Rabold-Larry Shaw
1954 — Bob Batdorf-John Yocum
1953 — Stan Knight-Harry Offut
1952 — John Markel-Stan Ross
1951 — Serio-Stortoni-Bill Johnson
1950 — Jack Binswanger-Robert Gilbert