Merion’s Peter Bradbeer closes with a 64, wins GAP Patterson Cup by five strokes

Peter Bradbeer was the medalist in BMW Philadelphia Amateur qualifying, finished in a tie for 12th in the Philadelphia Open and went into Thursday’s final round of the Joseph H. Patterson Cup only two strokes off the lead, but he walked to the first tee at Manufacturers Golf & Country Club with a purpose.

“I knew I was playing good golf all summer, so I knew today was a day to just go out and prove it,” Bradbeer said after doing just that in a record-shattering performance.

The 23-year-old Merion Golf Club member fired an 8-under-par 64, a round that included a pair of eagles, and rolled to a five-stroke victory in the 119th stroke-play championship of the Golf Association of Philadelphia, his second Patterson Cup title.

Bradbeer finished the two-days competition at 12-under 131, breaking the previous 36-hole scoring record of 10-under 134 set in 2013 by Brandon Matthews. He also captured the Silver Cross – the combined 72-hole score of Philadelphia Amateur qualifying and the Patterson Cup – by 10 strokes.

“It’s incredible,” he said. “The names on this trophy are just unbelievable. So to win it twice, I’m honored. But it just reaffirms to me that I know I can play this game and I can play it very well. So going on into the future, I think it just gives me a lot of confidence.”

Past champion Michael Brown Jr. of LuLu shot a 67 to tie for second at 136 with Patrick Sheehan of Talamore, who had a 71. Carlisle’s John Peters, winner of last week’s Pennsylvania Amateur at Merion, had a 71 and finished in a three-way tie at 137 with Liam Hart (70) of Spring Mill and Andrew Keeling (72) of Kennett Square.

Bradbeer stood at 1-under for the round after eight holes before turning up the heat. He hit a 7-iron second shot to 9 feet at the par-5 ninth and sank the putt for eagle. He picked up his second eagle at the 516-yard 12th, striking a 5-iron from 215 yards to 15 feet.

He finished with birdies at 15, 16 and 18, carding nine threes in all and playing the five par-5′s in 6-under.

“Honestly, I’m speechless,” he said. “I played really well. Sometimes the ball is going to go in the hole when you don’t think it’s going to go. So I’m just ecstatic to be the 2021 Patterson Cup champion.

Bradbeer and four other players in the field – Sheehan, Brown, Conor McGrath of Huntingdon Valley and Calen Sanderson of Jericho National – will compete in next week’s U.S. Amateur at Oakmont.