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The Morning Call
Wasser Cup high school golf: Pleasant Valley’s Patascher brothers win by two shots
By Tom Housenick, The Morning Call,
2024-08-16
Senior Lydon, left, and freshman Drew Patascher of Pleasant Valley won the 24th annual Wasser Cup golf tournament Friday at Wedgewood Golf Club. Tom Housenick/The Morning Call/TNS
Drew Patascher’s competitiveness on the golf course is borne out of his desire to not have to only hear about his brother Lydon’s exploits.
“He gives me a goal to beat in a round,” Drew Patascher said. “If I see he’s at 1-under, 2-under, I’ve got to make a move because of that competitiveness.
“I don’t want it to be all about him when we get home.”
That is challenging considering Lydon, a senior at Pleasant Valley, is putting his name up among the state’s best high school golfers this season after winning last year’s District 11 qualifier and making the PIAA tournament.
On Friday, however, the brothers teamed up for the 24th annual Wasser Cup High School Tournament at Wedgewood Golf Club in Coopersburg.
The two shot a 9-under-par 61 to win the event by two shots. It is the second year in a row that brothers finished first. Nazareth twins Luke and Lewis Ronca captured last year’s tournament. Liberty’s Barker cousins won in 2022.
“This year, it’s so much better because [Drew, a freshman] gives me competition on the course,” Lydon said. “He pushes me to be my best. I’ve been playing pretty well recently.”
Friday’s round comes one day after Lydon Patascher shot a course-record 60 at Allentown Municipal Golf Club in an EPC match against Allentown Central Catholic. Golfing legend Arnold Palmer was one of two who shared the previous mark of 61.
“I want to qualify for states again,” he said, “try to place, maybe even win. My game is in a different world right now. I’m standing over the ball and not even thinking. I’m just hitting shots and everything’s working well. I can’t complain.
“A 60? I can’t even put it into words.”
Patascher’s previous best competitive round was 67, also at Allentown Municipal. He shot a 65 with a hole-in-one on a par-4 during a practice round earlier this month at Indian Mountain, Pleasant Valley’s home course.
Thursday’s record-setting round included three eagles, one coming on a hole-out from 125 yards on No. 14.
“With all the coaches standing on the left-hand side,” Lydon recalled, “I didn’t like the shot right away. I finished with one hand, but one my coaches behind me said that it was fine. It went right in the hole. It was awesome.”
Patascher birdied the next two holes before picking up his only bogey of the round on No. 17 thanks to an errant tee shot. But he bounced back with a two-putt birdie to finish on the par-5 18th.
“It was a wild day,” he added, “one I’ll never forget.”
It was a round that started slowly after the team bus arrived late. Lydon Patascher, the Bears’ No. 1 player, went out as the No. 3 so he had enough practice time.
After two pars to begin the round, Patascher hit a “half-punch 9-iron” to within three feet for eagle on the par-5 third. He then nearly drove the green on the par-4 seventh before making a 20-footer from the fringe for eagle.
Brother Drew was on the tee box on No. 14 to see the hole-out. He then pulled out his phone.
“I called my dad to see where [Lydon] stood,” Drew recalled. “He said he was at 7-under, so I searched for the course record and saw that it was Arnold Palmer.
“I saw his fist pump on No. 16 when he made a 30-footer. Word spreads really quick. Every group knew he was going low.”
There was confusion after the round when a scorecard — not Patascher’s — was turned in with a 61 for him. But it was later acknowledged that the senior shot a 60 after changing a par to a birdie on No. 10.
Friday’s 24th annual nonprofit better ball of partners event is held in memory of Wasser, who died after being struck by lightning at age 38 while golfing in 1999.
Part of the proceeds educates golfers about the dangers of lightning and golf. It also supports two local nonprofit animal humane societies to honor Wasser’s love of animals.
This is the first year it was at Wedgewood. It was at Southmoore in 2023 after years at Shepherd Hills.
The Pataschers only scrambled once for a par when Drew two-putted from 40 feet on No. 8 on the Maple Course, their 12th hole of the day.
Everything else was smooth. After starting with a par on No. 6 on the Oak Course, Lydon pitched to a foot for birdie on the par-4 seventh. Drew followed with a birdie on No. 8.
Both made birdie on No. 1 Maple, a par-5. Lydon then made birdie on Nos. 2 and 4 to get to 5-under. A birdie at No. 9 followed four consecutive pars to give them momentum entering the final five holes.
They birdied Nos. 2, 3 and 5 to finish off the 61.
Drew, a 14-year-old freshman, carded a 75 on Thursday in his second career varsity match. Not bad for someone playing competitively for only three years.
“It was baseball for me for a while,” he said. “But I’m focusing more now on golf.”
Southern Lehigh and Wilson had two pairs entered with only the ‘A’ teams eligible for the team prizes. Spartans Colin Sarnoski and Frankie Boensch, designated as the ‘B’ team, shot a 59. That included six birdies for a 29 on the Maple Course and four consecutive birdies on Nos. 2-5 on the Oak Course.
Sarnoski, Boensch plus David Burmeister and David Tervalon led coach Matt Greenawald’s Spartans to last year’s Colonial League regular-season and team tournament titles as well as the District 11 Class 3A team championship. The Spartans are favored to repeat in 2024. Sarnoski won last year’s league individual tournament by one shot over Tervalon.
Closest to the pin winners:
— Moravian Academy’s Mara Dubacher: 4 feet on Maple No. 4
— Central Catholic’s Matt Rader: 2 feet, 1 inch on Maple No. 7
— Easton’s Jacob Hackman: 3 feet, 2 inches on Oak No. 4
— Southern Lehigh’s Frankie Boensch: 11 feet on Oak No. 6
Dubacher is the two time-defending District 11 Class 2A girls champion who was 14th at states last year. She also is a two-time Colonial League tournament runner-up.
24th annual Wasser Cup
Friday at Wedgewood Golf Club
1. Lydon Patascher/Drew Patascher, Pleasant Valley: 61*
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