Atlantic City hosts 3rd GAP Adaptive Championship
GAP Adaptive’s championship legacy continues down the shore!
It’s time to welcome some of the world’s finest adaptive athletes back to the GAP region for the 3rd GAP Adaptive Championship Oct. 12-13 at Atlantic City Country Club (par 70, 5,789 yards).
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The event’s format is 36 holes of individual stroke play across two days. This is a WR4GD-counting event. Spectators are welcome.
“From arrival to departure, we aim to provide a competitive and welcoming championship experience for the world’s best adaptive golfers,” GAP Manager of Adaptive Golf/Women’s Golf Molly Baker said. “We’re excited to add the GAP Adaptive Championship to Atlantic City Country Club’s impressive championship legacy.”
Overall champions in Men’s and Women’s divisions will be crowned as well as winners in each of the 15 disability classifications. A trophy presentation and a cocktail reception follow Round 2 of the tournament. The 60-player field consists of some of the world’s premiere Adaptive Golfers from the GAP Region and abroad. There are 19 states and three countries, including Canada and Mexico, represented in the field. Competitors need not hold a GAP membership.
In last year’s championship at Indian Valley Country Club, David de Garavilla and Cassie Sengul took the men’s and women’s Overall titles, respectively. De Garavilla, of Telford, Pa., and an Indian Valley member, carded a 9-over-par, two-round total to prevail by three shots. Sengul, of Manassas, Va., has captured the women’s title each year since the championship’s inception in 2024. She carded a 23-over-par, two-round total en route to her title defence.
“I’m really excited to compete again,” Sengul, 20, said. “This tournament is special because it was my first win, and I can’t believe that it was already two years ago now. I’m really excited to go back and see all my friends again.”
Sengul, who lives with Cerebral Palsy, a neurological disorder affecting movement and balance, competes in the Women’s Neurological & Coordination impairment category. While she’s never been to Atlantic City, a Google search revealing the club’s stimulating golf history excites Sengul. The defending champion is a junior marketing major at Christopher Newport University, where she represents the Captains on the Women’s Golf Team.
“My mom (Kristi), who caddies for me, and I always talk about the environment of the GAP (Adaptive Championship),” Sengul said. “I’ve always enjoyed all the volunteers and all the members that come out to watch us and support us during the week of the tournament. That’s what keeps me wanting to come back.”
Round 1 tee times begin at 8 a.m. Monday. Sengul tees off at 10:24 a.m. alongside Sophia Howard of Hudsonville, Mich. and Amy Bockerstette of Phoenix, Ariz. de Garavilla tees off at 8 a.m. alongside Brandon Canesi of Northfield, N.J. and Andrew Austen of Charleston, S.C.
Canesi is a professional Adaptive Golfer who was born without hands. He swings using custommade clubs that feature lengthened shafts, allowing Canesi to tuck the club under his arm, a tactic he came up with on his own. Canesi grew up playing at ACCC. His dad Sonny, worked for Caesars Entertainment who previously operated the club.
“I knew it was the nicest golf course in the area, and whenever I got a chance to play here it was a treat,” Canesi, 34, said. “I’ve been playing in adaptive events [and] traveling the country and the world for a good six or seven years now. For everyone in the adaptive golf community to come see my home course where I grew up is a blessing.”
Canesi competes in the Multiple Limb impairment category.
Atlantic City Country Club was born in 1897 from the minds of wealthy Atlantic City hoteliers in search of new entertainment opportunities for guests. Given the age, golf was a seemingly natural solution. Land in Northfield, N.J. was chosen because of its accessibility from nearby shorepoints.
As time went on, the club became a who’s who of social influence. New Jersey political boss Nucky Johnson and Al Capone both spent time at Atlantic City. Leo Fraser, a golf professional who spent time at various clubs across the country, purchased the club in 1945. He then served as president of the PGA of America from 1969-70. During his tenure, Fraser played an instrumental role in the creation of the Tournament Players Division of the PGA now known as the PGA TOUR amid contention between club and touring professionals. Additionally, Fraser is credited with hosting the first tournament of what would later become the Champions Tour at Atlantic City.
Today, the club is owned and operated by Ottinger Golf Group. The group also manages Ballamor Golf Club in Egg Harbor Township, N.J. and Scotland Run Golf Club in Williamstown, N.J.
ACCC is a bastion of national championship golf. Its resume includes a U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur (1997), three U.S. Women’s Opens (1975, 1965, 1948), a U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur (1967) and a U.S. Amateur (1901).
On the GAP side, Atlantic City has hosted the Philadelphia Open on six occasions. Most recently, the club hosted the 1995 Philadelphia Amateur.
“I’ve done [thousands] of events during my career, and this one seems a little bit different. It’s not just because of the contestants; [it’s] because of the commitment GAP [has] to showcasing the club,” Atlantic City Country Club’s Director of Golf Mike Burke, 53, of Mount Laurel, N.J., said. “I think it’s going to be a fun test of golf. I’d be shocked if the players don’t all really enjoy the experience.”
Because of their proximity to the marshland bordering the east side of the course, Burke characterizes Nos. 14-18 as a key stretch on the course.
Back to the Atlantic City Country Club History Channel episode. John J. McDermott, who became the first American to win the U.S. Open in 1911, spent time as Golf Professional at Atlantic City. He won a second title in 1912. McDermott remains the youngest U.S. Open champion at 19 years, 9 months, 14 days.
Perhaps Atlantic City’s greatest contribution to the golfing world is a well-known word that typically elicits a joyous reaction. That word is birdie, and it was coined in 1903 after Philadelphian Abner Smith hit his approach shot from No. 12 fairway to an inch. A playing partner subsequently shouted “that was a bird of a shot.” The phrase was shortened to birdie, and the term stuck. A rock marking the location of the exchange stands on No. 12 today.
At the GAP Adaptive Championship, more history will follow.
Live scoring for the championship will be available on gapadaptive.org and gapgolf.org. Stay up to date with tournament news via GAP social media channels by following @gaofphilly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube.
All media inquiries should be directed to GAP Director of Operations Martin D. Emeno, Jr. at memeno@gapgolf.org or by phone at 610-687-2340, ext. 0027.
GAP Adaptive
In 2024, GAP (Golf Association of Philadelphia) launched GAP Adaptive to continue its mission of promoting, preserving and protecting the game of golf for all. GAP’s Adaptive Golf committee opened the season with its first program titled No Limit Clinics, a season-long series of instructional Adaptive Golf events taking place at various GAP Member Clubs. The GAP Adaptive season culminates with the GAP Adaptive Championship, a WR4GD-counting event. The field consists of local and international Adaptive Golfers.
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