The late heroics by Bartolacci, of Jericho National Golf Club, enabled him to post a 5-over-par 75 at Huntingdon Valley Country Club, good for a 36-hole score of 3-over 144, the same figure as Mike Gregor and Greg O'Connor.
Gregor, who like Bartolacci and O'Connor played at Commonwealth National Golf Club in the morning before moving to Huntingdon Valley in the afternoon, fired a second-round 70 that included bogeys on the final two holes. O'Connor birdied the 15th and 17th holes for an afternoon 69.
The three men will meet in an 18-hole playoff at Huntingdon Valley at a date to be determined. None should have a problem finding the course. Gregor and O'Connor are members. Bartolacci caddies there frequently.
Bartolacci, one of two players to shoot a 69 in his morning round to take the early lead, made the afternoon turn at 1 under for 27 holes. But things started to unravel on his 11th hole, the second at Huntingdon Valley. He bogeyed that hole, along with his 12th, 14th, 15th and 17th holes. He couldn't put a finger on what happened.
"I don't know. I thought I was doing the same things I had been doing all day," the Langhorne resident said. "But I kept making bogey after bogey. The thing is, if you miss a shot [at Huntingdon Valley], you get penalized more than if you miss a shot at Commonwealth. But before that, I had been pretty consistent."
On his last hole, a 460-yard par 4, Bartolacci had a wedge to the green and stopped it to within six feet. Once he got there, his father, Wayne Bartolacci, who had completed his day in the event, told him, "Make it."
"I really didn't know where I stood," the younger player said. "I didn't know if I had to make it to win or to get into a playoff. But I'm glad it went in.
"I had a good day, and I played well. I didn't play that last nine well. But I'm proud of myself for making that birdie on 18."
Gregor, 37, of North Wales, has contended for the Patterson Cup championship before. He lost in a three-way playoff in 1991 and placed second on two other occasions. Yesterday, finishing well before Bartolacci, he missed the green on the eighth and ninth holes - his last two of the day - and bogeyed them. After his five-footer at the last hole lipped out, he felt he was out of the hunt.
"Oh, absolutely," he said. "It's a relief to have a chance. I didn't think 144 was going to do it, but it's like having a second life."
Gregor, an insurance and investment planner, did get himself into contention with birdies at the first, second and seventh holes.
O'Connor, 25, of Wayne, a former star at Villanova who now works for SEI Investments, drained birdie putts at the 15th and 17th holes to gain his reservation in the playoff, something he didn't expect.
"I heard Bartolacci was playing well out there," O'Connor said. "I figured I had a slim chance, not a strong chance. But I got it around OK. There were no big mistakes."
Notes. Glenn Smeraglio of Yardley, the 1998 Patterson Cup champion, tied for ninth at 147, but that figure was good enough for him to win the Silver Cross, awarded to the player who returns the low 72-hole score for the Patterson Cup and Philadelphia Amateur qualifying. Smeraglio's aggregate of 291 was 1 stroke better than Bartolacci and two ahead of Merion's Craig Cochran. . . . Gary Daniels of Aronimink fired an afternoon 71 at Huntingdon Valley to finish 1 stroke out of the playoff at 145. . . . Robin McCool of Saucon Valley, who was tied for the lead with Bartolacci at 69 after the morning round, shot a 77 in the afternoon to finish in a four-way tie for fifth at 146.
The results
(Huntingdon Valley score first)
x-Christian Bartolacci, Jericho National... 75-69-144
x-Mike Gregor, Huntingdon Valley........... 70-74-144
x-Greg O'Connor, Huntingdon Valley ........ 69-75-144
Gary Daniels, Aronimink.................... 71-74-145
Michael Soroka, Melrose.................... 72-74-146
Glenn Sekella, Spring-Ford................. 76-70-146
Robin McCool, Saucon Valley................ 77-69-146
Chris Lange, Overbrook..................... 72-74-146
Andy Achenbach, LuLu....................... 75-72-147
Craig Cochran, Merion...................... 75-72-147
Glenn Smeraglio, Yardley................... 75-72-147
Jamie Slonis, Little Mill.................. 76-72-148
Sam McFall, Waynesborough.................. 73-75-148
Mike McDermott, Llanerch................... 74-75-149
Mike Moffat, Philadelphia Publinks......... 77-72-149
Vince Covello, Llanerch ................... 77-72-149
Oscar Mestre, Overbrook.................... 75-74-149
Gary Smith, Huntingdon Valley.............. 74-76-150
Charles McClaskey, Chantilly Manor......... 71-79-150
Matt Hancock, Philadelphia Publinks........ 74-76-150
x-will play off for championship
Joe Juliano's e-mail address is jjuliano@phillynews.com
