Golf Association of Philadelphia Magazine

GAP CLUB CHAMPIONS

Whartenby, a former Rider standout and current coach, helps Broncos buck trend

Bob Whartenby’s name is synonymous with Rider University’s men’s golf program.

The Trenton Country Club member set multiple benchmarks during his four-year tenure as a player. In 2006, he became the golf team’s head coach and directed the Broncos to a pair of tournament victories that fall. Whartenby “is thought of by many as the finest golfer in the modern era of the sport at Rider,” his biography on the university’s Web site professes.

“I came in at a different time for Rider golf,” Whartenby, 29, of Pennington, N.J., said.

“When I first started playing, we
borrowed shirts from the tennis
team as our equipment. I came in and won the Bucknell and Monmouth [Invi-
tationals] that year. I believe it kind of jumpstarted Rider’s recruitment process.
After that, we kept getting better and better players.”
Whartenby’s collegiate playing career certainly raised Rider’s golf profile.
He was a three-time All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference golfer. In the fall of
2003, Whartenby led the Broncos to their best-ever ranking (10th) in the Mid-
Atlantic Region. A three-time team captain, Whartenby received Rider’s Ed Eget
Scholarship for outstanding achievement in both academics and athletics.

After graduating in 2004, Whartenby, 29, traveled to Florida to test the professional waters. Kidney problems, however, hampered his prospects.

“It kind of flared up when I was down there, so I went back home,”
Whartenby said. “By the time I got better, it was kind of too late.”
Once the professional door closed, a new one at Rider opened. Whartenby
returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach on the men’s golf team. He took
the reins a year later and promptly guided the Broncos to consecutive wins in
the Bucknell and Cornell Invitationals. He also mentored talented players such as
Tyler Brewington [now a standout on the NGA Hooters Tour] and Josh Krumholz.

“I think the guys played better because they knew my past and how I
played. It was interesting,” Whartenby said. “I’m more of a hands-on guy. I like
to read putts and do different things like that.”
Whartenby displays a hands-on approach when he competes, too. In
Trenton’s Club Championship final, he fired six birdies in the first round to
accelerate away from opponent Mike Moonan. Whartenby maintained his
distance and ultimately prevailed, 7& 6. To gain a spot in the final, he upended
Reilly Erhardt, the 2011 GAP Junior Player of the Year, 3&1 in the semis.

“It was the first time I played with him,” Whartenby said. “He’s a gentleman.
He hits a bad shot and he gets aggravated, but it’s a good aggravated. It kind
of drives him a little more. He’s going to be a fantastic player.”
Aside from three Trenton trophies (he also won the club championship in
2004), Whartenby holds a piece of New Jersey State Golf Association hard-
ware. He and Mike Minter of Makefield Highlands Golf Club won the NJSGA
Four Ball Championship in 2005 at Trenton.

Whartenby is engaged to Brianna Suarez, the 2010 Women’s Champion at Trenton and a former Boston University standout.

“It’s helpful when I get home from work and she wants to play golf. That pushes me a little more,” he said.

– Tony Regina

2011 CLUB CHAMPIONS

Silver Creek Country Club Lou Plebani Steve Barbato Donna Leon Skippack Golf Club at Evansburg State Park Jules Quinones Cory Lock Brooke Hirst Spring Ford Country Club John Brennan Tom Fuhs Colleen Hacker Spring Mill Country Club James Bea Dennis O'Brien Cheryl Seamans The Springhaven Club Frank Rapone Rich Thon Ashley Maze Squires Golf Club Kevin McDermott Matthew Stern N/A St. Davids Golf Club Brian Gillespie Jay Howson, Jr. Brynn Walker Stone Harbor Golf Club Peter Barron, III Martin Klagholz June Maier Stonewall Fred Snow, Jr. Paul DeAngelis Kim Gradisek Sunnybrook Golf Club Burton McHugh Robert Reed Alison Shoemaker Talamore Country Club Michael Johnson Gary Gordon Isabella DiLisio Tavistock Country Club Tom Gramigna James Meyers Susan Kirk Torresdale-Frankford Country Club Mike Grugan Jeff Gardner Jo-Ann Jones Trenton Country Club Bob Whartenby Mike Reap Michelle Applegate Trump National Golf Club - Philadelphia Scott Rosenberg David Shevlin Anne Sonoga Waynesborough Country Club Drew Guaraldo Tom Bender Judy Owens Wedgwood Country Club Matthew Finger George Carr N/A West Chester Golf & Country Club Rich Pruchnik Jeffrey Brown Jen Jones White Clay Creek Country Club David Pearl N/A N/A White Manor Country Club Cameron Liebert Don Donatoni Amanda Terzian Whitemarsh Valley Country Club Dave Liotta John Rowe N/A Whitford Country Club Pat Henneghan Thomas Isola Christine Hunt Wildwood Golf & Country Club James Ridgway Bruce Rappoport Ginny Carlin Willow Brook Country Club Tom Schlener N/A Chris Pritchard Wilmington Country Club Tim Porter Donald MacKelcan Pam Brown Woodcrest Country Club Gordon Schafer Bruce Apple June Eisner Woodstone Country Club Nick Luko w Joe Hildebrant Cheryl Hildebrant Wyoming Valley Country Club Joe Weiscarger Joe Weiscarger Debbie Mileski Yardley Country Club Allen Padovano Allen Padovano Kathy Johnson CLUB MEN’S CHAMPION SENIOR CHAMPION WOMEN’S CHAMPION

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