Bear Trap Dunes hosts combined Delaware Mid-Open and Mid-Ams

Matt Rosal of Smyrna won the 33rd Delaware Mid-Open against a field of more than 80 amateurs and professionals at Bear Trap Dunes in Ocean View Oct. 20. The 28-year-old member of Wild Quail in Wyoming won the tournament on the second playoff hole against Greg Sadowski of the Philadelphia Publinks Golf Association.

Rosal also won against the elements with his one-over-par performance.

Sussex County autumn winds running at a reported 20 to 30 mph wreaked havoc on most players. DSGA/GAP records showed the average score for the men rose above 85 on the Grizzly-Kodiak 18-hole layout, two of the three sets of nine holes at Bear Trap.

The one-day competitions combined the long-running Mid-Open with concurrent Mid-Amateurs in men’s and women’s categories. Competitors had to be 25 years or older and meet handicap index requirements of 10.0 or less for the men and 22.9 or less for the women. 

Cape Region golf pros dominated a separate professional competition, with Michael Chanaud of Bear Trap Dunes taking the top spot at two-over par. The next four pro players were Andrew Hewitt of Cripple Creek, Eric Willey of Kings Creek, Andrew Howard of Cripple Creek and Brian Rashley of Bayside Resort.

Barbara Millichip of Honeybrook Golf Club in Pennsylvania won the fifth Women’s Mid-Amateur. Sueann Bennett of Cripple Creek was the best Cape Region player, finishing tied for third.

Joe Capen of Plantation Lakes and John Redefer of Rehoboth Beach Country Club tied for 18th place, best among Cape Region amateurs in the Men’s Mid-Am.

Mulligan’s Pointe ladies

The Mulligan’s Pointe ladies golf league finished its 2025 season Oct. 28, in challenging weather conditions, with 25-knot winds and gusts that went far beyond that level.

Facing that kind of hurdle, it made perfect sense for the group to use a scramble format to complete their year together.

Chris Bielenda, Karen Feuchtenberger, Janece Hausch and a blind draw won first place.

Jackie Chernuta, Valerie Grib, Ann Reid and another blind draw finished second.

Featherie

I enjoyed a chat with the youngest entrepreneur I have ever met at any PGA Show since I began coming to the Orlando, Fla., event a dozen Januarys ago.

Kate Korngold is a 10th-grader who lives in New York City. She opened her Featherie company at the 2024 show. The company is aimed squarely at the young girls/teen market. At the 2025 show, the company began showing off its new line, branching out to women’s apparel.

All items of clothing I saw on display were solids – no prints were in view.

I asked why that worked for her. Korngold said, “I was frustrated at the lack of options for teens and girls from ages 10-13. I also think it’s important that you have something in your closet that you can just take out and know that it will go with any piece that you want to wear with it. It’s also important to look clean while on the course, especially when at the more formal courses as well. To have something you can show up in and look fancy but also be comfortable.” 

She continued, “For the women’s market, I think a lot of women are looking for something plain but sophisticated. I’m not thinking of a mom-and-daughter look, but stuff that would work together without being matchy. I think the monochromatic look works for many women.”

Korngold also described the design process the company used to create the Featherie lines. 

“The first thing we did was find a designer in New York City,” she said. “I sat down with her and told her all my ideas, and we sketched them out together. It was especially important to me to have little performance details in each of the pieces that could enhance the experience for the golfer on the course. For example, on the pants there are tee holders on the back waistband. It’s super convenient; you just take them right out and you can put them right back in. We also have zip-off sleeves on the two-in-one jacket that allow you to have two pieces in one, so if you have a cold day but then it warms up, you’re still OK.

“We sent the sketches and plans to a manufacturer that we found, got them made, had many fittings to make sure the clothes fit really well. After that, we brought them to the market, we came to the PGA Show, and it’s been really successful so far,” Korngold said.

Other than the two-in-one jacket, nothing on the booth walls suggested any seasonal limitations. The new women’s lines began selling this spring. 

In addition to about four dozen green-grass shops, Featherie also does a nice business with direct-to-consumer sales at its website. During this year’s show, the company sought to expand its reach beyond its current Northeast market and had already seen some success with stores in Texas and California.

“Our goal is to move outward,” Korngold said.