LOCUST VALLEY, N.Y. (May 24, 2007) – On a bright sunny day at the Piping Rock Club, Jay Blumenfeld of Mountain Ridge CC carded an even-par 71 to win the 80th MGA Senior Amateur Championship. The setting, at one of the most prestigious clubs and enjoyable courses on Long Island, matched the high level of play. Doug Vergith of St. George’s G&CC, the 2004 Senior Amateur champion, had a second-round 74 to finish three strokes back.

Blumenfeld, the reigning NJSGA Player of the Year, was two shots behind Don Lizak of Southampton coming into the final round, but a two-under front nine propelled him into the lead. Peter Friedes of GlenArbor GC improved from a first-round 77 with a one-over 72 in the final round to finish alone in third.

“I’ve been playing pretty well, but yesterday I didn’t putt that well, so I switched back to my long putter for today and it was definitely better,” said Blumenfeld. “I only missed one green, on the front side, and I got up and down from the bunker. So I felt good.”

The wind lightened up for the final round and the scores reflected this, as 20 of the 30 players in the field had scores in the 70s. The course once again drew rave reviews from the players for its conditioning and fairness.

The Senior Amateur marks Blumenfeld’s first MGA title, and comes in his first year of Senior Amateur eligibility. He was tied for low amateur at the 2006 MGA Senior Open and recently defeated Steve Earsley, who was the nation’s number-one ranked senior amateur, in the Senior Division of the prestigious Travis Memorial at Garden City GC. Blumenfeld has also been a 15-time club champion at Mountain Ridge and reached match play at the 2006 British Mid-Amateur.

“I turned 55 in November, so that’s really a key age for senior amateur golf. I competed over the winter [in Florida and California] for the first time in quite a while, so that kept my game in good shape,” Blumenfeld added. “I felt really comfortable on the golf course, too.”        

Other notable finishes include 2006 N.J. Mid-Amateur champion Allan Small of Fairmount (t-4th), defending champion Shawn McLoughlin of Ridgewood (t-10) and 1981 MGA Player of the Year Peter Van Ingen of Deepdale (t-14).

 

FINAL RESULTS

 

Following are the winners of the age flights, determined after the first round of play:

 

Class A – 70 years & over

Morton Howard, Fresh Meadow – 80

John French, Meadow Brook - 80

 

Class B – 65-69 years old

Richard Hanington, Huntington – 75

Mark Mulvoy, Apawamis – 76

 

Class C – 60-64 years old

Lawrence Rafferty, Garden City GC – 76

Shawn McLoughlin, Ridgewood (Conn.) – 76

 

Class D – 55-59 years old

Don Lizak, Southampton – 71

Robert Van Norden, Plandome – 73

 

For more information on the MGA Senior Amateur Championship please contact Bob Nielsen at bnielsen@mgagolf.org or (914) 347-4653, ext. 239, or Gene Westmoreland atgwestmore@mgagolf.org or (914) 347-4653, ext. 225.