New York Wins USGA Men's State Team Championship
UPDATED (Sept. 21, 2012 10 p.m.) - The New York State team of Mike Miller, Max Buckley, and Joe Saladino simply couldn't be stopped by 51 three-man teams from around the nation. The three top Met Area players led New York to its first-ever USGA Men's Team Championship at Galloway National in Galloway, N.J., and did so in convincing fashion. Their 6-stroke victory was the biggest margin since 1997.
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Miller, the reigning MGA Player of the Year, also blew away the field of 151 talented amateurs in the individual portion of the event. His 54-hole score of 4-under (72, 69, 68), including the tournament low 68 in the final round, was good enough for an eight shot victory at the very difficult New Jersey course. Buckley also played incredible golf, finishing T6 in the individual portion (73, 71, 75). Saladino finished with a total score of 241 (79, 80, 82). Only the two best scores of each round were counted towards the team's overall score.
Before the event, New York captain and MGA Director of Rules and Competitions Brian Mahoney said he felt great about the team he fielded. With veteran leadership from two-time MGA Player of the Year Joe Saladino, the team never relinquished the lead during the final round.
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UPDATED (Sept. 20, 2012, 7 p.m.) - Mike Miller and Max Buckley continued their stellar play in the USGA Men's State Team Championship on Thursday, firing a 2-under 69 and 1-over 71, respectively, to give New York a one stroke lead (285 total) heading into the final round. However, three states are within three shots of the lead.
Miller also leads the individual portion of the championship, with a two day total 141 (1-under), which is two shots better than Pennsylvania's Nathan Smith and three shots better than teammate Buckley.
Final round tee times are as follows:
1:26 pm -- Andrew Mason,Huntingdon Valley, Pa. ; Dennis Bull,Norwalk, Iowa ; Joseph Saladino, Huntington, N.Y.
1:35 pm -- Sean Knapp,Oakmont, Pa. ; Gene Elliott,West Des Moines, Iowa ; Max Buckley, Rye, N.Y.
1:44 pm -- Nathan Smith,Pittsburgh, Pa. ; Jon Olson,Ankeny, Iowa ; Michael Miller, Brewster, N.Y.
RELATED: Original preview story
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ELMSFORD, N.Y. (Sept. 20, 2012) - The team representing New York State got off to a hot start Wednesday at the USGA Men's State Team Championship being played at Galloway National Golf Club in Galloway, N.J.
Reigning MGA Player of the Year Mike Miller opened with a 1-over 72 and Max Buckley shot a 2-over 73 to lead the team to a 3-over (145) finish. The team will enter round two tied for third place with four other teams and only one shot off the lead shared by California and Iowa. The third member of the NYS team, Joe Saladino, opened with a 79, but only the two best scores from each time count to towards the 54-hole total score.
The team from New Jersey, which includes Brian Komline, Mike Stamberger, and Niall Handley, currently sits T33 with a total score of 156. The team used Komline's 76 and Stamberger's 80.
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