EAST SETAUKET, N.Y. (July 11, 2024) – Jonathan Farber of the Mill River Club defeated Max Silverman of the Glen Oaks Club 5 & 4 in Thursday’s 36-hole final to win the 101st Long Island Amateur Championship Presented By Webster Bank.
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Both players had the lead for moments during the first 18 holes in the morning. Farber would eventually take a 1 up lead into lunch.
“On 17 I went one up, and then we pushed 18. But, it could have went either way,” Farber said. “We were both playing pretty well, he (Silverman) hit some really good shots and I was just hanging around.”
“Coming out into the second eighteen, I really just wanted to act like I wasn’t even playing a match, just act like I am playing the course only,” Farber explained about his mentality to begin the afternoon session. “I’m just here playing the course, whatever they do does not matter – if I make pars, that will probably win some holes.”
After tying the first two holes, Silverman won the third hole to square the match. Farber responded by winning the fourth hole to regain his 1-up lead. He then won two of the next five holes to take a 3-up lead into the final nine holes of the championship.
Farber then won both the tenth and eleventh to go 5-up with just six holes to play. On the 32nd hole of the match, the par-4 fourteenth, Farber left himself with a long third shot after his approach landed on the front of the green. His birdie putt came up well short, but he stepped up and drained his par putt to tie the hole and win the championship.
“I didn’t make many long putts all day,” Farber said laughing. “That was definitely the longest putt I made the entire day actually.”
This was Jonathan Farber’s second time playing in the finals of the Long Island Amateur, the first coming in 2018 where he lost to Colby Anderson .
“It’s just really humbling and there’s so many great players on there, people who have gone on to do amazing things, people who have stayed as amateurs to play in tournaments like this,” Farber said as he reflected on adding his name to the trophy. “It’s very special and cool to be in that company.”
