O'Hara Sweeps Junior, Boys; Sessa Wins Girls
SMITHTOWN, N.Y. (June 24, 2020) –– Impressive iron play propelled Sam O’Hara to a 4-under 68 at Smithtown Landing Country Club on Wednesday, leading the 15-year-old to capture both the Long Island Junior Championship and Long Island Boys Championship titles. Mia Sessa came away with the Long Island Girls Championship victory behind a steady 2-over 74.
Related: Results
O’Hara, who plays out of Maidstone, made the turn in 1-under 35 after a pair of birdies and one bogey, but it was the back nine where he distanced himself from the field. O’Hara birdied Nos. 10, 11, 14 and 15 before finishing with a bogey-five on 18 for his 4-under tally and four-shot victory.
“On the back nine, the longest birdie putt was probably 12 feet and everything else was inside of that, so it was good,” said O’Hara. “The irons were right on the pin.”
O’Hara had previously played the course in a Met PGA junior event and played most of the front nine the evening before to get a feel for the course again.
“It’s just really important to put it in the fairway here,” noted O’Hara of the layout that played just over 6,100 yards.
After a significant layoff from tournament golf, O’Hara was pleased what turned out to be his career-best tournament score. “To come out and play hard today and win both of these it's really awesome and I hope I can continue this play for the rest of the summer,” said O’Hara.
Thirteen-year-old Dean Muratore, a MGA Youth on Course member from Dix Hills, N.Y., posted an impressive even-par 72 to come in second in both championships. Sachin Bhasin of Plainview, N.Y., claimed third place in the Junior with a 1-over 73, while Alex Moller took third on the Boys side with a 2-over 74.
Meanwhile, Sessa exhibited consistency all day long, logging 14 pars to one birdie and just three bogeys on the day.
“I just tried to keep the ball in play, hit the greens, tried to knock them close and make a few putts,” said the 16-year-old who plays out of East Hampton.
Sessa completed her preparation the night before as well, checking out course details online.
“I looked at the course yesterday,” she said. “I found the green and tried to measure distances in the fairway and see how far I could hit it to get the ball in play.”
Though she also admitted to knocking off some tournament rust after a competitive layoff, Sessa was pleased with the outcome and capturing the title. “I didn't make as many putts as I wanted to, so I just tried to keep it going and get a good score. It’s my first tournament since a while go, so it’s nice to get a good round for the first one back.”
Eleven-year-old Ava Estrella claimed second place honors behind Sessa.
Competitors in the LIGA Junior and Boys Championships also had the opportunity to compete in qualifying for the 103rdMet Junior Championship Sponsored by MetLife and the 52nd MGA/MetLife Boys Championship. For more details on those results, click here.