CHATHAM, N.J. (July 12, 2011) – The first and second rounds of the 94th Met Junior Championship sponsored by MetLife are in the books, and 16 players won two matches on a scorching hot day at Fairmont Country Club to advance to Day 2 in this three-day, match play championship. The day began with a field of 64 and saw several of the Met Area’s top junior players do well, though there were a few upsets in the afternoon round. The Round of 16 begins at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 13, followed by the quarterfinals in the afternoon.
Among the players to win their first- and second-round matches was 2010 MGA/MetLife Boys champion Matthew Lowe of Farmingdale, N.Y. After a relatively stress-free 5 & 3 victory in his morning round, Lowe had to sweat it out this afternoon in a 19-hole win over Bran Starker of Purchase, N.Y. Also advancing was 2011 Long Island Amateur runner-up Clancy Waugh of Manhasset, N.Y. Waugh defeated two New Jersey residents in his two victories, getting past Erick Alonso of Haworth by a 6 & 4 margin this morning before edging Luke Graboyes of Watchung by a 1-up margin this afternoon.
The 2010 WGA Junior champion, Theodore Humphrey of Greenwich, Conn., was involved in two of the closest matches of the day. Humphrey won his first match in dramatic fashion with a win on the 20th hole over Dak Spivey of Huntington, N.Y., and then winning 1-up over Sean Byrne of Rockville Centre, N.Y., in the afternoon.
One of the semifinalists from last year’s Met Junior at Ardsley, Sean Kelly of Staten Island, N.Y., was among the pre-tournament players to watch who had a successful first day. Kelly scored a convincing 6 & 5 victory over Kyle Brey of Farmingdale, N.Y., in the Round of 32 this afternoon. Other players advancing included 2008 MGA/MetLife Boys champion Peter Kim of Metuchen, N.J., who survived the first two rounds with a win over Jonathan Kligman of Rye, N.Y., 4 and 3, and a 1-up win over Christopher Gabriele of Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. Incoming St. John’s University freshman and 2010 MGA Williamson Cup team member Dylan Crowley of Glen Cove, N.Y. was one of the few players to not see the 18th hole today, notching 5 & 3 and 3 & 1 victories on his way to the Round of 16.
Also advancing was Stephen Pastore of Greenwich, Conn., younger brother of two-time Met Junior champion David Pastore. Rounding out the Round of 16 are Ian Palfrey of Bronxville N.Y.; Max Christiana of White Plains, N.Y.; Charles Edler of Fair Haven, N.J.; Harrison Shih of Saddle River, N.J.; Jeremy Wall of Brielle, N.J.; Ben Alcorn of Chatham, N.J.; Louis Bodine of Flemington, N.J.; Anthony Alex of Wayne, N.J.; Cody Gross of Babylon, N.Y.
Cameron Young of Scarborough, N.Y., the 2011 WGA Amateur Champion, had a disappointing defeat in the second round to Shih, losing on the 18th hole. Other players to lose in the second round included 2009 MGA/MetLife Boys champion Mark Reilly of Babylon, N.Y., and Jimmy Bender of Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.
Wednesday will be the second of three consecutive two-round days at the Met Junior, as the field will be whittled down to the final four players. The semifinals are scheduled for Thursday morning, July 14, and the 18-hole final on Thursday afternoon. Visit www.mgagolf.org for live scoring for all remaining matches, starting with the Round of 16 on Wednesday morning.
