116th Met Amateur Begins Thursday at Arcola
ELMSFORD, N.Y. (July 31, 2018) – Arcola Country Club welcomes its first-ever MGA major this week, as the 116th Met Amateur Championship makes its way to the picturesque parkland layout in Paramus, N.J., August 2-5. The MGA’s oldest championship once again features a deep field of decorated players, all aiming to add their name to a list of winners that includes historic names like Walter Travis, Jerry Travers, and Willie Turnesa.
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The Met Amateur’s longevity is rivaled only by the U.S. Amateur and is played over four days, perhaps serving as the MGA’s most grueling championship in its testing of skill and stamina. The top 16 advance to match play following 36 holes of on-site stroke play qualifying. Four rounds of match play then follow, including a 36-hole championship match to determine the victor.
Additional Information: Met Amateur History | Met Amateur Records
The Champ is Here
Matt Mattare of Darlington is back and looking to defend his title, though the feat has been a tall order in recent years as Johnson Wagner (2001, 2002) is the last to defend successfully. Meanwhile, Cameron Wilson is the last competitor to advance to the championship match in back to back years, winning in 2009 and falling to Evan Beirne in the 2010 final.
Movin’ On
The longest active streak for advancing to match play at the Met Am stands at just two years, showing the caliber of players found in the Met Area. John Felitto of Echo Lake, Dawson Jones of Jumping Brook, and Ethan Ng of Knickerbocker each advanced to match play at both Country Club of Fairfield and Laurel Links, with both Jones and Ng winning at least a match at both sites. Ng advanced to the championship at Fairfield, falling to Stewart Hagestad in 38 holes, while Jones’ deepest run also came at Fairfield, where he fell to Hagestad in the semifinals.
Accomplished at Arcola
Reigning MGA Player of the Year James Nicholas of Westchester has shown that his game fits the Arcola layout, having won the club’s invitational, the Arcola Cup, in back-to-back years. This year, Nicholas needed a playoff to get it done, defeating Brad Tilley of Sleepy Hollow, who is also in the field.
Major Feat
Michael Graboyes of Watchung Valley is looking to become the 10th competitor to win both the Ike and Met Amateur in the same year, following his come-from-behind Ike win at Meadow Brook. David Pastore was the last to win the first two MGA majors of the year, doing so in 2014.
All-Amateur Team
This year’s amateur champions from the different regions of the Met Area are all aiming to add another title to their resumes. Christian Cavaliere of Mahopac defended his Westchester Amateur title earlier this year, while Colby Anderson of Nassau claimed the Long Island Amateur—both hoisting their trophies from match play formats. Meanwhile, Dylan Stein of Stanton Ridge won the New Jersey Amateur title, taking the 72-hole stroke play event in a playoff.
36-36
Thursday’s 36 holes of stroke play qualifying could serve as the second straight day of 36-hole play for 11 players in the field who are slated to compete in Wednesday’s 36-hole Carter Cup at Winged Foot Golf Club. Ng, Jack Wall of Manasquan River and Connor Belcastro of Sleepy Hollow are among the 11.
Home Course Advantage?
Arcola members Michael O’Connell—the reigning club champion—and Trevor Randolph will aim to defend their home turf. Randolph enters the championship fresh off a Monday win in the Boff Invitational at Mountain Ridge, in which he held off Darin Goldstein of Deepdale who is also in the field. Randolph last advanced to match play in 2015 at Baltusrol.
Positioning for Player of the Year
With a little over two months remaining in the season’s golf schedule, the race for the MGA Jerry Courville Sr. Player of the Year Award begins to take shape. Seven of the top-10 players in the standings through July 30th are in the field at Arcola—including each of the top five. The Met Amateur champion will receive 275 points.
Format
- 36 holes of on-site stroke play qualifying on Thursday to determine the 16 competitors for match play
- Two rounds of match play Friday, semifinals on Saturday and 36-hole championship match on Sunday
Arcola Country Club
- Founded in June, 1909 by a group of founding fathers of the North Jersey Country Club
- H.H. Barker designed the initial layout, though highway development and a sale of land eliminated eight holes in the 1950s
- After purchasing adjacent land, Robert Trent Jones undertook the redesign
- The club has recently been making small changes through the years, with added length and new bunkers standing as the most significant changes
- Has hosted the MGA Senior Amateur four times
Coverage
- 9 and 18-hole updates during Thursday’s stroke play qualifying
- Live hole-by hole scoring for every match
- Social Media: @MGA1897 on Twitter for updates through the day; additional content on Facebook and Instagram
- Scoring, recaps, interviews and photos on mgagolf.org