DANBURY, Conn. - David Kwon, of Bergen Community Golf Club, fired an impressive three-under par, 36-hole total of 141 to capture the 53rd MGA/MetLife Public Links Championship today at scenic Richter Park Golf Course in Danbury, Conn.

The 20-year old senior to be this fall at California State at Dominguez Hills, played solid tee to green golf all day and made 7 birdies over the 36-hole championship. Matched with Peter Meurer, of Silver Lake GC on Staten Island, in the day’s final group, Kwon carried a 1-shot lead into the afternoon round.

Meurer picked up a stroke on the front nine carding a two-under par 34, and after Kwon bogeyed the par-four 12th, his lead over Meurer was trimmed to only one stroke. But as the pressure mounted Kwon only became stronger, almost holing his next swing on the par-three 13th and making an easy birdie. When Meurer, who recently qualified for match play in the British Amateur, missed a three-foot par putt on 14, Kwon knew a few more fairways and greens would give him the title.

The two matched pars the rest of the way, giving Kwon a three-shot victory over Meurer and Clarke Holle of New Jersey National, who also finished with an even-par total of 144.

“It’s never over ‘til it’s over in a 36-hole final,” the young New Jersey native said afterwards. “I finally got the few breaks I needed to win. I had to     birdie three of the last five holes to qualify for the Met Amateur and I birdied the final hole to miss qualifying for the USGA Public Links by one shot. It was nice to be able to par in for the victory.”

The event, which was sponsored once again by MetLife, was played on one of the truly finest public facilities in the United States. And with next year’s site already set for Oyster Bay on Long Island, the MGA/MetLife Public Links Championship looks ready to vault itself into the new millennium.