ELMSFORD, N.Y. - The Metropolitan Golf Association is proud to announce that Jerry Courville Jr., of Shorehaven Golf Club in East Norwalk, Conn., will receive the 2000 Jerry Courville Sr. MGA Player of the Year Award at the Association’s 103rd Annual Meeting on December 6th at the Westchester Country Club in Harrison, N.Y. 

Courville Jr. is a four-time recipient in the last six years. In 1995, the first year Courville Jr. won Player of the Year honors, the Award was renamed to honor the memory of his late father, Jerry Courville Sr., who won more MGA titles than any other player in the Association’s history.

The Award is presented annually to a Met Area amateur who has compiled an outstanding record in select events during the season. The recipient is selected by the MGA Executive Committee based on a system in which players earn points for strong finishes in designated local, national and international championships.

During his 2000 campaign, Courville Jr. earned 1,058 points, nearly 300 points better than runner-up, Ken Macdonald of Upper Montclair Country Club, after a torrid late-season run.

Courville Jr. began the year by reaching the quarterfinals of the Travis Memorial at Garden City Golf in mid-May and went on to tie for fifth at the Hochster Memorial at Quaker Ridge in June.

Next, Courville headed to the Ike Championship at Nassau Country Club - the MGA stroke play championship and first major of the year. He finished tied for third behind Macdonald, who had successfully defended his title at the Ike.  Macdonald had prevailed at the New Jersey Amateur earlier that month and held the lead of the point standings following the Ike.

As the season came into full swing however, so did Courville, as he began his run for his fourth POY title. He led for most of the final round at the Met Open at Mountain Ridge CC in New Jersey but finished one shot off Mike Gilmore's pace to capture low amateur honors and more importantly 350 crucial points.  Courville's confidence continued into the U.S. Amateur at nearby Baltusrol GC.  He earned another 275 points after reaching the quarterfinals and finally overtook Macdonald in the standings.

Courville never looked back and added some insurance points by reaching the second round of the U.S. Mid-Amateur at the Homestead in Virginia, a tournament he won in 1995, and wrapped up the year with a second place finish at the Boff Invitational at Shackamaxon to outlast Macdonald for the title.

Rounding out this year's Honor Roll were the resurgent George Zahringer of Deepdale, an eight-time MGA Player of the Year who played his most active schedule in recent years to finish third; Austin Eaton of Sterling Farms, who capped of a great season with a late victory at the Nassau Invitational; Marc Turnesa of Rockville Links, won captured the early season Long Island Amateur and finished second in the Ike; Andrew Svoboda of Winged Foot, who won the MGA Intercollegiate title; David Kwon of Bergen Community, who had a breakthrough year becoming the first player in history to capture the MGA Public Links and Amateur Championship in the same season; Casey Alexander of Lido, who finished second at the New York State Mid-Amateur; Ed Gibstein of Engineers, who reached the semifinals of the Richardson and Havemeyer Memorials; and Joe Sommers of Winged Foot, who won the Westchester Amateur.

Other items of business at the Association’s Annual Meeting will include the election of officers and the presentation of the Association’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award.