SPRINGFIELD, N.J. (August 4, 2006) – Four of the top players in the Met Area emerged from the quarterfinal matches today at the 104th Met Amateur Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club.  The last two Ike champions, Roger Hoit (2006) and Andrew Giuliani (2005) both won matches against tough opponents who had been playing well. Hoit, a Baltusrol member, defeated 16-year-old Morgan Hoffmann, 5 & 4, while Giuliani defeated two-time reigning MGA/MetLife Public Links champion Mark Farrell, 1-up.

Hoit and Giuliani are joined in the semifinals by Kevin Foley of Green Knoll, who reached the Round of 16 at the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship last month outside Seattle. Another teenager, 2006 Connecticut Amateur champion Tommy McDonagh, also advanced on a beautiful afternoon at Baltusrol.

As the heat subsided, the performance on the golf course went up. Giuliani, who plays out of Van Cortlandt, finished his first round of qualifying yesterday with an 81 and looked to be in danger of missing match play. But he followed it up with a second-round 68, and went on to defeat Thomas Gramigna of Pebble Creek in his morning match. “I really love the Lower Course,” said Giuliani. “I just play it great and it fits my eye so well.”

Giuliani sealed his victory over Farrell with an incredible chip shot on the par-five 18th hole on the Upper Course. After Farrell put his bunker shot ten feet past the hole, Giuliani chipped to within a foot to win the match.  Farrell, who defeated 2003 Met Amateur champion Mike Stamberger in the Round of 16, conceded the putt to Giuliani.

Former Baltusrol club champion Roger Hoit began his day with a difficult match against Orange County’s Michael O’Donnell.  After going five down through nine holes, Hoit roared back and defeated O’Donnell, 1-up, in 19 holes. Hoit then faced 2005 Carter Cup champion Morgan Hoffman in the quarterfinals. Hoffmann was playing 36 holes at Baltusrol for the third day in a row and was unable to hold off a charging Hoit, who is the oldest player in the field by 20 years.

The youngest player in the semifinals, Tommy McDonagh, continued his strong play this season with victories over Storm King’s Terry Maguire in the morning and Andreas Huber of Garden City Country Club in the quarterfinals.

The final player in the semifinals, Kevin Foley, is a newcomer to MGA championships. A former standout on the Immaculata High School (N.J.) golf team, he had the shortest day on the golf course of any player, defeating Tim Schmitt in the morning, 5 & 3, and Adam Fuchs 4 & 3 in the afternoon.  The soon-to-be freshman at Penn State approached the golf course differently than he had during his high school years.  “I was hitting a lot of long and mid-irons out there. In high school it’s mostly nine-irons, so you have to play it smart out there and choose your spots.”

In Saturday afternoon’s semifinal matches, Hoit will play Foley, and Giuliani will take on McDonagh.