Match Play Bracket

ELMSFORD, NY (August 12, 2009) - Sixteen boys (under 16 years of age) will compete in the 41st MGA/MetLife Boys Championship on Thursday and Friday, August 13 and 14, at Gardiner’s Bay Country Club on Shelter Island, N.Y. The contestants will compete over two days of match play, preceded by a practice round and cookout on Wednesday, August 12.

The MGA/Met Life Boys Championship is open to any boy, not yet 16 years of age, who is a student in good standing at an accredited school in the MGA district or who has playing privileges at an MGA member club. Seven of the sixteen boys competing in the championship also qualified for and competed in the 92nd Met Junior Championship, held last month at Engineers Country Club in Roslyn Harbor, N.Y.

This year’s field represents the vast array of talent in Met Area junior golf. The field is headlined by defending champion Peter Kim of Metuchen, N.J., who took last year’s title with a 3&2 victory over Benjamin DeForest. Another top contender is Mark Reilly of Babylon, N.Y., the 2008 Long Island Boys champion, who was a semifinalist at the 2009 Met Junior at Engineers. Stephen Pastore of Greenwich, Conn., hopes to turn a semifinalist finish at the Boys Championship in 2008 into a victory in 2009. Thirteen-year-old Matthew Lowe of Farmingdale, N.Y., is also among the favorites after finishing tied for 19th at the MGA/MetLife Public Links Championship in June. Lowe also attempted to qualify locally for the 2009 U.S. Open and finished tied for 34th at the Carter Cup on August 5.

Gardiner’s Bay Country Club traces its roots back to 1895, when a nine-hole course was built on the property of the Manhanset Manor House. The current course, designed by C.A. Fox and Seth Raynor in 1904, is a deceptively difficult layout where coastal winds should keep things interesting for the contestants. Gardiner’s Bay has hosted the Boys Championship on eight previous occasions, most recently in 2006, when 2009 Met Amateur and Carter Cup champion Cameron Wilson of Norwalk, Conn., claimed victory. The club’s tradition of welcoming young golfers makes it an ideal venue for the 2009 MGA/MetLife Boys Championship.

For more information on this year’s championship contact Lou Cutolo of the MGA atlcutolo@mgagolf.org or (914) 347-4653.

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