ELMSFORD, N.Y. (August 18, 2009) – Never before in the recent history of MGA competition have so many prominent local players qualified for the most prestigious national championship in amateur golf. Thirteen Met Area amateurs, including nine champions of MGA events over the last five years, are in the field for the 109th U.S. Amateur, to be held August 24 through 30 at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The players in the U.S. Amateur field include the winners of the last three Ike Championships and the last two Met Amateurs. Headlining the list of marquee names are the two fully exempt players, Morgan Hoffmann of Arcola andGeorge Zahringer III of Deepdale. Hoffmann, 20, was exempt after making it to the quarterfinals of last year’s U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst, and was also named to the 2009 U.S. Walker Cup team. Zahringer, 56, who played on the Walker Cup team in 2003, reached the final of the 2008 U.S. Senior Amateur and also played in this year’s U.S. Senior Open.

The other local amateurs advanced to the championship through Met Area sectional qualifying. This group includes 16-year-old Cameron Wilson of Shorehaven; 21-year-oldMike Ballo Jr. of Woodway; 20-year-old Tommy McDonagh of Shorehaven; 22-year-old Kevin Foley of Neshanic Valley; 19-year-old Max Buckley of Westchester Hills; 19-year-old Anthony Aloi of Cranbury; 21-year-old Chris Scialo of Spook Rock; 21-year-old Brendan Tracy of Plainfield; 22-year-old John Murphy of Brooklawn; Max Cahn of Rockland Lake; and 19-year-old Michael Furciof Island Hills. This group of players represents the upper echelon of Met Area amateur golf, and includes several MGA champions.

Three of the players have won at least one Met Amateur (2009 champion Wilson, 2008 & 2006 champion McDonagh, and five-time champion Zahringer); three have won Ike championships (2009 champion Ballo, 2008 winner Foley, and five-time champion Zahringer, most recently in 2007); four have won Carter Cups (2009 champ Wilson, 2007 champ Buckley, 2005 champ Hoffmann, and 2003 champ Tracy); and one has captured a Met Junior (Aloi, in 2008).

In addition to MGA events, Ballo won the Westchester Amateur and finishing second at both the Westchester Open and the CSGA Russell Palmer Cup. Wilson, along with winning the Carter Cup and Met Amateur, made it to the quarterfinals of this year’s U.S. Junior Amateur, and was a member of the East team for the 2009 Canon Cup. Foley, the 2008 Ike champion, has also had success this summer with a win at the Sunnehanna Amateur.

The full field of 312 players face 36 holes of stroke play, after which the top 64 advance to match play. The stroke play qualifying will be held at Southern Hills Country Club and Cedar Ridge Country Club, also in Tulsa. Visit www.mgagolf.org during the U.S. Amateur, August 24-30, to follow the progress of these local amateur stars through live scoring and updates from Southern Hills Country Club.