ELMSFORD, N.Y. (January 11, 2010) — For more than a century, the Metropolitan Golf Association has conducted its championships at some of the best venues in golf, and 2010 continues that tradition. The Association’s three major events—the Ike Championship presented by Canon; the Met Amateur; and the Met Open sponsored by MetLife—are hosted by three of the most outstanding courses in the Met Area. The Ike will visit Metropolis Country Club in White Plains, N.Y., the Met Amateur will be contested at Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale, N.Y., and the Met Open will travel to Bethpage State Park’s Black Course, the site of the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Open Championship.

During the 2010 season, the MGA will conduct a total of 32 qualifying rounds for its 17 championships as well as 18 qualifying rounds for USGA championships, including the much-anticipated U.S. Open sectional qualifying round on June 7 at Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit, N.J. For the 30th consecutive year, the MGA welcomes MetLife as a sponsor of eight MGA events, the Calendar of Competitions as well as numerous MGA Foundation youth clinics. Canon returns for an eighth year as sponsor of the Ike Championship. The support of our sponsors allows the MGA tournament program to maintain its stellar reputation across the country.

 

In addition to the exciting MGA championship schedule, coverage of the top Met Area and national events is provided on the Association Web site, www.mgagolf.org. Visit the site all season for the latest golf news, results for Met Area championships, full-field scoring for all MGA and USGA sectional qualifying rounds, live scoring for all MGA major championships as well as blogging throughout the season. A complete rundown of the schedule follows:

            

May

The MGA season begins with the 18th playing of the MGA Senior Net Four-Ball Tournament at Scarsdale Golf Club in Hartsdale, N.Y., on May 3. The Met Area’s top senior amateur players begin their season on May 10 and 11 with the 83rd MGA Senior Amateur Championship at North Shore Country Club in Glen Head, N.Y.

 

June

More than a month will pass before the next MGA championship, but players in the Met Area will be busy as the Association conducts 25 sectional qualifying rounds for MGA and USGA events. Players will also be gearing up for the first major championship of the year—the 55th Ike-MGA Stroke Play Championship. Presented by Canon for the eighth consecutive year, the Ike will be hosted by historic Metropolis Country Club for the first time. The final field will compete in the first round on June 28, after which the field will be cut to the low 40 (plus ties). The final two rounds will be played on June 29 to determine the individual and team champions. Defending champion Mike Ballo Jr. of Woodway will have to fend off the top amateur players in the Met Area if he wants to become the first repeat champion since Ken Macdonald (1999-2000).

 

July

July begins with the top women’s public links players in the Met Area as they vie for the title at the 13th MGA/WMGA Women’s Public Links Championship on July 1 at Hudson Hills Golf Course in Ossining, N.Y. Thursday, July 8 will be a busy day as two championships will be conducted. The 63rd MGA/MetLife Public Links Championship, a one-day, 36-hole event, will be played at the highly regarded Spook Rock Golf Course in Suffern, N.Y. Meanwhile, the always popular MGA/MetLife Men’s Net Team Championship, commonly referred to as the “Met Net,” will be played at White Beeches Golf & Country Club in Haworth, N.J.

 

The nation’s oldest junior championship, the Met Junior Championship sponsored by MetLife, will be played at Ardsley Country Club in Ardsley-on-Hudson, N.Y., on July 20-22 for the seventh time in the event’s 93-year history. It will be preceded on July 19 by the MGA/MetLife Pro-Junior Tournament. The Met Junior often provides a preview of future contenders in the region’s top amateur events, including 2008 semifinalist Cameron Wilson of Shorehaven, who won the Carter Cup and Met Amateur titles last year.

 

July concludes with the 108th playing of the Met Amateur Championship at Quaker Ridge Golf Club, site of three previous Met Amateurs and the 1997 Walker Cup Match. The championship runs from Thursday, July 29 through Sunday, August 1. The 36-hole stroke-play qualifying on the first day will determine the 16 golfers who will advance to the match-play portion. After two days of match play, the final match will be played over 36 holes. The demanding format of the Met Amateur always yields a deserving champion.

 

August

The busy month of August begins with the eighth playing of the Carter Cup—MGA Junior Stroke Play Championship on August 5 at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J. On Monday, August 9 the 60th MGA Father & Son Championship will be played at Fairmount Country Club in Chatham, N.J. August 9 also features four of the top junior players in the Met Area who will travel to Ontario, Canada to play in the Williamson Cup Matches at Essex Country Club. The Williamson Cup is an annual competition that features teams of the best junior players from golf associations around the United States and Canada.

 

The MGA/MetLife Boys Championship will return to Bedford Golf & Tennis Club in Bedford, N.Y., on August 12 and 13. This will mark the ninth time that Bedford has hosted the Boys Championship, which is open to young men not yet 16 years of age. Three days later, on August 16, Glenwood Country Club in Old Bridge, N.J., will host the MGA Father & Son (Net) Tournament.

 

On August 24-26, the Met Area’s top professionals and leading amateurs will compete for the Met Open title at Bethpage State Park’s Black Course in Farmingdale, N.Y. This will be the third Met Open hosted by Bethpage Black, which also hosted the U.S. Open in 2002 and 2009. Sponsored by MetLife for the 30th year, the players will compete for the $150,000 purse. The Met Open will be preceded on August 23 by the MGA/MetLife Caddie Scholarship Pro-Am, with proceeds going to support the Caddie Scholarship Funds of the Long Island, New Jersey and Westchester Golf Associations.

 

 

September/October

Following on the heels of the Met Open is the MGA Senior Open at Rolling Hills Country Club in Wilton, Conn., on August 30 and 31. The field features the top senior professionals and amateurs (age 50 and up) who will compete over 36 holes for the title. The Senior Open, won for the second consecutive time by Bobby Heins of Old Oaks Country Club in 2009, has quickly become one of the most competitive events on the schedule in just 13 years of existence.

 

The MGA Mixed Pinehurst Championship will be played on September 21 at Knollwood Country Club in Elmsford, N.Y. The always popular MGA/MetLife Women’s Net Team Championship will be played on October 5 at Glen Ridge Country Club in Glen Ridge, N.J. The following day the final MGA championship of the season, the MGA Mid-Amateur Championship, will be played at GlenArbor Golf Club in Bedford Hills, N.Y., on October 6 and 7. The area’s leading mid-amateurs (age 35 and older) will compete for the Westmoreland Cup, named after former MGA Senior Director of Rules and Competitions Gene Westmoreland. Eligibility for the Mid-Amateur is based on performance in specific MGA and Met Area events throughout the season.

 

Full-field scoring will be available for MGA and USGA sectional qualifying rounds. Live scoring will be provided for MGA major championships.

 

For more information please contact Brian Mahoney or Bob Nielsen of the MGA at (914) 347-4653 or via e-mail: bmahoney@mgagolf.org or bnielsen@mgagolf.org.