Reardons Win 48th MGA Mixed Pinehurst
BLOOMFIELD, N.J. (October 25, 2011) – The husband and wife duo of Michael and Valerie Reardon of Tuxedo shot a five-over-par 76 to win the 48th MGA Mixed Pinehurst Championship presented by The Landings at Forest Hill Field Club in Bloomfield, N.J.
The championship, originally scheduled for September 8th, featured a final field of 38 teams consisting of one man and one woman playing under the Pinehurst format, and took advantage of an ideal fall day and outstanding course conditions.
The Reardons were the day’s most consistent team, going out in 38 and coming in with the same number, and pointed to accuracy off the tee and great approaches as key factors in the win. “Valerie hit the driver great and left me with perfect setup positions. We played a consistent round and came up with two clutch birdies on 7 and 12. The wind and leaves made for difficult conditions, especially on a course like this where you want to be in front of the hole locations.”
The Reardons also commented on Forest Hill and the condition of the course, especially considering the severe water and wind damage it experience just a few weeks ago. “We actually came down here a week after the hurricane for the practice round, and seeing the shape it’s in now compared to how it was at that time points to the remarkable job the superintendent here has done in getting this course into really amazing shape.”
The victory is the first in this championship for the Reardons, and adds another entry into the significant championship résumé of Mike Reardon, highlighted by his victory in the 2007 MGA Mid-Amateur. More recently, Reardon was the runner-up at the 2011 Havemeyer Invitational and a quarterfinalist at the 2011 Richardson Invitational.
Coming in with a tie for second place in today’s championship were Charles Cerimido of Glen Ridge and Maggie Pizzone of White Beeches, along with Philip Dessinger of Bonnie Briar and Laura Algiero of Whippoorwill with seven-over-par 78. Cerimido and Pizzone had a net score of 70 and took home first-place honors in the net division.
The MGA Mixed Pinehurst Championship presented by The Landings is a team event played at 18 holes of stroke play under Pinehurst rules, utilizing 40 percent of the players’ combined Course Handicaps. Either the man or the woman on each team must be a member of an MGA Member Club, with the man’s USGA Handicap Index not to exceed 14.0 and the woman’s not to exceed 18.0. The teammates need not be members of the same club and the teams compete for both gross and net prizes.
Forest Hill Field Club has hosted the Met Open on three occasions (1937, 1940 and 1951). Designed by A.W. Tillinghast and opened in 1927, the club is aptly named for its tree-lined fairways that made shot execution a deciding factor in determining this year’s Mixed Pinehurst champions.
New this year to the MGA Mixed Pinehurst is a partnership with The Landings, a luxury residential community on Skidaway Island in Savannah, Ga., that boasts six golf courses, tennis, a marina, and a wide range of housing options. Visit them at www.thelandings.com.
