Stamberger Falls in U.S. Mid-Am Quarterfinals
September 21, 2011 – Mike Stamberger's outstanding run at the U.S. Mid-Amateur championship ended this afternoon with a 2 & 1 loss during the Quarterfinals against two-time defending champion Nathan Smith of Pittsburgh, Pa.
After jumping out to an early lead with birdies on the 521 yard par-5 first and 292 yard par-4 second, Stamberger maintained the lead until the par-4 12th, where a bogey briefly brought the match back to all square. Stamberger came right back with a birdie on the 13th, but again gave up his position with another bogey on the 562 yard par-5 14th, which Smith birdied and ultimately used to build the momentum he needed to win the next two holes and finish the match at 2 & 1.
By virtue of reaching the quarterfinals, Stamberger is now exempt for the 2012 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, to be held at Conway Farms Golf Club outside Chicago.
New Jersey native Michael Muehr also lost in the quarterfinals, falling to 32-year-old John Engler of Augusta, Ga., 3 & 2.
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September 20, 2011 – Mike Stamberger’s successful run at the U.S. Mid-Amateur continues, as the 39-year-old Plainfield, N.J., resident won two matches on Tuesday to advance to the quarterfinals for the second time in four tries. After Stamberger never trailed en route to winning his Round of 32 match, 2 & 1, over Dan Horner of Sandy, Utah, he had a tight battle on his hands for his Round of 16 match against 2010 USGA Senior Amateur champion Paul Simson of Raleigh, N.C.
Stamberger, the 2003 Met Amateur champion, ended the match with a 2-up victory, but the match was close throughout. Stamberger won the first hole but then lost the second, and Simson, who grew up learning the game at Fairmount Country Club in Chatham, N.J., led for a good portion of the match.
They approached the tee of the 264-yard, par-four 14th hole with Stamberger trailing, but he took advantage of his length off the tee and made birdie to square the match. He then took the lead when Simson bogeyed the par-four 15th hole, and closed things out with a birdie on the par-three 17th. Stamberger, who made it to the quarterfinals in this championship at Milwaukee Country Club in 2008, now faces his toughest test yet—a match with two-time U.S. Mid-Amateur defending champion Nathan Smith of Pittsburgh, Pa., who has won this championship an unprecedented three times. Their match begins at 7:45 Central Time (8:45 Eastern).
Former Met Area resident Michael Muehr, who now lives in Potomac Falls, Va., also joins Stamberger in the quarterfinals after defeating Kris Mikkelsen of Atlanta, 4 & 3 in the Round of 16. Earlier, Muehr got past T.J. Shuart of Coral Springs, Fla., 2 & 1. Muehr, a New Jersey native, won the 1992 Ike Championship and the 1992 Met Amateur. Muehr will face John Engler of Augusta, Ga., in the quarterfinals.
By virtue of reaching the quarterfinals, both Muehr and Stamberger are now exempt for the 2012 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, to be held at Conway Farms Golf Club outside Chicago.
In the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Championship in Virginia Beach, Va., Meredith Chiampa of New York, N.Y., lost her first-round match against Virginia Grimes of Meridian, Miss., 6 & 5.
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September 20, 2011 - The first day of match play at the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship was a successful one for 39-year-old Mike Stamberger of Plainfield, N.J., who defeated Sammy Schmitz of Apple Valley, Minn., 2-up to advance to the Round of 32. Stamberger, who made it to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Mid-Amateur in 2008, takes on Dan Horner of Sandy, Utah in the second round this morning.
Also advancing to the Round of 32 is former Met Area resident Michael Muehr, who now lives in Potomac Falls, Va. Muehr, a New Jersey native, won the 1992 Ike Championship and the 1992 Met Amateur, and yesterday he scored a 4 & 3 victory over Doug Albers of Leawood, Kansas. Muehr will play T.J. Shuart of Coral Springs, Fla., in the second round.
In the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Championship in Virginia Beach, Va., Meredith Chiampa of New York, N.Y., was 5-down through 10 holes in her first-round match against Virginia Grimes of Meridian, Miss., which began at 6:52pm on Monday and was halted due to darkness.
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September 19, 2011 - Of the 14 Met Area men who qualified for the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship in Houston, Texas, only one advanced to match play, and it is a familiar name to MGA and Met Area golf fans. Mike Stamberger, who made it all the way to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Mid-Amateur in 2008, shot a second-round 70 to tie for 20th place in the stroke play portion of the championship and teed off in his first-round match against Sammy Schmitz of Apple Valley, Minn., at 2:45pm Eastern Time. Stamberger, 39, of Plainfield, N.J., won the 2003 Met Amateur.
Also advancing to match play is former Met Area resident Michael Muehr, who now lives in Potomac Falls, Va. Muehr, a New Jersey native, won the 1992 Ike Championship and the 1992 Met Amateur.
In the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Championship in Virginia Beach, Va., Meredith Chiampa of New York, N.Y., was the only Met Area woman to advance to match play. Chiampa takes on Virginia Grimes of Meridian, Miss., starting at 6:52pm.
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ELMSFORD, N.Y. (September 14, 2011) - In addition to Jeff Holzschuh of Greenwich, Conn., who is profiled here, 13 other Met Area locals will be in the field for the U.S. Mid-Amateur, including some high-profile players with past success in this event. Topping this list is 58-year-old George Zahringer III of New York, N.Y., who won the championship in 2002 at The Stanwich Club in Greenwich, Conn., and is exempt into the competition this year. Zahringer, the most decorated champion in MGA history, boasts 10 MGA Player of the Year titles, and recently made it to the Round of 32 at the USGA Senior Amateur in Virginia. Mike Stamberger, 39, of Plainfield, N.J., made it to the U.S. Mid-Amateur quarterfinals in 2008, won the 2003 Met Amateur, and finished third in this year’s Ike Championship.
Like Holzschuh, Gregg Angelillo, of Basking Ridge, N.J., is having a successful season. The 41-year-old serves on the MGA’s Junior Committee and will be in the field at the MGA Mid-Am at Essex County. A complete list of Met Area locals and their qualifying scores are below and you can follow all of these local players at the championship by clicking here.
Trump National-Bedminster, Bedminster, N.J. - September 13, 2011
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Brian Whitman |
Bloomfield, N.J. |
72 |
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Jared Eglowsky |
New York, N.Y. |
73 |
|
Gregg Angelillo |
Basking Ridge, N.J. |
73 |
|
Marc Grinberg |
Morganville, N.J. |
73 |
|
Drew McMahon |
Little Falls, N.J. |
74 |
|
Mike Stamberger |
Plainfield, N.J. |
74 |
|
Matthew Fields |
New York, N.Y. |
74 |
|
Albert Oh |
New York, N.Y. |
75 |
Aspetuck Valley Country Club, Weston, Conn. – August 31, 2011
|
Andre Bolukbas |
Cresskill, N.J. |
70 |
|
Jeffrey Holzschuh |
Greenwich, Conn. |
71 |
|
Steve Tarulli |
Rockville Centre, N.Y. |
71 |
|
Chris Clarke |
East Hampton, N.Y. |
72 |
|
Bradley Rock Jr. |
Plainview, N.Y. |
73 |
