ELMSFORD, N.Y. (July 30, 2013) – The MGA’s oldest and most coveted amateur championship returns on August 1-4 when 59 of the Met Area’s strongest players will compete in the 111^th Met Amateur at The Stanwich Club in Greenwich, Conn. 

The Met Am is one of the most respected and historic regional amateur championships in the country, rivaling only the U.S. Amateur and Western Amateur in terms of number of competitions. First played in 1899, the championship boasts past winners like Walter Travis, Dick Siderowf, Jerry Courville Sr. (for which the MGA Player of the Year Award is named), George Zahringer III and Johnson Wagner.  

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The event returns to Stanwich for the third time and first since 2004 (won by PGA Tour player Andrew Svoboda). The impeccably conditioned course will play to a par-72 of 7,133 yards and dons arguably the fastest and most challenging greens in the Met Area.  Players must survive 36-hole stroke play qualifying and a 16-man match play bracket in order to claim the trophy.

Last year’s winner Ryan McCormick of Suburban will attempt to defend his title, something that hasn’t been done since PGA Tour pro Johnson Wagner accomplished the feat in 2001 and 2002.

“There was a point in every match last year where I felt the tide turned in my direction,” McCormick recalls.  “Every match was a tough one and I had to play my best to win it. I am honored to be on the same trophy as guys like Johnson Wagner, Andrew Svoboda, Jim McGovern, and with local legends Jerry Courville and George Zahringer.”

McCormick’s brilliant performance at Hollywood was nearly duplicated two weeks later, as he came close to winning the Met Open (finished T2) at Plainfield. While maintaining a strong national competitive schedule as of late, McCormick said he’s ready to get back to the Met Area.

“It's been fun traveling this summer but I am definitely excited to be playing at home this week,” he added.

Though hard to believe, Joe Saladino of Huntington is still in search of his first MGA championship. The nine-time MGA International Team member and two-time MGA Player of the Year already has two big match play wins this season, at the Richardson Invitational and Travis Invitational, to go along with his efforts as a member of the victorious MGA Carey Cup team.

After finishing as a runner-up in 2011 to Mike Miller, Sam Bernstein of Century is also seeking a place in MGA lore. The Yale junior tied for third at the Ike and finished alone in third at the CSGA Palmer Cup. Defeating Bernstein in match play during last year’s Met Am was back-to-back Ike runner-up Max Buckley of Westchester. The 23-year-old is playing some of his best golf, already amassing four wins, his most recent coming at the Arocla Cup, putting him in the lead of the Player of the Year standings coming into this year’s event.

Winged Foot’s Colin McDade has to be on everyone’s radar as well. The Richmond University golfer became the first player since 1962 to win the Westchester Amateur and Open in the same year. Other regional amateur champions in the field include Matt Lowe of Colonial Springs, who captured the Long Island Am, and Michael Stamberger of Spring Lake, who won the NJSGA Amateur (he also won the Met Amateur in 2003).

Columbia University sophomore Harrison Shih of Alpine is hoping to make more noise at Stanwich this year, following his stellar semifinal finish in 2012. And don’t count out last year’s runner-up Matt Mattare of Bethpage. Mattare set the record for the lowest 18-hole round under par with his second round 7-under 64.

Other players to watch for are 2012 NJSGA Mid-Amateur Champion Brian Komline of Black Oak, who was last year’s 36-hole stroke play medalist; Pat Wilson of Panther Valley, who finished T7 at the Ike, was runner-up at the NYC Am, and is currently in second place in the Player of the Year standings; Dylan Crowley of Glen Cove, who finished second at the Long Island Open; 2012 MGA Mid-Am winner Mark Henderson of Saint Andrew’s; and 2012 Met Junior champion Scott Kim of MGA eClub – N.J.

The field will also include 5-time Met Am winner George Zahringer III of Deepdale (’82, ’84, ’85, ’86, ’87). Zahringer is looking for his first win since his 2007 Ike Championship victory.

Nine-hole scoring will be used throughout stroke play qualifying and live hole-by-hole scoring will be used for every match during the match play portion.

We encourage all media to attend this event and those at home will be able to follow full coverage on the My MGA App as well as mgagolf.org.

-       By David Gordon, MGA Communications Intern