ELMSFORD, N.Y. (July 28, 2014) - The MGA’s oldest amateur championship returns July 31-August 3 when 66 of the area’s best will play in the 112th Met Amateur. The championship returns to The Creek in Locust Valley, N.Y., for the first time in nine years where it was won by Ron Vannelli in 2005. It will be the second time the storied Long Island venue will host the event and it hopes to provide as much drama as it did nine years ago, when the final match needed two extra holes to crown a champion.

Related: Pairings and Starting Times | Press Book

The Met Amateur is rivaled only by the U.S. Amateur in terms of longevity and is one of the most respected and historic regional amateur championships in America. It was first played in 1899 and has delivered winners like Johnson Wagner, Andrew Svoboda, Jerry Courville Sr., Walter Travis, and George Zahringer III. In fact, the past five winners of the championship all have gone onto successful professional careers. This year’s field features a wide range of talented players looking to engrave their names alongside some of the Met Area’s greatest. The field will take on 36 holes of stroke play qualifying on July 31st to determine the 16-man match play field which begins on Friday, August 1st.

In the field are a number of experienced players enjoying fantastic summer seasons so far. After graduating in the spring from the University of Virginia, David Pastore of MGA eClub – Westchester/Fairfield has had one of his best seasons to date. The 22-year-old medaled at a local U.S. Open Qualifier at Paramount and followed that up with another medalist performance at a U.S. Amateur Public Links qualifier at Bethpage (Blue). He then claimed his fourth MGA title (Pastore is a former winner of the Carter Cup and a two-time Met Junior champ) at Montclair in the Ike Championship, where he ran past the field on the final day to claim the trophy. Also on a hot streak is Xander McDonald-Smith of Marine Park, who like Pastore, blitzed the field at the MGA Public Links at Charleston Springs. McDonald-Smith tied the record for largest margin of victory in Public Links history with his 36-hole total of 6-under par, giving him a five stroke win. He also won the New York City Amateur and was low amateur at the Brooklyn Open. The rising senior at Penn State earned an exemption into the Met Amateur thanks to his record-tying win at the Public Links.

Two-time Met Amateur Champion Tommy McDonagh (2008 & 2006) of Shorehaven and Joe Saladino of Huntington, a two-time MGA Player of the Year (2010 and 2008), will look to add their names to even more MGA record books. Trevor Randolph of Arcola, the 2013 Met Am runner-up, returns to the field as he looks to claim the trophy for himself this year. Luke Feehan of Mahopac will compete after winning the NYS Amateur just last week.

The 2007 MGA/MetLife Boys Champion Jonathan Renza of Mohansic will be among the players to watch in the field  after an impressive win in the 2014  Westchester Amateur. Renza is poised to grab his second MGA victory  and will have to do so against a stacked field, including Max Greyserman of Crestmont. Greyserman, a soon to be sophomore at Duke, just won the New Jersey State Open at Essex County by three strokes, with veteran champs  like Frank Esposito and Jim McGovern bearing down in the final round. Second to Greyserman at the NJ State Open was 2003 Met Amateur Champion Mike Stamberger of Spring Lake, who will be in the field at The Creek. Stamberger is looking to join an elite group of players that have won multiple Met Amateurs. It has been over a decade since his win at Somerset Hills, but that hasn’t stopped him from amassing six more wins, including the last two NJ Amateur Championships.

Other notable names in the field include Sam Bernstein of Century, who made it to the quarterfinals at Stanwich in last year’s Met Amateur and was also the stroke play qualifying medalist, and Winged Foot’s Colin McDade.  Also in the field from Century Country Club in Purchase, N.Y., is 2013 MGA Mid-Amateur Champion Michael Karger, and an abundance of young talent, including Matthew Lowe of Colonial Springs, Thomas LaMorte of White Beeches, Jared Mactas of Paramount, James Nicholas of Winged Foot, and brothers Ethan and Jeremy Wall of Manasquan River.

The MGA will be providing live scoring throughout the championship, including 9 and 18-hole scores during the 36-hole stroke play qualifying on Thursday. When match play begins on Friday, there will be live hole-by-hole scoring for each match.