ELMSFORD, N.Y. (October 3, 2014) – Ten players representing the MGA and WMGA will travel to Paris for the 17th French-American  Challenge, a biennial competition between the MGA/WMGA and the Ligue de Paris. This year’s matches will be played at the beautiful Golf de Saint Cloud, one of France’s premier courses, on October 17 & 18.

Related: Team MGA and WMGA Player Bios | Social Media

The MGA and WMGA have put together a strong team of six men and four women who will look to capture the trophy on French soil for the first time in the event’s history, led by Captains Jeff Holzschuh, President of the MGA, and Amy Hyman, President of the WMGA.

This year’s MGA/WMGA team features some of the best players in the area, including local standout Cameron Young of Sleepy Hollow. Although he is the youngest player on the team, Young brings his strong international competition experience to the squad. The 17-year-old represented the U.S. for the first time at the Junior Ryder Cup and competed in the French-American Challenge in 2012 at Sebonack. Young was also a member of two victorious MGA Carey Cup teams in 2013 and 2011.

Two-time New Jersey Mid-Am winner Trevor Randolph of Arcola brings his strong match play experience to the team. Randolph, representing N.J. in the USGA Men’s State Team Championship, advanced to match play in the U.S. Mid-Amateur this year and was the runner-up at the 2013 Met Amateur Championship at Stanwich. Randolph, the 2014 N.J. Mid-Am winner, is one of four newcomers to the team, along with Sam Bernstein of Century, Dylan Newman of Hollow Brook and David Pastore of Griff Harris. Pastore, 23, is coming off of a breakout season after capturing two of the MGA’s majors; the Ike Championship and Met Amateur Championship. Newman, 23, and Bernstein, 22, also had solid seasons with Newman recording victories at the Bergen County Amateur and the Hochster Memorial, making the quarterfinals at the Met Amateur and finishing 4th at the NYC Amateur. Bernstein won the Arcola Cup, made the semifinals at the Met Amateur, and was the runner-up at the Ike. Rounding it out for the men’s side is another veteran of international competition, 42-year-old Mike Stamberger of Plainfield. This season, Stamberger won his second straight NJSGA Amateur title and added three top 10s at the Ike, Bergen County Amateur, and NJSGA Open Championship.

Representing the WMGA are some of its top players, including Ellen Oswald, 24, of Westchester CC, who will be in her second French-American Challenge. Oswald was a four-year member of the St. John’s University Women’s Golf Team and is a two-time WGA Women’s Amateur Player of the Year. Joining her is Dani Mullin, also 24, of Southward Ho, the reigning WMGA Stroke Play Champion. Liliana Ruiz-Munoz of Trump – Westchester and Michelle Rosenhouse, 22, of Glen Cove, are both top competitors in the WMGA’s championships.

The Ligue de Golf de Paris, the primary governing body for golf in Paris and its surrounding area, has a membership of 39 golf clubs, including Le Golf National, the site of the 2018 Ryder Cup. The Ligue continually brings a squad of top players to the matches as their winning record proves. This year’s team brings their experience in the form of Morgane Bazin de Jessey, who has played on every team since 2004. Also a past competitor in this event is Amandine Gugnard, who played in 2012 at Sebonack.

At the last edition of the French-American Challenge, the Ligue de Paris retained the trophy with an 11.5-8.5 victory at Sebonack Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y. The matches come on the heels of the Ryder Cup, which has a similar format to the French-American Challenge, requiring all 10 players on each team to play in each of the three sessions: Fourball and Foursome matches on the first day, and singles matches on the second day. A win for the MGA/WMGA team would be just the second in the event’s history, with the last coming in 1991, though they did tie the matches in 1995 and 2004. The Ligue de Paris needs 10 points to retain the French-American Challenge trophy.

Preceding the matches is the French-American Challenge Am-Am competition, which will be held this year on October 16. The Am-Am pairs each of the 20 team member from both teams with other amateurs in a best ball gross and net format, similar to a Pro-Am, but with an amateur instead of professional. The Golf de St. Cloud course, just six miles outside of Paris, is continually ranked as one of the top courses in the country. While in France, the MGA and WMGA team will also have the chance to play at Le Golf National and Morfontaine and enjoy a full week of social events and activities in and around Paris. 

The MGA will provide coverage of the championship, including recaps of each day of competition, on mgagolf.org, as well on Twitter and Instagram (@MGA1897).

For a full history of the French-American Challenge, click here.