Nathan Han Wins MGA/MetLife Boys Championship
SHELTER ISLAND, N.Y., (August 14, 2015) - Nathan Han of Somers, N.Y., adds his name to the list of MGA/MetLife Boys champions after his commanding 7 & 6 victory over Andre Chi of Huntington, N.Y., at Gardiner’s Bay Country Club in Shelter Island, N.Y.
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Han started off the day with a 1 up victory over Ethan Ng of New York, N.Y., in the morning’s semifinal matches. Han took the lead after the turn in that morning match, and his steady and consistent play helped him to stay ahead of Ng, one of the area’s top juniors and member of the winning Williamson Cup team this week.
Han met Chi for the final match after Chi defeated Erick Stauderman of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., with a 3 & 1 win in their semifinal match.
Han won the first hole of the final match, and from there, Chi, also 14, just couldn’t catch up to him. Han’s consistency and precision, especially on and around the greens, helped him maintain the lead throughout the majority of the match. Early on, on the third hole, Chi was able to get the match to all square but from there Han was on a role. He won holes four through eight, which got him to 5 up. After making the turn, he won 10 and 11 and then closed out the match on the 12th hole with a 7 & 6 win.
“I putted very well, all around my game was pretty sharp today,” the champion said. “I felt like I played well against Ethan in the semifinals and I played almost even better against Andre in the final match. Everything for me was going the way I wanted it to, so I can’t ask for much more.”
This win is another highlight for Han this summer- he won the Met PGA Junior Championship earlier in the season which earned him a trip to the PGA Junior Championship. Next week he’ll be playing the Lessing’s AJGA Classic in Mt. Sinai, N.Y.
With this win, Han is exempt into next year’s Boys Championship as well as the Met Junior and Carter Cup.
The Boys Championship wouldn’t be possible without the support of the MGA Foundation’s longtime partner, MetLife. The championship, open to boys not yet 16 years of age, was first played in 1969 at Westchester Country Club, and since 1987 the event has rotated around to three different sites: Gardiner’s Bay on Long Island, Bedford Golf & Tennis in Westchester County, and Rumson in New Jersey.
