Hagestad advances to U.S. Mid-Amateur Final
UPDATE (September 14, 2016 - 5:00 p.m.) - Stewart Hagestad won three-straight holes late in his semifinal match at the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship on Wednesday afternoon to claim a 4-and-2 victory and earn a spot in Thursday's 36-hole final at Stonewall Links in Elverson, Pa.
Related: Championship Home | Scoring
Hagestad took a 1-up lead following a birdie on the par-5 first. He and opponent Scott Strickland of Birmingham, Mich., halved the next six holes before Strickland pulled even with a birdie-three on the eighth. After heading to the inward nine, Hagestad birdied the par-4 10th to reclaim the lead. Three straight halves with par followed, but a nice touch on a 46-yard approach earned Hagestad a conceded birdie on the par-4 13th and a 2-up lead. The reigning Met Am champion remained steady and carded pars on the following two holes, winning both for the 4-and-2 win.
The first-time Mid-Am competitor will face 2014 Mid-Am champion Scott Harvey of Greensboro, N.C., in the 36-hole final on Thursday. For the first time in the Championship's history, the final will be played over both the North Course and Old Course at Stonewall Links. Harvey is a familiar opponent for Hagestad, as the pair went to extra holes to decide the 2016 George C. Thomas Invitational played at Los Angeles Country Club in late June. Harvey outlasted Dan Sullivan in 19 holes in his semifinal match.
The championship match will begin at 7:45 a.m. and nationally televised coverage will once again be available on FS1 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
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UPDATE (September 14, 2016 - 12:00 p.m.) - Facing an early three-hole deficit, Stewart Hagestad settled in and battled back during his quarterfinal match at the 36th U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, eventually claiming a 2-up victory to seal his position in the afternoon's semifinal round at Stonewall Links in Elverson, Pa.
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Reigning Philadelphia Amateur champion Michael McDermott won the first three holes, but wins from the 2016 Met Amateur champion on Nos. 4, 6, 8, and 9 helped return the match to all-square as the pair hit the halfway point. After halves on Nos. 10-12, Hagestad took his first lead of the day with a par on the 460-yard par-4 13th. Another stretch of halves followed, with Hagestad taking a 1-up advantage into the last. Hagestad closed with a birdie for the final 2-up margin.
Hagestad continues play this afternoon at 1 p.m., squaring off against 34-year old Scott Strickland of Birmingham, Mich. Strickland won his morning match, 1-up over co-medalist and top-seeded Michael Muehr and defeated reigning champion Sammy Schmitz in the Round of 16.
Semifinal play will be nationally televised on FS1 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
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UPDATE (September 13, 2016 - 6:30 p.m.) - Stewart Hagestad continued his solid play at the 36th U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship on Tuesday afternoon, claiming a 3-and-2 victory over Jason Anthony of Fairfield, Calif., at Stonewall Links in Elverson, Pa., to secure his spot in Wednesday's quarterfinals.
Related: Championship Home | Scoring
Following a 2-and-1 victory in the morning, Hagestad kept momentum rolling into the afternoon. The match went to the inward nine all-square, as Hagestad notched wins on Nos. 2 and 8 and Anthony claimed back-to-back holes on Nos. 4-5. While Anthony took the par-4 11th, Hagestad claimed five of the next six holes—two with birdies and three with pars to capitalize on Anthony bogeys. Anthony won the par-4 13th to square the match, but Hagestad's three-straight wins on Nos. 14-16 closed out the match, 3-and-2.
Play continues on the Old Course at Stonewall Links on Wednesday, with both the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds. Hagestad will face Michael McDermott of Bryn Mawr, Pa., at 7:30 a.m., pitting the reigning Met Amatuer champion against the reigning Philadelphia Amateur champion. The semifinal round will be nationally televised from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on FS1.
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UPDATE (September 13, 2016 - 2:00 p.m.) - Tuesday morning's play in the 36th U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship's Round of 32 has left just one Met Area competitor in the bracket, as Stewart Hagestad of New York, N.Y., notched a 2-and-1 victory over Jim Coleman of Billings, Mont.
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"I had a good birdie on 1, a good birdie on 2, and then he kind of put himself out of it on 3, so I got off to a nice lead," Hagestad told the USGA after punching his ticket to the Round of 16. "But, it was a weird match because I've never seen a guy grind like that. He got it back to [all square] and it was almost like a shock to the system," Hagestad continued, recalling when Coleman won hole Nos. 8-10 to pull it back to even. "From a competitor's standpoint, Jim gets a ton of credit because that was really cool. But I played solid and responded nicely to what he gave me. I'm just happy to be moving on."
Hagestad responded with a birdie-4 on the 11th to reclaim his advantage, only to see Coleman take the next hole with a par. However, another birdie from Hagestad on the par-4 14th and a par on the following one-shotter earned the native Californian a 2-up lead. After halves on Nos. 16-17, the 2016 Met Amateur champion clinched his spot in the next round, 2-and-1.
In his first year of eligibility for the U.S. Mid-Am, 25-year old Hagestad looks to carry his momentum into his afternoon match, which is already underway against Jason Anthony of Fairfield, Calif.
Meanwhile, competition in the Mid-Am came to a close for Brett Cooper of East Rockaway, N.Y., and Trevor Randolph of Franklin Lakes, N.J., as both fell by margins of 2-and-1.
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UPDATE (September 12, 2016 - 6:00 p.m.) - A trio of Met Area competitors have advanced to the Round of 32 in the 36th U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship following wins on Monday at Stonewall Links in Elverson, Pa. Three other competitors' runs ended in the Round if 64.
Related: Championship Home | Scoring
Stewart Hagestad of New York, N.Y., and Trevor Randolph of Franklin Lakes, N.J., each earned impressive victories as both look to close the season strong with sights on the 2016 MGA Player of the Year title. Hagestad, holding the No. 12 seed after the weekend's 36-hole qualifying, took a 5-and-3 victory over Andrew Price of Lake Bluff, Ill. The California native owned a 4-up advantage through 10 holes, while a par-3 on the 15th later clinched the match for the 2016 Met Am champion. Meanwhile, Randolph won four of the first five holes to take a quick 3-up lead over Matt Parziale of Brockton, Mass. Parziale won the eighth, but Randolph answered with a birdie-two on the following hole. Randolph won the par-4 13th to take a 4-up advantage, while halves on the next two holes closed out the match.
Brett Cooper of East Rockaway, N.Y., will also advance following a 2-up victory over Matthew Gourgeot of Decatur, Ala. Cooper faced a one-hole disadvantage on several occasions on the opening nine, but wins on Nos. 11 and 13 turned the match into his favor. Four halves followed, but Cooper claimed the final hole to seal the 2-up win.
Two-time MGA Player of the Year Joe Saladino of Huntington, N.Y., and Darin Goldstein of New York, N.Y., led Met Area competitors in the 36-hole qualifying with scores of even-par and 1-over, respectively, but both came up short in the Round of 64 matches on Monday. Saladino held a 1-up lead after winning the par-3 15th, but Bryan Hoops of Tempe, Ariz., won the next two and a halve on the last eliminated Saladino with the 1-up defeat. Back-to-back birdies from Goldstein earned him a 1-up lead through five, but he won just one more hole the rest of the way while Chris Noel of Broken Arrow, Okla., won five holes en route to a 3-and-2 win.
Roger Hoit of Summit, N.J., had a tall task facing reigning U.S. Mid-Am champion Sammy Schmitz of Farmington, Minn. The match was back-and-forth with only three halves. Schmitz took the first three before Hoit won the next two to trim the deficit back to one. Late in the match, Hoit won back-to-back holes once again on Nos. 14-15, but Schmitz's par-4 on the 16th sealed the match, 3-and-2.
Two rounds of match play are scheduled for Tuesday. Hagestad will square off with Jim Coleman of Billings, Mont., at 8:25 a.m. Cooper will immediately follow at 8:35 a.m. against No. 2 qualifier Thomas Werkmeister. Randolph continues play at 8:55 a.m. against Joshua Irving of Dallas.
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UPDATE (September 12, 2016 9:00 a.m.) - The match play portion of the 36th U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship has begun, with six local competitors looking to make a run deep into the bracket at Stonewall Links in Elverson, Pa.
Related: Championship Home | Scoring
Round of 64 matches:
9:40 a.m. - Roger Hoit (Summit, N.J.) vs. Sammy Schmitz (Farmington, Minn.)
10:50 a.m. - Joe Saladino (Huntington, N.Y.) vs. Bryan Hoops (Tempe, Ariz.)
11:10 a.m. - Stewart Hagestad (New York, N.Y.) vs. Andrew Price (Lake Bluff, Ill.)
11:50 a.m. - Brett Cooper (East Rockaway, N.Y.) vs. Matthew Gourgeot (Decatur, Ala.)
12:30 p.m. - Trevor Randolph (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) vs. Matt Parziale (Brockton, Mass.)
1:40 p.m. - Darin Goldstein (New York, N.Y.) vs. Chris Noel (Broken Arrow, Okla.)
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UPDATE (September 11, 2016) - Six Met Area competitors have locked their spot in match play for the 36th U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, while one more will have an opportunity to advance in a 14-for-1 playoff Monday morning for the final slot at Stonewall Links in Elverson, Pa.
Related: Championship Home | Scoring
Joe Saladino of Huntington, N.Y., tallied an even-par total over the 36 holes of on-site qualifying that took place on Stonewall's Old and North courses over the weekend. The two-time MGA Player of the Year posted rounds of 1-under 69 and 1-over 71 for his 140 total and a fifth place finish. Only four competitors finished sub-par in the two days of play.
Darin Goldstein of New York, N.Y., stood just one shot behind following rounds of 70-71 and will take the No. 6 seed to match play. Following an opening round of 3-over 73, 2016 Met Amateur champion Stewart Hagestad of New York, N.Y., bounced back with an even-par 70 to finish tied for 12th. Meanwhile, Trevor Randolph of Franklin Lakes, N.J., registered rounds of 72-73 to finish at 5-over and tied for 23rd, well within the cut line. While Goldsten, Hagestad and Randolph are certainly focused on the task at hand, their position in the U.S. Mid-Amateur also gives them the opportunity to continue accumulating points in the 2016 MGA Player of the Year race, which Hagestad currently leads.
Brett Cooper of East Rockaway, N.Y., will also advance to match play, following rounds of 1-under 69 and 76 to also finish at 5-over alongside Randolph. Roger Hoit of Summit, N.J., tallied matching rounds of 73 to move to the next stage of competition.
Finally, Matthew Mattare of Jersey City, N.J., will be part of a 14-for-1 playoff as the final spot is yet to be determined, as 14 players tied for 64th with 9-over totals. The playoff begins on No. 9 of the Old Course at 7:15 a.m., Monday.
Match play will take place primarily upon the Old Course, but in a first for the championship, the 36-hole final match (scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 15) will be conducted on both courses—the morning round being played on the North and the afternoon on the Old. The Round of 64 will take place on Monday, while two rounds of match play are slated for both Tuesday and Wednesday.
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UPDATE (September 10, 2016) - Several Met Area competitors got off to a solid start on Saturday in the 36th U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, and will look to advance to match play at Stonewall Links in Elverson, Pa., following Sunday's second round of stroke-play qualifying.
Scores through round one:
| Joe Saladino (Huntington, N.Y.) | -1 / T10 |
| Brett Cooper (East Rockaway, N.Y.) | -1 / T10 |
| Darin Goldstein (New York, N.Y.) | E / T18 |
| Jonathan Jeter (New York, N.Y.) | +1 / T24 |
| Matthew Finger (Woolwich Twp, N.J.) | +1 / T24 |
| Trevor Randolph (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) | +2 / T43 |
| Stewart Hagestad (New York, N.Y.) | +3 / T56 |
| Roger Hoit (Summit, N.J.) | +3 / T56 |
| Thomas Lee (Alpine, N.J.) | +3 / T56 |
| Ray Floyd, Jr. (Old Greenwich, Conn.) | +4 / T74 |
| David Weisfeld (New York, N.Y.) | +5 / T94 |
| Doug Smith II (Hillside, N.J.) | +5 / T94 |
| Matthew Mattare (Jersey City, N.J.) | +6 / T127 |
| Eric Lefante (Florham Park, N.J.) | +6 / T127 |
| Wills Reardon (New York, N.Y.) | +7 / T152 |
| Brian Krex (Bronxville, N.Y.) | +11 / T235 |
| Clark Holle (South Orange, N.J.) | +12 / T242 |
| Alexander Reid (Rye, N.Y.) | +13 / T249 |
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ELMSFORD, N.Y. (September 6, 2016) – There will be no shortage of MGA representation at the 36th U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, as 18 Met Area players are in the starting field of 264 at Stonewall Links in Elverson, Pa., September 10-15. Stroke play qualifying will be completed on both the Old Course (1993) and the North Course (2013), Sept. 10-11, with the low 64 scores advancing to match play.
Related: U.S. Mid-Am Homepage | Facts | Starting Times
Three of the top five MGA Player of the Year hopefuls headline this year’s competitors: Stewart Hagestad of New York, N.Y., Trevor Randolph of Franklin Lakes, N.J., and Darin Goldstein of New York, N.Y. Hagestad qualified at Fiddler’s Elbow in Bedminster, N.J., with a 70 and looks to continue his hot summer, which includes wins at the Brae Burn Invitational and Met Amateur. Randolph is certainly no stranger to success in Mid-Amateur tournaments, being a three-time NJSGA Mid-Am winner (2013-14, 2016) and having won the 2015 MGA Mid-Am title. A round of 68 at Waccabuc in Waccabuc, N.Y., earned Randolph medalist honors and a spot in the national championship. Goldstein, who won the LIGA Amateur early this summer, also came out of Waccabuc, shooting 69 to qualify.
Brett Cooper of East Rockaway, N.Y., Ray Floyd, Jr. of Old Greenwich, Conn., Jonathan Jeter of New York, N.Y., Brian Krex of Bronxville, N.Y., Wills Reardon of New York, N.Y., and Joe Saladino of Huntington, N.Y., also qualified out of Waccabuc.
Roger Hoit of Summit, N.J., Clark Holle of South Orange, N.J., Thomas Lee of Alpine, N.J., Doug Smith II of Hillside, N.J., and David Weisfeld of New York, N.Y., join Hagestad as the qualifiers out of Fiddler’s Elbow.
Matthew Mattare of Jersey City, N.J., and Eric Lefante of Florham Park, N.J., both qualified at Llanerch in Havertown, Pa.
The final two Met Area players all qualified at separate sites: Matthew Finger of Woolwich Township, N.J., qualified at Philadelphia Cricket in Flourtown, Pa., and Alexander Reid of Rye, N.Y., qualified at Schuyler Meadows in Loudonville, N.Y.
The U.S. Mid-Am is open to any amateur golfer who is 25 years old by Sept. 10, with a Handicap Index not exceeding 3.4.
Match play will take place primarily upon the Old Course, but in a first for the championship, the 36-hole final match (scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 15) will be conducted on both courses—the morning round being played on the North and the afternoon on the Old.
Scoring updates will be available via the USGA website, while additional updates may be found on Twitter, on @USGA or by using #USMidAm. In another first for the championship, national coverage will be available, as FS1 televises the final two days of the event on Wednesday and Thursday, September 14 and 15. Coverage is available from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. both days.