Boys' Championship to be Decided Thursday

Top-seeded Liam Pasternak.

HASTINGS-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. (August 10, 2022) – The semifinals are set in the 54th MGA/Metlife Boys Championship at Saint Andrew’s Golf Club, after Liam Pasternak of Morristown, N.J., Philip Connolly of Garden City, N.Y., Arjun Caprihan of Warren, N.J., and Holden Schipper of Lebanon, N.Y., all won a pair of matches on Wednesday.

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Top-seeded Pasternak got off to a hot start in the morning, winning his match 6 and 5 over Colin McAskin of New York City. The recent U.S. Junior Amateur competitor carried that momentum into the afternoon going 3 up through eight holes on Liam Brandt of Chester, N.J. Brandt did not hand Pasternak the win, battling back to win six holes over the final nine compared to Pasternak's three to even out the match and force extra holes. However, on the 21st hole, a birdie for Pasternak secured his spot in the semifinals.

Connolly had close matches in both the morning, when he won 2 and 1 over Luke Krumbholz of Metuchen, N.J., and in the afternoon winning his match 1-up against Ryan Klarreich of Allendale, N.J.  He will go up against Pasternak on Thursday morning.

Arjun Caprihan played some solid golf throughout the day, never facing a deficit in either of his matches. He won his morning match 3 and 1, defeating Quinn Egan of White Plains, N.Y. In the afternoon, Caprihan took an early lead over Joseph Dolezal of Old Westbury, N.Y., and closed out the match efficiently, winning by a 5-and-4 margin.

Schipper was another player who made a statement on Wednesday, winning both his matches by 4-and-3 margins. Like Caprihan, he never fell behind his opponent, defeating Tong Si of Milburn, N.J. in the afternoon after eliminating Ken Fernandes of Chappaqua, N.Y., in the morning. He and Caprihan will square off Thursday morning.