Cavaliere, Ng Share Lead Heading into Final Round of Met Open
DARIEN, Conn. (August 21, 2024) – Amateur Christian Cavaliere of Hudson National and Ethan Ng of Knickerbocker will carry a two-shot lead into Thursday’s final round of the 109th Met Open Championship Presented by Callaway at Wee Burn Country Club. First-round leader Cavaliere followed up his 3-under 69 with an even-par 72, while Ng recorded a 1-under 71 after his opening 70 on Tuesday.
Related: Scoring | Final Rd. Pairings | Day 2 Photos
Jack Maguire of Whippoorwill posted the day’s and championship’s low round with a 5-under 67, propelling him up the leaderboard into a five-way tie for third at 1-under overall.
Cavaliere reached 5-under thanks to birdies on Nos. 10 and 1 before a double bogey and bogey on Nos. 4 and 7 set him back. Ng recorded five birdies in round two to grab the share of the lead at 3-under.
"I hung in there all day and scrapped together an under-par round," said the 24-year-old Ng. "It is a dream come true to be in this position and have a chance of winning. I have been playing in this event since I was 13 or 14. I have put a lot of good work in, trusting my process, and go have fun tomorrow."
Both Cavaliere are Ng are past MGA champions aiming to add their name to the MGA record books once again. Cavaliere claimed the 2016 Met Junior and Ng won the Carter Cup title in both 2016 and 2017.
Maguire sits tied alongside Daniel O'Rourke of Oak Hill, 2024 Ike champion Peicheng Chen of Rock Hill, 2024 Westchester Open champion Michael Miller of Knollwood, and Clancy Waugh of Westhampton.
Maguire's stand-out round featured seven birdies, including four straight on Nos. 5-8. O'Rourke followed his opening-round 71 with a 1-over par 73 in round two. Chen finished at even-par 72 in round two after making bogey on the 18th hole. Miller parred his final 11 holes after making bogey on No. 16, finishing at 1-under on his round. Waugh finished at 3-under in his second round, which featured six birdies.
Josh Goldenberg of Atlantic and MGA eClub - New Jersey member Andres Acevedo sit three shots back at even-par for the championship. Goldenberg has posted back-to-back even-par rounds of 72. Acevedo fired a 4-under 68 on Wednesday after making birdie on three of his last eight holes, bouncing back from an opening round 76.
Rounding out the top 10 is a group of five players at 1-over par — Armando Favela of Extracurricular Golf, 2024 New York State Open champion Peter Ballo from the Connecticut Golf Club, amateur and 2024 Connecticut State Open winner Jackson Roman of Sterling Farms, and 2024 Met PGA Head Professional champion Mike Ballo Jr. of Tamarack.
The cut line fell at 8-over par, with fifty-nine players advancing to Thursday's final round. Past champion Danny Balin of Fresh Meadow made it on the number. Joe Monte of Woodway shot 2-under par in round two and made the cut on the number. Final round tee times will start at 7:10 a.m., with Cavaliere and Ng teeing off at 11:50 a.m.
Wee Burn, a Devereux Emmet design, opened in 1925, with today's layout predominantly the same as Emmet's original work. The course can stretch to more than 7,100 yards and features small green complexes often surrounded by mounds, many bunkers, and penalty areas, while championship conditions will bring on thick rough – all adding up to a stern test for the competitors.
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