Cavaliere Sets Pace After Round One of 109th Met Open
DARIEN, Conn., (August 20, 2024) – Amateur Christian Cavaliere of Hudson National is on top of the leaderboard after the first round of the 109th Met Open Presented by Callaway at Wee Burn Country Club on Tuesday.
Cavaliere, coming off a runner-up finish at the Met Amateur earlier in August, bogeyed the third hole but didn’t drop a shot over his final 15 holes, adding four birdies along the way to card an opening round 3-under 69. The 26-year-old birdied the par-4 fifth and par-5 sixth to get to red figures. On the back nine, Cavaliere recorded birdies on the par-4 14th and 17th.
“On 14, I hit a good wedge in there and had a perfect number and spun it off the hill to a foot. Same thing on 17, hit a 4-iron off the tee and hit a wedge in there to 10 feet and hit a nice putt. I tried to be conservative today and pick my spots. I was trying to keep it in front of me and I am happy I executed [my plan],” said Cavaliere on his two birdies.
Cavaliere played with Jack Wall of Manasquan River, making his professional debut, and Josh Goldenberg of Atlantic, who both finished at even par in round one.
The second-best round of the afternoon belonged to Ethan Ng of Knickerbocker, who posted a 2-under 70. Ng holed out for eagle from 35 yards on No. 17 to move to 3-under before a bogey on the par-5 18th dropped him back to 2-under.
Daniel O’Rourke of Oak Hill had the low round of the morning at 2-under par. O’Rourke birdied the par-5 18th with a 40-foot putt to finish his round. O’Rourke's round included five birdies and three bogeys, with four of those birdies coming on the back nine.
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Rounding out the top five on day one were amateur Jackson Roman of Sterling Farms, amateur Peicheng Chen of Rock Hill, and Mike Ballo Jr. of Tamarack, who all posted rounds of 1-under par. Roman carded two birdies and one bogey, Chen recorded three birdies and two bogeys, and Ballo Jr. had four birdies and three bogeys on his card. All three have won Met Area titles this season: Roman won the Connecticut State Open, Chen won the Ike, and Ballo won the Met PGA Head Professional Championship.
At even par, there is a pack of 10 golfers, including Wall, Goldenberg, 2024 New York State Open winner Peter Ballo of The Connecticut Golf Club, and 2024 Westchester Open winner Michael Miller of Knollwood.
There are 16 past Met Open champions in the field this week at Wee Burn. Defending champion Dylan Newman of Meadow Brook leads the past champions, sitting tied for 30th after a 3-over 75 after the first 18 holes.
The second round of the 109th Met Open begins at 7:30 a.m., Wednesday morning. The top 54 players and ties will make the cut after the 36 holes of play.
The Devereux Emmet-designed Wee Burn 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.
The field once again contains the region’s top professionals and amateurs all aiming to etch their name in MGA history and to capture the Walker L. Trammell Trophy. Professionals also have their sights on the $36,500 winner’s share of the $200,000 purse.
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