Champions Crowned at Third Playing of The Farrell
GREENWICH, Conn. (September 29, 2024) – The third playing of The Farrell from The Stanwich Club saw three first-time champions across the three divisions on Sunday, as Jackie Rogowicz of Merion (Pa.), Tim Hegarty of Winged Foot and Kevin Vandenberg of Beaver Meadows (N.Y.) earned the respective titles in the Women's Mid-Amateur, Men's Mid-Amateur, and Senior Amateur divisions.
Related: Results | Day 3 Photos
Rogowicz defeated Meghan Stasi of Tavistock (Fla.), 2 and 1. Hegarty topped Christian Cavaliere, the co-medalist of Friday's stroke play qualifying, of Hudson National, 3 and 2. Vandenberg got past the medalist in the Senior division, Jim Strickland of Whisper Rock (Ariz.), 3 and 2.
Rogowicz and Stasi were back and forth over the first eight holes. The Pennsylvania native built a 2-up lead twice in the middle portion of the round, with Stasi responding each time to get back to 1-down. On the par-4 15th, with Rogowicz 1-up, both players were 60 yards away, and Stasi put her approach inside of Rogowicz. Above the hole, Rogowicz poured in a right-to-left breaking 12-foot putt to make birdie. Stasi missed her birdie look to fall 2-down again. The pair tied the par-3 16th and Rogowicz wrapped up the match on the par-5 17th with a conceded birdie after putting her approach shot inside of 12 feet.
“I managed everything well, kept the ball in the front of me,” said Rogowicz. “I felt like I needed a birdie [on 15] with that pin up front on the right. It felt good to roll it in for sure.”
Hegarty continued his momentum from the week against Cavaliere. While he lost the opening hole, Hegarty won the second to return the match to tied and never trailed again. Hegarty’s lead stood at one at the turn and two after winning the par-4 10th. Cavaliere won the par-4 12th with a birdie to trim the deficit in half. Two holes later, Hegarty birdied the par-5 14th after getting up-and-down from the left-greenside bunker. With the par-4 15th playing drivable for the final, Hegarty safely found the left apron of the green while Cavaliere found the water just right of the green. Hegarty left the door slightly open by making par on the hole, but Cavaliere ended with bogey to fall three down with three to play. Hegarty then sealed the match with a great up and down from left of the challenging par-3 16th, just landing the ball on the green and letting it fall eight feet below the hole, where he made the putt. While Cavaliere had a birdie look inside that distance, the putt rolled by to earn Hegarty the 3-and-2 edge.
“I got a front-row seat for how good of a player Christian is at the Met-Am," said Hegarty, who fell to Cavaliere in the quarterfinals at Somerset Hills. "I got the most respect for his game. I went into the match thinking I had to play great. All I wanted for myself was not to beat myself and have him beat me.”
Hegarty added, “My putter was fantastic all week. These greens are perfect. If you see and hit the line, there is a good chance [the ball] will go in.”
Strickland won the opening hole and led until Vandenberg won the par-4 7th. Vandenberg went on to win four of the next six holes to quickly turn a deficit into a 4-up lead. During the run, Vandenberg birdied the par-4 11th and the par-4 12th. Vandenberg wrapped up the match on No. 16 when both made par on the short par-3.
“The afternoon match today was probably my best match of the weekend,” said Vandenberg. “I hit my irons well. I corrected my driver after the matches yesterday, and that helped me keep it in play today.”
The Farrell, conducted by the MGA in partnership with The Stanwich Club, honors the legacy of longtime Stanwich head professional Billy Farrell. Farrell was Stanwich’s first-ever head professional and set a high standard in all aspects of the profession. He held the role from 1964 until 2000 and passed away in 2020 at the age of 85.
Stanwich hosted the U.S. Mid-Amateur in 2002 and is especially known for its fast, true greens. In the years since, the Club has welcomed the Palmer and Wyndham Cup. It stands among 19 Met Area clubs that have hosted all three MGA majors—the Ike, Amateur, and Open—hosting the Met Open in 1972 and 1996, the Ike in 1989, and the Met Amateur in 2004 and 2013.
The Farrell family has long been synonymous with golf in the Met Area. Billy was one of five children and grew up in New Jersey; his father, Johnny, the 1928 U.S. Open champion, was the Head Professional at Baltusrol Golf Club. While competing on tour, where he played in eight U.S. Opens and seven PGA Championships, Billy also worked as an assistant at Baltusrol. Billy and his wife Alvera had seven children; for 20 years, his son Bobby served as the Director of Golf at Tamarack Country Club in Greenwich, Conn. The Farrells were named Golf Family of the Year in 1966 by the Metropolitan Golf Writers Association.
Additional Coverage
Preview | The Farrell History
Day 1 Recap | Day 1 Photos
Day 2 Recap | Day 2 Photos