Chung, Jessop Share Carter Cup Title
MAMARONECK, N.Y. (August 6, 2024) – Afternoon thunderstorms and heavy rains prevented the completion of 36 holes for the 22nd Carter Cup on Wednesday at Winged Foot Golf Club, leading Jack Chung and Owen Jessop to share the title after both fired even-par 70s in the morning round on the West Course.
Chung, this year's Met Junior champion and a semifinalist from the Met Amateur last weekend, carded three birdies and three bogeys en route to his even-par round. The 16-year-old opened with a bogey, but birdies on the par-4 sixth and par-5 ninth allowed him to make the turn in 1-under 34. After a bogey-birdie start to the second nine, Chung reeled off five consecutive pars before a final bogey on the lengthy par-4 17th.
"The pins were in tricky spots on the West [Course] this morning," said the Greenwich, Conn., native. "I put myself in good positions that helped me shoot a nice number."
Jessop, who competed in this year's U.S. Junior Amateur, began his morning round on the West Course's par-3 10th and used a pair of early birdies and two more late ones to card his 70. His first two birdies came on Nos. 11 and 12 after he began play on the par-3 10th, while a bogey-double bogey sequence on Nos. 14 and 15 led him to make the turn in 1-over. After a bogey on the par-4 first, Jessop settled in once again and posted six consecutive pars before what turned out to be a clutch birdie-birdie finish on Nos. 8-9.
"I was good off the tee all day, which helps you on a golf course like this," said the 17-year-old of Westhampton Beach, N.Y. "My lag putting was as good as it has been in a long time."
Past MGA/MetLife Boys' champion Lance Hollingshead of Basking Ridge, N.J., and past Met Junior champion John Hiller of New York City, both carded 1-over rounds of 71, as did Ethan Weinberg of Marlboro, N.J., to finish one shot back in a tie for third.
Rounding out the top six were Joseph Dolezal of Old Westbury, N.Y., and Liam Pasternak of Morristown, N.J., who were two shots back at 2-over par.
Prior to the afternoon, players were made aware of the potential weather and that play on the East Course would be two nine-hole stipulated rounds to potentially make it a 27-hole championship. However, play was suspended at 4:31 p.m., and thunderstorms and heavy rains settled in the area, preventing players from returning to the course to complete 27 holes.
The Carter Cup was first played in 2003 and is named in honor of Michael P. Carter, an accomplished junior player at Baltusrol and standout golf team member at New Jersey's Delbarton School, who died in a car accident in 2002. Carter had won the junior club championships at both Baltusrol and Winged Foot and played for Penn State at the time of his death.
This was the fourth time the Carter Cup had taken place at Winged Foot Golf Club, with Morgan Hoffmann (2005), Ethan Ng (2016) and Carter Prince (2018) claiming the previous titles at the club. This year's took place at Winged Foot due to the restoration work in progress on Baltusrol Golf Club's Upper Course. The 23rd Carter Cup will return to Baltusrol Golf Club.