Ike Returns to Nassau
ELMSFORD, N.Y. (June 21, 2024) – For the first time in six years, the Ike heads to a familiar and former host, as Nassau Country Club will welcome the championship for the third time and host its record 14th MGA major championship, June 25-26.
Related: Pairings | History | Records | Past Champions Gallery
The Ike continues to deliver exciting finishes as the region's top amateurs gather to compete for the iconic Ike bust trophy. Last year featured the championship's first playoff since 2016, with Melan Dhaubhadel edging Christian Cavaliere by one shot in the three-hole aggregate playoff at Brooklawn. That came on the heels of thrilling moments from the championship's history, from Mark Costanza's winning chip-in eagle at Darien in 2020 and Matt Fields' strong finish at The Bridge in 2021 to Luke Sample's clutch closing play at Baltusrol in 2022. Now, players will look to write the next chapter of history at Nassau.
Past Champions
There are four past Ike champions in the field this year: Matthew Fields of Quaker Ridge (’21), MGA eClub – Long Island member Matt Lowe ('17), Andrew Giuliani of Trump Bedminster ('05), and five-time Ike winner George Zahringer of Deepdale (1989, ’93, 2001, ’04, ’07).
MGA Champions
The strength and depth of the Ike field is evident through the number of past MGA champions in the field, with 23 competitors having already captured an MGA title in their career. Eight have won multiple MGA titles.
Cameron Besaw, GlenArbor – ’22 Carter Cup
Barnes Blake, Baltusrol – ’23 Met Junior, ’23 Carter Cup
Christian Cavaliere, Hudson National – ’16 Met Junior
Will Celiberti, Arcola – ’19 Met Junior
Peicheng Chen, Rock Hill – ’22 Public Links
Garrett Engel, Seawane – ’21 Met Amateur, ’01 Met Junior
Matthew Fields, Quaker Ridge – ’21 Ike
Josh German, Meadow Brook – ’23 Met Amateur
Andrew Giuliani, Trump Bedminster – '05 Ike, ’09 Met Open
Darin Goldstein, Deepdale – ’17 Mid-Am
Reed Greyserman, Hamilton Farm – ’19-’20 Boys’
Nathan Han, Salem – ’15-’16 Boys’
Lance Hollingshead, Trump Bedminster – ’21 Boys’
Jud Langille, Trump Westchester – ’17 Boys’
Matthew Lowe, MGA eClub – Long Island – ’23 Public Links, ’17 Ike, ’10 Boys’
Dennis Lynch, Baiting Hollow – ’24, ‘22 Senior Am, ’09-’10 Mid-Am
Carter Prince, Meadow Brook – ’18 Carter Cup
Jose Ramirez, MGA eClub – New Jersey – ’24 Public Links
Colin Summers, Plainfield – ’21 Met Junior
Peter Van Ingen, Deepdale – 1981 Met Amateur
Jack Wall, Manasquan River – ’20 Met Amateur
Pat Wilson, Hamilton Farm – ’22 Mid-Am, ’13 Met Amateur
George Zahringer, Deepdale – 20x MGA champion
Player of the Year
Several past MGA Player of the Year or Junior Player of the Year honoree are in the field:
Barnes Blake, Baltusrol – ’23 Junior POY
Andrew Giuliani, Trump National Bedminster – ’06 POY
Darin Goldstein, Deepdale – ’18 POY
Tyler Lee, Ridgewood – ’22 Junior POY
Jack Wall, Manasquan – ’18-’19 Junior POY
George Zahringer, Deepdale – 10 POY
Always in the Running
Christian Cavaliere of Hudson National owns three consecutive top-10 finishes in the Ike. Cavaliere finished ninth at Baltusrol, tied third at The Bridge, and was runner-up in a playoff last year at Brooklawn. Charlie Berridge of Wykagyl is the only other player in the field with multiple consecutive top-10s, finishing solo third each of the last two years.
Already Winners
The field includes several players who have already hoisted a trophy this season and look to continue their winning ways in 2024:
Daniel Abbondandolo, Brookville Havemeyer
Barnes Blake, Baltusrol Hochster Memorial
Matt Lowe, MGA eClub – LI Richardson, Mittelmark
Dennis Lynch, Baiting Hollow MGA Senior Amateur
Jose Ramirez, MGA eClub - NJ MGA Public Links
58-Year Span
The age range of the Ike field spans from 15 (Zach Berger, Met PGA Junior GC) to 73 (Peter Van Ingen, Deepdale).
POY Points up for Grabs
The Ike is the season’s first event with a significant point total up for grabs in the battle for MGA Player of the Year. The winner will receive 285 points. The top four players in the standings as of June 18 are all in the championship: MGA eClub – Long Island member Matt Lowe (435 pts), Ben Mitchell of Fresh Meadow (208), Daniel Abbondandolo of Brookville (150), and Andrew Giuliani of Trump National Bedminster (137). Lowe also led the points listing at this time last year, eventually finishing fourth.
Team Title
The Ike Team Championship is conducted concurrently with the Ike MGA Stroke Play Championship. The title is awarded to the two individuals from the same club with the lowest combined score for 54 holes. Last year, Brad Tilley and Shane Bacon defended home turf, taking home the title for Brooklawn. Clubs with the most representatives in the field this year include Meadow Brook (6) and Nassau (5).
No. 2 at Nassau
This is the second consecutive week for the MGA at Nassau, having handed out the trophy for the 22nd Women’s Met Amateur Championship last week. Samantha Perrotta of Peddie captured the title, posting an impressive even-par 70 to win by two shots. Perrotta had a trio of birdies on the day, helping offset a bogey and a double bogey. A pair of MGA/WMGA Women’s Public Links champions in Ava Lozito and Grace Lu finished tied for second at 2-over.
Format
• Two days, 54 holes of stroke play.
• Field cut to low 40 players and ties (and anyone within five shots of the lead) following Monday’s opening round.
• Ike Team Championship runs concurrently, with the title going to the two individuals from the same club with the lowest combined score for 54 holes.
• Eligibility open to amateur golfers who are members of an MGA Member Club with a Handicap Index not exceeding 5.0.
Nassau Country Club
• Founding member of the MGA
• Hosting its record 14th MGA major championship (8 Met Amateurs, 3 Met Opens, 3rd Ike)
• Architect Tom Marzolf has overseen recent updates, which have stretched the championship layout to more than 7,100 yards and have both removed and repositioned bunkers to challenge today’s players.
Coverage
• Live hole-by-hole scoring for all 54 holes of the championship.
• Social Media: @MGA1897 on X for updates throughout the day, additional content on Facebook and Instagram
• Scoring, recaps, interviews, and photos on mgagolf.org.