Langille, Jung to square off for 49th MGA/MetLife Boys Championship
GLEN RIDGE, N.J. (August 18, 2017) – Jud Langille of Ossining, N.Y., and Jimin Jung of Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., each claimed 1-up victories in the semifinal round of the 49th MGA/MetLife Boys Championship on Friday morning at Glen Ridge Country Club. However, with weather approaching, the championship match scheduled for the afternoon was rescheduled for Tuesday, August 29 at 8:00 a.m.
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Langille, winner of the Westchester Boys earlier this summer, defeated this year’s New York State Sub-Junior champion Luke Sample of New York City in a championship-worthy match. Sample held a 1-up lead on three separate occasions, but Langille returned the match to all square on each occasion—twice with birdies. Langille took a 1-up advantage of his own after a quality up-and-down on the par-four 14th after squaring the match just two holes earlier. The duo continued the impressive play on the way in, as Sample won the par-four 15th with a birdie. The par-five 16th was halved with birdies, while Langille rolled in a 12-footer on the par-three 17th for his fourth birdie of the day to take a 1-up lead. Sample had a par-putt inside six feet on the challenging, uphill par-four 18th, but the put rimmed out with Langille advancing.
“I kept my mistakes to a minimum and didn’t have many three putts,” said Langille, who is playing match play for the first time. “I just kind of played safe golf and didn’t really go for any ridiculously crazy shots.”
Meanwhile, a steady start from Jung earned him a 4-up lead through seven holes over Garrett Kessler of North Caldwell, N.J. Jung opened with eight-consecutive pars, but a double-bogey, bogey and a Kessler birdie quickly returned his lead to just 1-up as Kessler won Nos. 9-11. After back-to-back halves, a Kessler par on 14 pulled the match all-square for the first time since the opening hole. While Jung won the par-four 15th with a quality up-and-down, Kessler came back once again to square the match thanks to a birdie on the 16th. The pair parred the 17th and headed to 18 all-square. Kessler’s approach came up short after his drive found the rough, but Jung fired his approach shot to about seven feet. Kessler would not get up-and-down and Jung two-putted for the victory.
“I struggled with finding my swing out there, but thankfully I found it on the last hole and that was good enough to make me proceed to the next round,” said Jung after the win. “It’s definitely nerve-wracking going into the last hole all-square,” he continued, also remarking that it’s his first time competing in match play.
Glen Ridge proved to be a perfect setting for the 49th MGA/MetLife Boys Championship, testing all facets of the competitors’ games with it’s tree-lined fairways and undulating green complexes.
The championship match on August 29 will feature live hole-by-hole scoring.