Lowe, Kim-Schaad, Chung Capture MGA Player of the Year Awards

ELMSFORD, N.Y. (November 14, 2024) – The Metropolitan Golf Association is pleased to announce its player of the year award recipients for the 2024 season, with MGA eClub – Long Island member Matthew Lowe earning the MGA Jerry Courville Sr. Player of the Year Award, Ina Kim-Schaad of Deepdale winning the MGA Women’s Player of the Year Award, and Jack Chung of Greenwich, Conn., collecting the MGA Junior Player of the Year Award Presented by Callaway.

Each of the MGA’s player of the year awards honor players who have compiled the best record in select events during the year. Each award has a system in which players earn points for their finishes in designated local, national, and international championships, while the final selections for the awards are determined by the MGA Board of Directors. This year’s recipients will be honored at the MGA’s 127th Annual Meeting and Dinner, December 4 at Westchester Country Club in Rye, N.Y.

Matthew Lowe, MGA eClub – Long Island
After having finished on the MGA Honor Roll five times in his career, Lowe used a packed schedule and consistent high-level play to capture the 2024 MGA Jerry Courville Sr. Player of the Year Award.

Related: Courville Sr. POY Final Standings | History

A pair of early season victories at the Richardson Memorial Championship at Wheatley Hills Golf Club in East Williston, N.Y., and the Mittelmark Invitational at Fenway Golf Club in Scarsdale, N.Y., gave Lowe an idea of what could lie ahead during the season.

In the 100th Long Island Open Presented by Stifel at Piping Rock Club in Locust Valley, N.Y., Lowe notched a fifth-place finish and earned low amateur honors. As the month continued, he added a fourth-place finish in the MGA Public Links Championship and made the most of making the cut on the number at the Ike, firing final day rounds of 69-72 to end the championship tied for sixth at Nassau Country Club in Glen Cove, N.Y.

His mid-season lead on the points list was bolstered by a tie for third in the New York State Open, in which he also finished as low amateur, plus an appearance in the quarterfinal round of the 122nd Met Amateur Championship at Somerset Hills Country Club in Bernardsville, N.J.

Overall, Lowe finished the season with seven top-10 finishes in stroke play events, while also qualifying for the U.S. Amateur Championship in its first year of multi-stage qualifying.

For Lowe, who regained his amateur status in 2022 after a brief stint of pursuing the game professionally, earning the title is a goal achieved while seeing his name among close friends means a lot as well.

“It’s nice to be quantifiably with the people that you respect,” says Lowe, referencing recent winners and friends such as Mark Costanza, Darin Goldstein, and Brad Tilley. “It’s definitely something I’ve had on my bucket list since I got my amateur status back. It was anything I could have wanted for the year.”

Christian Cavaliere of Hudson National finished second on this year’s Honor Roll, his season including a runner-up finish in the Met Amateur and a tie for third in the Met Open. Colin Summers of Plainfield ranked third on the points listing thanks to matching Cavaliere for low amateur honors in the Met Open and a tie for fourth in the New Jersey State Open, while Ike champion Peicheng Chen of Rock Hill and Farrell winner Tim Hegarty of Sleepy Hollow stood fourth and fifth, respectively.

Ina Kim-Schaad, Deepdale
A positive outlook on the 2024 season helped Kim-Schaad navigate both the highs and lows of the season and ultimately earn the MGA Women’s Player of the Year honor.

Related: Women’s POY Final Standings | History

After a somewhat slow start to the season that included a tie for seventh at Nassau in the Women’s Met Amateur – a championship she has won three times – Kim-Schaad claimed the New York State Women’s Amateur for the first time. She opened the championship by firing a 5-under 66, which set a women’s course record at Skaneateles Country Club. From there, Kim-Schaad posted rounds of 74-76 on Day 2 and cruised to the five-shot victory.

The win also earned her a spot in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship. Though she didn’t make the cut there, she advanced to match play and won a pair of matches in the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship – a title she claimed in 2019.

In her final point-receiving even of the year, Kim-Schaad advanced to match play and won a match in The Farrell at The Stanwich Club in Greenwich, Conn., allowing her to eclipse inaugural MGA Women’s Player of the Year Katie Li of Fiddler’s Elbow on the points listing.

According to Kim-Schaad, a key to the season was turning 40 last year – a moment that made her realize she wanted to make the most of competing at the highest level in the immediate future. Sporting a rejuvenated relationship with the game thanks to delving into the mental side of the game in recent years, she put together a more robust schedule and had fun competing.

“Honestly, I just love it, and I try to have fun,” says Kim-Schaad of her refreshed outlook on the game. “Sometimes it’s harder to do than others, but I genuinely have had so much fun this season through the bad and the good. Any time you win an award like this it’s such an honor, but for me with my ties with the MGA, it’s even more special,” says Kim-Schaad. “I’m very grateful for it.”

Li finished second, while MGA eClub New Jersey member Grace Lu, who won both the MGA/WMGA Women’s Public Links and WMGA Match Play “A” Championship in 2024, finished third. Alyssa Roland of Watchung Valley and Women’s Met Amateur champion Samantha Perrotta of Peddie rounded out the top five.

Jack Chung, Greenwich, Conn.
Chung became the youngest player and first 16-year-old to win the MGA Junior Player of the Year presented by Callaway after winning the Met Junior, sharing the Carter Cup title and making the semifinals at the Met Amateur.

Related: Junior POY Final Standings | History

"I was very excited and very grateful. I played very solidly this year. It was nice to receive that award, but just very appreciative and happy," said Chung when he found out he had won the award. "My game plan was to do my best every day, every round, and every tournament I played, which accumulated to an excellent season."

In the Met Junior at Sunningdale, Chung beat Liam Pasternak, 4 and 2, to claim the title. On his way to the Met Junior victory, Chung was efficient in match play, never needing to play all 18 holes in his four wins and wrapping up two matches after 16 holes.

Chung continued his match play prowess in the Met Amateur at Somerset Hills in Bernardsville, N.J. The youngest competitor in the bracket got past Ike champion Peicheng Chen of Rock Hill and past Met Junior champion Colin Summers of Plainfield, before falling to eventual champion Donte Groppuso of Wiltwyck.

Being only 16 years old, Chung could defend his player of the year honor next season. Jack Wall is the only player to win multiple Junior Player of the Year honors, which he did in 2018 and 2019.