Match Play Set at 106th Met Junior Championship
WESTFIELD, N.J. (July 17, 2023) – After 36 holes of stroke play on Monday at Echo Lake Country Club, the 16-player match play field is set at the 106th Met Junior Championship Sponsored by MetLife.
Barnes Blake of Echo Lake and Sam O’Hara of Maidstone were the co-medalists on Monday. The pair shot matching 5-under 137s.
Related: Day 1 Results & Match Play Bracket | Photos
Blake—playing on his home course—fired a 9-under 62 in the first round to lead by seven. Blake followed that with a 4-over 75 in round two. In round one, Blake went out in 29, which included three straight birdies on holes two, three, and four. On the back nine, Blake recorded four birdies and a bogey to finish 9-under. The Westfield, N.J. native moved to 10-under before bogeying the par-four fourth and carding an eight on the par-four fifth.
“Started off a bit shaky but saved par on one and built some momentum,” said Blake. “My iron play took over on three. I hit it to four feet, made birdie, and that continued through the rest of the round. I hit a bunch of shots to within 2-3 feet.”
O’Hara from Maidstone Club finished round one eight shots behind Blake. O’Hara opened with a 1-under 70 and recorded 4-under 67 in round two in the afternoon. In round two, O’Hara posted a 3-under opening nine with birdies on the second, fifth, and eighth holes. After bogeying the 13th, O’Hara birdied the par-four 18th to finish.
O’Hara said after the second round, “I got off to a better start in round two, and came out firing. The course was firmer in round two, which I like, since I tend to spin it a lot. That was a bit of advantage for me in the afternoon.”
Blake will meet Brandon Quach of Shackamaxon Country Club and O’Mara will face Jack Estrella from Old Westbury Golf and Country Cub. The defending champion, John Hiller of Westchester Country Club is the 14th seed and will meet the three seed Thomas Finn of Nassau Country Club. Two-time MGA/MetLife Boys' champion Reed Greyserman of Hamilton Farm will take on Lucas Rizo-Patron of Pelham in the 12-5 matchup, while reigning Carter Cup champion Cameron Besaw of GlenArbor will take on MGA eClub - Hudson Valley member Josh Yan.
Match play gets underway at 7 a.m. on Tuesday at Echo Lake.