Mattana Leads 96th MGA Senior Amateur
BAITING HOLLOW, N.Y. (May 15, 2023) – David Mattana of Meadow Brook helped make his 63rd birthday a memorable one on Monday, shooting a 1-under 71 at Baiting Hollow Club to earn the first-round lead in the 96th MGA Senior Amateur Championship.
Mattana will carry a two-shot lead into the final round, as reigning champion and host club member Dennis Lynch, Stephen Boyd of Baltusrol and Bill Henry of Morris County all turned in 1-over 73s to open play.
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“I had a good feel for the speed, which kind of makes up for other sins,” said Mattana of his performance. “I two-putted from 30-40 feet a lot of times to within six inches. I hit it pretty solid and kept it in play.”
Mattana came in blind to Baiting Hollow, not able to play a practice round since he was at NCAA Division-II East Regionals with his Adelphi University men’s golf team. Though his game had been steady as of late, he was still surprised by the sub-par championship score.
“I played all winter, and I played ok in the Richardson,” said the recent past president of the Long Island Golf Association. “I didn’t see this coming, but you never do.”
As he heads into the final round, Mattana remarked, with a laugh, that the only problem is that this is a 36-hole championship. He’s looking forward to taking on Tuesday one shot at a time.
Meanwhile, reigning champion Lynch has also been playing solid golf early this season, advancing to match play for both the Havemeyer and Richardson the last two weeks.
Lynch tallied four birdies on the day, with a hot stretch of three in a row coming on Nos. 7-9 thanks to approach shots inside of six feet.
“If you miss the fairways, the rough isn’t that tall, but it’s thick and the greens are so firm, it’s hard to keep it on the green,” said Lynch of the challenges around his home club.
Though Lynch has the local knowledge, he’s aware of the pressure and expectations as the reigning champion and member of the host club.
“It should help a lot, but I think there’s a lot more pressure coming in. All the members know you’re playing, so you want to have a good round,” he said.
Heading into Tuesday’s final 18, Lynch says he’s keeping it simple and has “no expectations, just like today.”
Past MGA president Boyd carded three birdies on the day, helping to combat a pair of bogeys and a double bogey for his 73. Henry, who played alongside Mattana, had five birdies in the round, but added four bogeys and a double en route to 73.
Tore Carlson of Bedford Golf & Tennis and George Miller of The Saint Andrew's Golf Club both carded 2-over 74s, while Ed Walsh of Trump National - Bedminster shot one higher at 3-over 75. The leaderboard begins to get crowded at 4-over as 13 players turned in 76s, including 1997 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Ken Bakst of Friar's Head, three-time Westchester Mid-Am champion Patrick Pierson of New York Country Club.
Following Monday’s opening round, a cut was made to the low 40 players and ties. A total of 44 players made the cut with scores of 8-over 80 or better. Tuesday's final round will begin at 8:30 a.m., with groups of two going off both the first and tenth tees. The final pairing of Mattana and Boyd will tee off at 9:55 a.m.
Baiting Hollow Club is hosting its first-ever MGA Senior Amateur Championship. The 1964 Robert Trent Jones Sr., design has impressed the field, with its layout rolling across the hills just off the Long Island Sound. Lynch referenced its lush rough as one challenging aspect, but many players also commented on the quality and challenge found on the greens.