Plainfield Welcomes Senior Open

ELMSFORD, N.Y. (August 25, 2023) – Metropolitan Golf Association founding member Plainfield Country Club welcomes its seventh different MGA event, August 28-29 as it hosts the 27th Lexus MGA Senior Open Championship. Each year the Senior Open features one of the most accomplished fields of the season, especially as more and more players with stellar careers turn 50 and reach the age of eligibility for the event.

Related: Pairings | Senior Open History | Senior Open Records

Plainfield Country Club, originally known as Hillside Tennis Club, has long been a supporter of the MGA and especially its championship golf. Plainfield and it’s spectacular Donald Ross layout has previously hosted 18 MGA events, welcoming the Ike in 2005, the Met Amateur on six occasions including 2021, and the Met Open five times, making it one of 19 clubs to host all three MGA majors.

The layout, which underwent an extensive restoration and renovation under the direction of Gil Hanse, flows across rolling terrain in Edison, N.J., with its elevated and contoured greens serving as a major part of the challenge. Just last week, it was announced that Plainfield will welcome three future USGA championships: the 2025 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, 2031 U.S. Senior Women’s Open and 2038 U.S. Senior Open. It has previously hosted the 1978 U.S. Amateur and 1987 U.S. Senior Women’s Open.

Players will be competing at Plainfield to have their name etched into the championship's sleek platter, while professionals will vie for the $5,000 winner's share up for grabs.

Past Champions in the Field
The field includes 11 past champions that account for 16 titles over the 26-year history of the championship:
Frank Esposito, Jr., Mountain Ridge – 2022, 2020
David Schuster, Sleepy Hollow – 2021
Shaun Powers, Fairview – 2019
Mark Mielke, 2018, 2015
Bill Britton, Trump National Colts Neck – 2017, 2006
Jim McGovern, White Beeches – 2016
Craig Thomas, Metropolis – 2013
Michael Burke, Montammy – 2011
Bobby Heins, Old Oaks – 2009, 2008
Darrell Kestner, Deepdale – 2005, 2003
Edward Whitman, Knickerbocker – 2004

Back-to-Back?
Frank Esposito, Jr., of Mountain Ridge claimed the title last year at The Patterson Club and now has the chance to become only the third player to defend his title. Bobby Heins (2008-09) and Russell Helwig (1998-1999) are the only two to win the championship in back-to-back years.

Always There
Esposito has been a mainstay on the Lexus MGA Senior Open leaderboard since becoming eligible in 2013, recording top-10 finishes in the championship all 10 years. In addition to his wins in 2020 and 2022, Esposito has also logged top-five finishes in 2017 and 2019.

This is 50
Eight players are new to the field having reached 50 years of age. Kirk Oguri of Pete’s Golf Shop just met the age requirement, turning 50 on Saturday. Additional professionals include past MGA Boys’, Met Junior and Westchester Open winner Greg Bisconti of The Saint Andrew’s Golf Club; Tommy Monteverdi of Glen Ridge; and Keith Grassing of the NJPGA. Amateurs having reached 50 years old include Scott Asiel of Connecticut Golf Club; Craig Brewer of Southward Ho; Michael Brown of Rock Spring; and two-time MGA Mid-Amateur champion Trevor Randolph of Arcola, who earlier this year won the New Jersey Senior Open.

Amateur-Open Double
Adam Kugler of Alpine and John Ervasti of Sleepy Hollow are the only two players to have won both the MGA Senior Amateur and Lexus MGA Senior Open in their career. Several players could join that list this week, with Dennis Lynch of Baiting Hollow (2021), Roddy McCrae of Baltusrol (2020), Jim Graham of Winged Foot (2019) and George Zahringer (2016, 2015) of Deepdale all standing as MGA Senior Amateur winners in the field.

Met Open to Senior Open
Fourteen players that are in the field for the Lexus MGA Senior Open are coming off competing in the 108th Met Open Championship Presented by Callaway at Arcola. Of those, Esposito, Bisconti and Philip Cardwell of Rockville Links all made the cut. Esposito had the top finish, carding rounds of 73-74-71 to finish 5-over and tied for 14th.

Met Open Champions
Six of the seven players to have won both the Met Open and Senior Open are in the field: Mike Burke of Montammy, Bill Britton of Trump Colts Neck, Bobby Heins of Old Oaks, Darrell Kestner of Deepdale, Jim McGovern of White Beeches and Mark Mielke in the field. There are six additional Met Open champions in the field aiming to become the eighth to win both championships: Frank Bensel of Century, Mark Brown, Mike Diffley of Pelham, Mike Gilmore of Winged Foot, Bob Rittberger of Garden City Golf Club and George Zahringer of Deepdale.

Format

• 36-hole championship played over two days
• Following Monday's opening round, a cut will be made to the low 40 players and anyone within five shots of the lead
• In the event of a tie, a hole-by-hole playoff will determine a champion

Coverage

• Live scoring available throughout the championship
• Social media coverage on @mga1897 on Instagram, X, and Facebook.
• Scoring, photos, video and more on mgagolf.org