Hagestad Run Ends in U.S. Mid-Amateur
Stewart Hagestad.
UPDATE (September 26, 2018) -- Stewart Hagestad earned a 3-and-2 victory on Wednesday morning in his quarterfinal match at the U.S. Mid-Amateur, but was defeated by Brett Boner of the host city, Charlotte, by a 1-up margin to see his run come to an end.
Related: U.S. Mid-Am Homepage | Scoring
Hagestad once again got off to a hot start in his quarterfinal match, winning the first three holes to take an early 3-up lead over Rusty Mosley of Vidalia, Ga. While Mosley won Nos. 7-8, Hagestad responded with a win on the 9th and another on the 13th en route to securing his spot in the afternoon's semifinal.
Boner won the first hole to give Hagestad his first deficit of the championship, setting up what would be a back-and-forth battle between the two. Hagestad responded with wins on Nos. 3 and 5 to take his first lead of the match, but Boner won two of the next five holes to reclaim the advantage. The back-and-forth continued as Hagestad eyed a return trip to the championship match, winning Nos. 12-13 to take the 1-up advantage. But, the final lead change is how the match finished, as Boner made birdies on Nos. 15-16 to take the lead for good. Hagestad had a close look for birdie on the finisher as he looked to extend the match, but Boner drained a 20-plus footer for birdie and the 1-up win.
UPDATE (September 25, 2018) -- The goal of claiming a second U.S. Mid-Amateur title continued on Tuesday for Stewart Hagestad, as the 2016 champion and MGA Player of the Year picked up a pair of victories over two of the top senior competitors in the country to advance to Wednesday's quarterfinal round.
Related: U.S. Mid-Am Homepage | Scoring
In the morning Round of 32 match, Hagestad surrendered just one hole to recent U.S. Senior Amateur champion Jeff Wilson, while steady golf and a pair of birdies helped him earn a 3-and-2 victory. "I knew that we couldn't fake it today and we were going to have to go out and play well," said Hagestad of matching up with Wilson.
Next up, Hagestad squared off against Matt Sughrue and quickly took a 2-up lead with opening birdies. Hagestad never allowed Sughrue to get closer the remainder of the match, winning Nos. 5, 10 and 13 while his opponent scored wins on Nos. 7 and 15. Halving the par-4 16th led Hagestad to the 3-and-2 victory and secured his spot as one of the eight players remaining.
On Wednesday, Hagestad tees off at 8 a.m., facing Rusty Mosley of Vidalia, Ga., who eliminated medalist Stephen Behr, 1-up, Tuesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, 2017 Met Am champion Matt Mattare of Jersey City, N.J., faced an early two-hole deficit, but never dropped another hole after the sixth. Instead, Mattare won Nos. 7-8 and after six halves, closed with wins on Nos. 15-17. A final halve on the par-3 17th sent the French-American Challenge team member on to the Round of 16.
Mattare once again trailed by two in the early going, but won Nos. 6-7 to square the match. However, 27-year-old Ryan Eibner of Dallas, Texas won three holes to Mattare's one in the next four. Eibner added another win on the 15th and a halve on 16 eliminated Mattare, 3-and-2.
UPDATE (September 24, 2018) -- Past MGA Player of the Year Stewart Hagestad and 2017 Met Amateur champion Matt Mattare claimed victories on Monday in the opening round of match play of the 38th U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship at Charlotte Country Club in North Carolina.
Related: U.S. Mid-Am Homepage | Scoring
Hagestad, who made a run to the Round of 16 of the U.S. Amateur just prior to competing in the 103rd Met Open, made quick work of his opening match, defeating Minnesota's Bradley Wohlers, 8-and-6. Hagestad won six of the first eight holes to take a commanding lead, using an impressive eagle-birdie-birdie stretch on Nos. 5-7. A birdie-four on the 12th secured his spot in Tuesday's Round of 32, where he faces reigning U.S. Senior Amateur champion Jeff Wilson of Fairfield, Calif.
Meanwhile, in an all Met Area matchup, Mattare held off soon-to-be French-American Challenge teammate Brad Tilley of Easton, Conn., by a 2-and-1 margin. After both won a hole in the early going, Mattare claimed Nos. 8, 9, and 11 with pars for a 3-up advantage. Tilley found his swing just a couple holes later though, carding back-to-back birdies on Nos. 13-14 for consecutive wins while a par-four on the 15th pulled the match all-square. However, Mattare won the next two holes, going par-birdie to close out the match. Mattare squares off against Chicago's Brett Tomfohrde in the Round of 32.
Dan Macdonald of Ridgewood, N.J., almost completed a comeback as well, winning Nos. 15 and 16 to square his match against Matt Sughrue of Arlington, Va. The match went to extras, but Sughrue advanced with a par-four on the second hole.
In one of the morning's earliest matches, Darin Goldstein of New York, N.Y., was forced to concede to his opponent due to injury.
UPDATE (September 24, 2018) -- After two rounds of stroke play qualifying, five Met Area players advanced to match play at the 38th U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship at Charlotte Country Club.
One year after earning medalist honors at the championship, Brad Tilley of Easton, Conn. nearly made it two in a row as he tallied rounds of 67-72 to post the low score among area players and finish tied for second at 3-under.
"I played incredibly well," Tilley told the USGA following his opening round at Charlotte Country Club. "I tried to keep it below the hole and take advantage of the holes where I had nice tee balls. I made a nice par save on nine and another nice par save on 18 to hold things together." Last year, Tilley carried his medalist momentum all the way to the quarterfinals before falling to eventual champion Matt Parziale.
Tilley had to wait until Monday morning to find out his opponent, as a 16-for-12 playoff was needed. Unfortunately, Tilley will match up with another Met Area representative in soon-to-be French-American Challenge teammate Matt Mattare of Jersey City, N.J., took the No. 62 seed. Mattare, the 2017 Met Am champion and 2013 medalist in the U.S. Mid-Am, tallied rounds of 73-74 to make the playoff. The two square off at 1:00 p.m.
Meanwhile, Darin Goldstein of New York, N.Y., continued his season's strong play with rounds of 70-72, easily advancing to match play and also capturing the lead in the MGA Player of the Year race. He begins match play at 9:10 a.m. against Rusty Mosley of Vidalia, Ga.
Stewart Hagestad, the 2016 MGA Player of the Year, opened strong with a 67 of his own to share the lead with Tilley. A second round 74 at Carolina Golf Club dropped Hagestad into a tie for seventh. Hagestad takes on Bradley Wohlers of Vadnais Heights, Minn., at 11:00 a.m., Monday.
Dan Macdonald of Ridgewood, N.J., also advanced to match play behind rounds of 72-71. He faces Matt Sughrue of Arlington, Va., at 9:40 a.m.
ELMSFORD, N.Y. (September 21, 2018) -- More than a dozen Met Area representatives are set to begin play Saturday in the 38h U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, staged this year in North Carolina. Charlotte Country Club serves as host for the event, with Carolina Golf Club serving as the stroke-play co-host over the weekend. Match play then begins Monday, with a winner scheduled to be crowned Thursday, Sept. 27 after a 36-hole championship match.
Related: U.S. Mid-Am Homepage | Starting Times
A quartet of players head to the Tar Heel State aiming to build upon strong past experience in the championship. Stewart Hagestad claimed the title in 2016 en route to claiming MGA Player of the Year honors. Playing in the championship for the first time, Hagestad rallied from a four-hole deficit with five holes to play against past champion Scott Harvey to win in 37 holes. Darin Goldstein, who advanced to match play in 2016, would like to author a similar script this year, as he's chasing the 2018 Player of the Year title.
Meanwhile, both Brad Tilley of Easton, Conn., and Matt Mattare of Jersey City, N.J., have similar highlights having captured medalist honors in the event in 2017 and 2013, respectively. Last year, Tilley advanced to the quarterfinal round in his first appearance in the championship. Mattare, competing this year in his fifth U.S. Mid-Am, reached the quarterfinals in 2012 and the Round of 16 in 2014. The 2017 Met Amateur champion's game is in strong form following a recent win in the Pennsylvania Mid-Amateur at Saucon Valley, where his father, Gene, is the general manager and director of golf. Tilley, Mattare and Goldstein will then all represent the MGA in the French American Challenge, Oct. 1-2 in Paris.
| Player | Rd. 1 (Sat) | Rd. 2 (Sun) |
| Gregg Angelillo, Basking Ridge, N.J. | 7:52 a.m. CGC-1 | 12:42 p.m. CCC-10 |
| Sam Bernstein, New York, N.Y. | 1:54 p.m. CGC-1 | 9:14 a.m. CCC-10 |
| George Boudria, New York, N.Y. | 8:47 a.m. CGC-10 | 1:32 p.m. CCC-1 |
| Matt Fields, New York, N.Y. | 7:46 a.m. CCC-10 | 12:26 p.m. CGC-1 |
| Stewart Hagestad, Newport Beach, Calif. | 8:08 a.m. CCC-10 | 12:48 p.m. CGC-1 |
| Darin Goldstein, New York, N.Y. | 1:15 a.m. CCC-10 | 8:25 a.m. CGC-1 |
| Michael Kennedy, Milford, Conn. | 8:47 a.m. CGC-10 | 1:32 p.m. CCC-1 |
| Thomas Lee, Alpine, N.J. | 9:09 a.m. CGC-10 | 1:54 p.m. CCC-1 |
| Andrew Lord, Mount Kisco, N.Y. | 1:10 p.m. CGC-1 | 8:30 a.m. CCC-10 |
| Daniel Macdonald, Ridgewood, N.J. | 7:30 a.m. CGC-1 | 12:20 p.m. CCC-10 |
| Matt Mattare, Jersey City, N.J. | 8:03 a.m. CCC-1 | 12:48 p.m. CGC-10 |
| Jason Zubatkin, New Rochelle, N.Y. | 1:21 p.m. CCC-1 | 8:36 a.m. CGC-10 |
| Steven Zychowski, Mendham, N.J. | 12:20 p.m. CCC-10 | 7:30 a.m. CGC-1 |
The U.S. Women's Mid-Amatuer also runs Sept. 22-27, taking place at Norwood Hills Country Club in St. Louis, Mo.
Three of the four Met Area representatives qualified at Morris County Golf Club in Morristown, N.J. Two-time MGA/WMGA Women's Met Am champion Ina Kim-Schaad of New York, N.Y., earned medalist honors with a 72, while Meredith Champina and Alyssa Roland carded rounds of 76 and 78, respectively, to advance to the championship. Meanwhile, Amy Hajjar earned medalist honors with a 71 at Brookside Country Club in Macungie, Pa.
Related: U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Homepage | Starting Times
| Player | Rd. 1 | Rd. 2 |
| Meredith Chiampa, New York, N.Y. | 7:41 a.m. (10) | 12:11 p.m. (1) |
| Amy Hajjar, Jersey City, N.J. | 1:50 p.m. (1) | 9:20 a.m. (10) |
| Ina Kim-Schaad, New York, N.Y. | 12:11 p.m. (1) | 7:41 a.m. (10) |
| Alyssa Roland, New York, N.Y. | 9:20 a.m. (1) | 1:50 p.m. (10) |