ELMSFORD, N.Y. (October 7, 2011) – After originally being scheduled for August 29 & 30 but postponed due to rain, the 15th MGA Senior Open Championship will be played on the rescheduled date of October 17 & 18 at Crestmont Country Club in West Orange, N.J. In its 15 years of existence, the MGA Senior Open has become one of the most competitive and popular events on the MGA calendar, giving professionals and amateurs aged 50 and older a chance to test their games over 36 holes of stroke play. The professionals in the field of 120 players are competing for a $25,000 purse, with $5,000 going to the winner.

Last year’s champion, 56-year-old John Ervasti of Sleepy Hollow, made history as the first amateur winner of the MGA Senior Open. Ervasti, who also won the 2011 MGA Senior Amateur at Shorehaven Golf Club in May and finished as the low amateur at the Met Open at Sleepy Hollow in August, will be back to defend his title and is in a high-profile pairing with 2006 MGA Senior Open champion Bill Britton of Trump National-Colts Neck, two-time Met Open winner Rick Hartmann of Atlantic, and multiple time club champion at Arcola Country Club Jim Craffey.

In addition to Ervasti and Britton, other past Senior Open champions in this year’s field include two-time (2009 & ’10) winner Bobby Heins of Old Oaks. Heins finished second to Ervasti in last year’s Senior Open, coming up just short of an unprecedented three-peat in the event. Another two-time champion, Russell Helwig (1998 & ’99) of Essex Fells, joins 2004 champion Ed Whitman of Knickerbocker as the players looking to add another Senior Open title to their records.

Other top contenders to watch out for include Quaker Ridge head professional Rick Vershure, who has finished in the top five in this event two out of the last three years; three-time Met Amateur and three-time Ike winner Jerry Courville Jr. of Shorehaven; former Met Amateur and MGA Senior Amateur champion Ron Vannelli of Metuchen; 1991 Met Open champion Mike Diffley of Pelham; Sleepy Hollow head professional David Young; and Dunwoodie teaching professional Tom Sutter.    

Ervasti’s win last year proved that an amateur could win this championship, and in fact, more than half of the field is made up by amateurs. In addition to Ervasti and Vannelli, other top contenders include George Zahringer III, the most decorated champion in MGA history who holds ten MGA Player of the Year titles; Jim Graham and Joe Sommers, both of Winged Foot, and Bill Henry of Forsgate, all three of whom qualified for the 2011 USGA Senior Amateur; recent MGA Senior Amateur champions Al Small (2009) of Fairmount, and Jay Blumenfeld (2007) of Mountain Ridge; and MGA Executive Committee member Phil Fabrizio of Knickerbocker. 

Crestmont Country Club, a Donald Ross design dating to 1923, is a par-72 layout that will play to 6,459 yards for the championship. Much of the course winds over sharply sloping terrain, with the clubhouse perched atop a hill and the first and 10th holes tumbling down into the valley. Ross left his signature clearly emblazoned on the crowned greens, which feature bold contours and sharp drop-offs on most sides. The only change to the course came in 1977, when Robert Trent Jones rebuilt two greens.

Crestmont has a long and storied tournament history, including the hosting of the 1931 Met Open. In that championship, Macdonald Smith cruised to a five-stroke victory over 1925 Met Open champion Gene Sarazen.

The MGA Senior Open begins with 18 holes of stroke play on Monday, October 17, after which a cut is made to the low 40 and ties, who will return for the final round on Tuesday, October 18. The competition is open to golfers who have reached their 50th birthday by October 17, 2011, and amateurs must have a USGA Handicap Index of 4.5 or lower to enter.

For complete coverage of the 15th MGA Senior Open, including live scoring for the leading groups in the final round, visit www.mgagolf.org on your computer or Internet-enabled phone or follow the championship on the My MGA mobile app, available as a free download in the iTunes Store and Android Market.