St. George's Set for Met Junior
ELMSFORD, N.Y. (July 15, 2022) – The Met Junior Championship Sponsored by MetLife heads to Long Island, July 19-21, as its 105th playing marks its third appearance at St. George's Golf and Country Club in East Setauket, N.Y.
Related: Pairings | Met Junior History | Met Junior Records
Sixty-seven of the Met Area's top junior competitors will head to the classic Devereux Emmet design to vie for the nation's oldest junior championship. The MGA Foundation conducts the Met Junior as part of its extensive youth programming, which is supported by MetLife. MetLife’s particular support of the MGA Foundation is a testament to the company’s longstanding mission of giving back, and allows the MGA Foundation to continue instilling the values and traditions of golf in the next generation of golfers through a variety of innovative programs and junior championships.
The list of Met Junior champions to hoist the prestigious Mandeville Trophy includes the likes of Butch and Bill Harmon, Marc Turnesa and more recently Michael Miller and Cameron Young. The field this year once again contains a deep list of rising stars looking to etch their name in MGA history.
Match Play Mainstays
A pair of players in the field aim to advance to match play for the third consecutive year. Barnes Blake of Westfield, N.J., owns back-to-back trips to the Round of 16, while Tyler Lee of Franklin Lakes, N.J., advanced to the Semifinals in 2020 at Rockaway River and to the Round of 16 last year at Tuxedo Club.
Running it Back
Blake and Lee aren’t the only players aiming to return to match play in 2022. Last year’s runner-up John Hiller of New York, N.Y., will eye another run, as will 2021 quarterfinalists Cameron Besaw of New Canaan, Conn., and Tyler Donnellan of Riverside, Conn. Round of 16 qualifiers from last year include Michael Ostrower of New York, N.Y., Elliot Parker of Cranford, N.J.
Win ‘em Both
As the 2021 Carter Cup champion, Nathan Drogin of Essex Fells, N.J., can join an impressive list should he earn the victory this week. Only Patrick Fillian, David Pastore and Cameron Young stand as players that have won both the Carter Cup and Met Junior in their career.
Tops in their Region
Several regional junior champions have already been crowned this season and these players will now look to add another win to their resumes. Will Lodge of Darien, Conn., is fresh off a victory in the Connecticut Junior, while Andrew Chen of Whitestone, N.Y., successfully defended his Long Island junior title in a playoff, and Jonathan Oakes of Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., claimed victory in the Westchester Junior.
Bandon Bound
Several players in the field have also recently qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur, which takes place July 25-30 at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Ore. Those include Blake; Jack Chung of Greenwich, Conn., Dean Muratore of Dix Hills, N.Y.; Sam O’Hara of Rye, N.Y.; and Liam Pasternak of Morristown, N.J.
The Race is On
The Met Junior Championship Sponsored by MetLife begins to heat up the race for the MGA Junior Player of the Year Award, Presented by Callaway as the winner receives 250 points in the yearlong race. For the second straight year, Sam O’Hara (173 pts) owns the lead heading into the Met Junior. O’Hara finished as runner-up in the Long Island Amateur and also tied fourth in the Michael Hebron Amateur. Will Lodge (125 pts) is close behind following his Connecticut Junior win.
Format
• 36 holes of on-site stroke play qualifying (July 19), with top 16 advancing to match play.
• Round of 16 & quarterfinals conducted July 20, with semifinals and championship match taking place July 21.
• Field determined through exemptions and three qualifiers held throughout the Met Area.
St. George’s Golf & Country Club
• Formally opened in 1917, designed by “founding father,” Devereux Emmet.
• Course layout remains essentially the same and underwent a restoration under the eye of Gil Hanse that landed it in Golfweek’s 2011 Top 100 Courses in America list.
• Hanse, who has worked worldwide and on Met Area gems such as Winged Foot, Baltusrol, Quaker Ridge, Sleepy Hollow and more, calls it one of his favorite golf courses in the world.
• Welcoming its fifth MGA championship and hosting the Met Junior for the third time.
Coverage
• Live scoring throughout the championship
• @MGA1897 on Twitter and Instagram and the MGA's Facebook for additional content
• Scoring, recaps & photos available on mgagolf.org
