MGA Championship Season Tees off with 97th Senior Amateur
ELMSFORD, N.Y. (May 3, 2024) – The 2024 MGA championship season tees off May 8-9 as the region’s top players aged 55 and above compete at GlenArbor in Bedford Hills, N.Y., in the 97th MGA Senior Amateur Championship.
Related: Pairings | Senior Amateur History | Past Champions Gallery
The championship stands as one of the MGA’s fastest-filling events, with the season-opener selling out in hours each year. The field annually contains the region’s most decorated senior competitors and has provided plenty of excitement in recent years.
Last year, Ken Bakst of Friar’s Head birdied three of his final six holes at Baiting Hollow Club en route to a two-shot, come-from-behind victory. Other recent highlights include Dennis Lynch’s playoff victory at Haworth in 2022 and Roddy McRae’s clutch finish at Round Hill in 2021.
This year, the field will battle for the title at GlenArbor, which welcomes the championship for the first time.
Past Champions in the Field
Seven past champions will tee it up at GlenArbor with hopes of capturing the Horace L. Hotchkiss Trophy once again:
Ken Bakst, Friar’s Head – 2023
Dennis Lynch, Baiting Hollow – 2022
Roddy McCrae, Baltusrol – 2021
Ned Zachar, GlenArbor – 2020
Jim Graham, Winged Foot – 2019
George Zahringer, Deepdale – 2015, 2016
Jay Blumenfeld, Mountain Ridge – 2007, 2014
Two in a Row?
Ken Bakst of Friar’s Head has the opportunity to become just the sixth player in championship history to win the Senior Amateur in back-to-back years. George Zahringer was the last to do so, winning in 2015 at Westchester and 2016 at Huntington Country Club.
Home Cookin’
GlenArbor’s very own Ned Zachar will aim to defend home turf. He would be the first to win at their home club since Al Small did so at Fairmount in 2017. Zachar has recent success winning at the Gary Player layout, winning the Westchester Senior Amateur – which is contested in match play – at his home club just last year.
Another Run
In addition to Bakst, seven players that logged a top-10 finish last year will be in the championship field again: Tore Carlson of Bedford, MGA eClub – Hudson Valley member Gustav Talleur, Ken Cohen of Villa Roma, Zachar, Sander Koudijs of Trump National Hudson Valley, Tom Yellin of Stanwich, and Dave Scialabba of Meadow Brook.
Always in the Mix
Past champion Zachar and Scialabba own the most impressive strings of finishes in the championship as of late, racking up five top 10s in the last six playings. Zachar had three consecutive top-three finishes from 2018-2020 and has been in the top 10 each of the last two years. Scialabba had four consecutive top 10 finishes from 2018-2021 and returned to the top 10 last year at Baiting Hollow Club.
No. 3?
Zahringer has the chance to become the sixth player in championship history to claim the title at least three times in their career.
Good Vibes
Past champion Lynch can recall some good memories at GlenArbor when teeing it up this week, having won the second of his two MGA Mid-Amateur titles at GlenArbor in 2010.
Format
• Ages 55 and over
• Two days, 36 holes of stroke play
• Field cut to the low 40 scores and ties (and anyone within five shots of the lead) following 18 holes
GlenArbor
• Gary Player design
• Has previously hosted the MGA Mid-Am (2010) and MGA Father & Son Championship (2018) in addition to several WGA championships
• Laid out over rolling terrain that demands accuracy from tee to green
Coverage
• Scoring updates will be available throughout the championship
• Social media: @MGA1897 on X and Instagram, plus additional content on Facebook
• Scoring, recaps, interviews, and more on mgagolf.org