122nd Met Amateur Tees off Thursday at Somerset Hills
ELMSFORD, N.Y. (July 29, 2024) – Somerset Hills Country Club welcomes the Met Amateur Championship for the third time in its history this week, as the region’s top players battle for the title in the 122nd playing of the MGA’s oldest championship, August 1-4.
Related: Pairings | Met Amateur History | Met Amateur Records
The classic A.W. Tillinghast layout with its contrasting nines and challenging greens will provide an outstanding test for the players and allow for a variety of options in the match play format. Somerset Hills has time and time again produced outstanding champions – George Zahringer (1982) and Michael Stamberger (2003) have claimed the two Met Amateurs at the venue – and no doubt will deliver again in 2024.
Players will compete over 36 holes of stroke play qualifying on Thursday, with the low 16 players advancing to match play. Two rounds of match play follow on Friday, with the semifinals taking place Saturday and the 36-hole final determining a champion on Sunday.
The championship always stands as a test of both skill and stamina and has been claimed by the likes of Walter Travis, Willie Turnesa, Dick Siderowf, Jerry Courville, Sr., Zahringer and many more through its noted history.
Past Champions
Five past champions are in the field at Somerset Hills: Garett Engel of Seawane (’21), Josh German of Meadow Brook (’23), Michael Stamberger of Manasquan River (’03), Jack Wall of Manasquan River (’20), and Pat Wilson of Hamilton Farm (‘13). Stamberger won his Met Amateur title at Somerset Hills.
A Chance to Defend
Nine different players have been successful in defending their title in back-to-back years. German is aiming to become the first to repeat in the Met Amateur since Johnson Wagner in 2001 and 2002.
Time for Another Run?
Four players in the field have finished as runner-up in the Met Amateur: Trevor Randolph of Arcola (2013, ’21), Luke Sample of Old Oaks (2020), Christian Cavaliere of Hudson National (2018, ’23), and Matthew Lowe of Bethpage (2014).
Making Match Play
Mark Costanza of Baltusrol owns the longest active streak of advancing to match play, having done so each of the last four years. The only others in the field with active streaks are Cavaliere, Sample, and Ben Loomis of Winged Foot, both having made it to the bracket each of the last two years.
Champions and More Champions
The Met Amateur always delivers one of the strongest fields and stands as one of the toughest fields for which to qualify. The field strength is also evident with the number of past MGA champions in the field, with 26 players having won an individual MGA championship:
| Name | Club | MGA Victories |
| James Allen | Scarsdale | '20 Carter Cup |
| Arjun Caprihan | Spring Brook | '22 Boys' |
| Christian Cavaliere | Hudson National | '16 Met Junior |
| Peicheng Chen | Rock Hill | '22 Public Links, '24 Ike |
| Jack Chung | Greenwich | '24 Met Junior |
| Mark Costanza | Baltusrol | '03 Boys', '07 Met Junior, '20 Ike |
| Chris DeJohn | Arcola | '22 Mid-Am |
| Garett Engel | Seawane | '01 Met Junior, '21 Met Amateur |
| Matthew Fields | Quaker Ridge | '21 Ike |
| Josh German | Meadow Brook | '23 Met Amateur |
| Andrew Giuliani | Trump National - Bedminster | '05 Ike, '09 Met Open |
| Darin Goldstein | Deepdale | '17 Mid-Am |
| Reed Greyserman | Hamilton Farm | '19-'20 Boys' |
| John Hiller | Westchester | '22 Met Junior |
| Jud Langille | Trump National - Westchester | '17 Boys' |
| Eric LeFante | Somerset Hills | '12 Public Links |
| Matthew Lowe | Bethpage State Park | '10 Boys', '17 Ike, '23 Public Links |
| James McHugh | Pine Barrens | '15 Met Junior |
| Carter Prince | Meadow Brook | '18 Carter Cup |
| Jose Ramirez | MGA eClub - NJ | '24 Public Links |
| Trevor Randolph | Arcola | '15-'16 Mid-Am |
| Luke Sample | Old Oaks | '18 Boys', '20 Met Junior, '20 Met Open, '22 Ike |
| Michael Stamberger | Manasquan River | 1987 Boys', '03 Met Amateur |
| Colin Summers | Plainfield | '21 Met Junior |
| Jack Wall | Manasquand River | '20 Met Amateur |
| Pat Wilson | Hamilton Farm | '13 Met Amateur |
MGA Grand Slam
Jerry Courville, Sr., George Zahringer, and Johnson Wagner stand as the lone players who have won all three MGA Majors – the Ike, Met Amateur, and Met Open. Having won the Met Open in 2020 and the Ike in 2022, Sample has a chance to join this exclusive list at Somerset Hills.
The MGA Match Play Sweep
Jeff Putman is the lone player in MGA history to have won all three of the MGA’s match play championships: the Boys’, Met Junior, and Met Amateur. Both Costanza and Sample have two legs of the trio complete with Boys’ and Met Junior victories.
Already Winners
A number of players in the field have already captured titles this season and will look to add to their trophy cabinets for the season:
| Name | Club | Wins |
| Peicheng Chen | Rock Hill | Ike |
| Jack Chung | Greenwich | Met Junior |
| Jonathan Farber | Mill River | Long Island Amateur |
| Jackson Fretty | Greenwich | Westchester Amateur |
| Reed Greyserman | Hamilton Farm | NJSGA Amateur |
| Derek Gutierrez | Galloping Hill | NJSGA Open |
| Matt Lowe | Bethpage | Richardson, Mittelmark |
| Michael McConie | Colonial Springs | Hebron Amateur |
| Jose Ramirez | MGA eClub - NJ | MGA Public Links |
Points up for Grabs
With the season going by quickly, the Met Amateur stands as one of the most valuable remaining events for those in the mix for the MGA Jerry Courville Sr., Player of the Year Award. The winner will receive 325 points. Nine of the top 10 players in the current standings are in the field. Lowe currently stands atop the listing.
Somerset Success?
The MGA was last at Somerset Hills for the 2020 Mid-Amateur. Two players in the field this week finished in the top-10 then: Costanza (T4) and Darin Goldstein (T8).
Fast Facts:
Field Size: 70
Entries Accepted: 726
By State: 36 – New York; 22 – New Jersey; 12 - Connecticut
Youngest in the Field: Jack Chung (16)
Oldest in the Field: Edward Walsh (59)
Average Age: 28.3
Average Handicap Index: +2.2
Format
• 36 holes of on-site stroke play qualifying on Thursday to determine the 16 competitors for match play
• Two rounds of match play Friday, semifinals on Saturday and 36-hole championship match on Sunday
Somerset Hills Country Club
• Club founded in 1899, with its present-day A.W. Tillinghast course completed in 1917
• Perennially listed among the top 100 courses in the country
• Known for an outstanding collection of par 3s as well as contrasting styles from the front to back nines
• Hosting an MGA championship for the sixth time (1982 and 2003 Met Amateur, 2011 Ike, 2019 Women’s Met Am, 2020 Mid-Amateur)
• Hosted the 1973 and 1983 U.S. Girls’ Junior and 1990 Curtis Cup
Coverage
• Live hole-by-hole scoring for the entirety of the championship
• Social media: @mga1897 on Instagram, Facebook, and X (Twitter)
• Scoring, recaps, interviews, photos, and videos on mgagolf.org