Live From: Third Playing of The Farrell
GREENWICH, Conn. (September 29, 2024) – The championship matches for the third playing of The Farrell at The Stanwich Club on Sunday are set. There will be a first-time champion in all three divisions.
Christian Cavaliere of Hudson National and Tim Hegarty from Winged Foot will meet in the men’s mid-amateur division title match. The women’s mid-amateur division will be Jackie Rogowicz of Merion (Pa.) versus Meghan Stasi from Tavistock (Fla.). Jim Strickland from Whisper Rock (Ariz.) and Kevin Vandenberg of Beaver Meadows (N.Y.) will duel for the men’s senior division crown.
The championship matches begin at 12:30 p.m., starting with the men’s senior division.
Related: Scoring | Day 3 Photos | Day 2 Recap | Day 2 Photos
Cavaliere, the men’s mid-amateur division co-medalist, edged Lukas Michel of Australia 3 & 1. Cavaliere was 3-up heading to No. 14, then Michel won the par-5 14th with an eagle and got to within one after parring the par-4 15th. Cavaliere responded with a long birdie putt to win the par-3 16th before wrapping up the match on the par-5 17th. Hegarty edged Will Davenport of Pine Tree (Fla.) 1-up in the semifinals. Neither player led by more than one hole in the match. Hegarty took a 1-up lead on the par-4 15th and then held on for the final three holes, which included his par putt hanging on the lip before falling on the par-5 17th to half the hole.
Previous Coverage: Day 1 Recap | Day 1 Photos
Rogowicz won 3 & 2 over Alyssa Roland from Watchung Valley. Rogowicz built a 3-up lead twice. Roland shrunk the deficit to one after winning Nos. 9 and 10, then Rogowicz responded by winning Nos. 11 and 12 to restore her 3-up advantage. The pair halved the final four holes, with Rogowicz wrapping up the match on No. 16. Stasi needed all 18 holes to get past Jacqueline Setas of The Country Club of Tennessee. Stasi led by three after 11 holes before Stasi brought it back to a 1-up advantage after 13. Stasi restored her 2-up lead with a par on the par-4 15th. Setas pushed the match to the 18th after winning No. 17 with a par. Number 18 was halved with pars to advance Stasi to the championship match.
Strickland, the medalist of the senior division, earned his widest margin of victory of the week in the semifinals with a 4 and 3 win over Mark Loomis of Winged Foot. Strickland built a 4-up lead with wins on the ninth, 10th, 11th, and 12thholes. Loomis got one back on the par-5 14th, but the match ended when both players bogeyed the par-4 15th. Vandenberg never trailed against Ronan Culligan of Saucon Valley (Pa.). Vandenberg built a 2-up lead at the turn before Culligan battled back to level the match after 12 holes. Vandenberg responded with a win on the par-3 13th before wrapping up the match with a birdie on the par-5 17th.
The Farrell, conducted by the MGA in partnership with The Stanwich Club, honors the legacy of longtime Stanwich head professional Billy Farrell. Farrell was Stanwich’s first-ever head professional and set a high standard in all aspects of the profession. He held the role from 1964 until 2000 and passed away in 2020 at the age of 85.
Farrell believed that a tournament should be highly competitive, be conducted in a professional manner, contain an elite field, and provide lifelong memories. While year two had to be shortened to an 18-hole stroke play competition, this year’s championship is already shaping up to stand as the most competitive year yet as fields continue to get stronger and stronger.
Related: The Farrell History | Preview
Stanwich hosted the U.S. Mid-Amateur in 2002 and is especially known for its fast, true greens. In the years since, the Club has welcomed the Palmer and Wyndham Cup. It stands among 19 Met Area clubs that have hosted all three MGA majors—the Ike, Amateur, and Open—hosting the Met Open in 1972 and 1996, the Ike in 1989, and the Met Amateur in 2004 and 2013.
The Farrell family has long been synonymous with golf in the Met Area. Billy was one of five children and grew up in New Jersey; his father, Johnny, the 1928 U.S. Open champion, was the Head Professional at Baltusrol Golf Club. While competing on tour, where he played in eight U.S. Opens and seven PGA Championships, Billy also worked as an assistant at Baltusrol. Billy and his wife Alvera had seven children; for 20 years, his son Bobby served as the Director of Golf at Tamarack Country Club in Greenwich, Conn. The Farrells were named Golf Family of the Year in 1966 by the Metropolitan Golf Writers Association.