Denville, NJ-After three long days of tournament tough golf in all types of weather, the 87th MGA/MetLife Junior Championship came to an end with 18-year-old Pat Fillian of Neptune, NJ crowned the 2004 Champion and Sun Ho Kim of Flushing, NY, the runner-up. With defending champion Michael Quagliano not in the field this week the stage was set for a breakthrough performance and heading into the final match both Fillian and Kim were searching for their first MGA title.  However, with a solid one under par 35 on the front nine, Fillian clearly controlled the match as he defeated Kim (5 & 3) at Rockaway River CC in Denville, NJ. The event, the nation’s oldest junior championship, was sponsored for the 22nd consecutive year by MetLife.

           

Fillian, who will attend Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT on a golf scholarship in the fall, feels hard work helped him this week. “It was an honor to be in this event let alone win it, but I have worked real hard the last few weeks and I guess practice pays off.”

 

That hard work paid off shortly after the group made the turn. After Kim’s par four on the 10th hole cut the lead to 3 up, Fillian managed to make birdie on the short par four 12th. Then, ironically as he did in his morning match against Tyler Barnes-Wolf, Fillian closed out his match with an eagle, earning his first major junior crown.

 

In semifinal action, Kim defeated Mike Corbo, of Rockaway River, who was host of the event for a record tenth time, (3 & 2). Fillian reached the finals by holing out on the par four 16^th hole to defeat Barners-Wolf of Old Tappan, NJ, (4 & 2).

 

For more information contact Tommy Dee or Gene Westmoreland of the MGA at (914) 347-GOLF or visit the MGA website @ www.mgagolf.org.

 

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