In 1936, 14 years after the USGA created the U.S. Amateur Public Links, a group of golfers at Hendricks Field Golf Course in Belleville, New Jersey became thedriving force behind the inception of the MGA Public Links Championship. The championship switched from match play to stroke play in 1961, and then was not played between 1973 and 1983. It was reinstated by the MGA in 1984, and since then, it has been conducted on some of the most highly acclaimed public layouts in the nation, including Bethpage Black, site of the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Opens, and nationally ranked facilities such as Richter Park in Danbury, Conn., Hominy Hill in Colts Neck, N.J., and Spook Rock in Suffern, N.Y.
The MGA Public Links Championship is the oldest public links championship in the country.
RELATED: MGA Public Links Records
High demand for the championship requires five local qualifiers across the Met Area. Past champions of the MGA Public Links include the three-time winner Lee Richardson (1993, ‘94 and ‘99); the late Jeff Thomas (1992 and ’98), one of the best amateur golfers to ever come out of the Met Area; and Mark Farrell, who won two straight Public Links titles in 2005 and 2006. The winner of the Public Links Championship gains automatic entry into that year’s Met Amateur.
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Site | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Jose Ramirez | Diego Ocasio | Spook rock | Scores | Recap |
| 2023 | Matthew Lowe | Erik Stauderman | Bethpage Red | Scores | Recap |
| 2022 | Peicheng Chen | Jonathan Jeter | Rock Spring | Scores | Recap |
| 2021 | Jonathan Jeter | Ryan Lee | Pound Ridge | Scores | Recap |
| 2020 | Not played in 2020 | |||
| 2019 | Gray Barnes | David Powers | Neshanic Valley | Scores | Recap |
| 2018 | Jonathan Jeter | Rob Pepi | Griffith E. Harris | Scores | Recap |
| 2017 | Alex Kang** | Michael Miranda | Ballyowen | Scores | Recap |
| 2016 | Michael Miranda | Michael Young Jr., Jonathan Jeter, Kyle Brey | Spook Rock | Scores | Recap |
| 2015 | David Cha | Kyle Brey | Eisenhower Park (Red) | Scores | Recap |
| 2014 | Xander McDonald-Smith | Armando Olivieri | Charleston Springs | Scores | Recap |
| 2013 | Jacob Henny | Adam Larkin | Richter Park | Scores | Recap |
| 2012 | Eric LeFante | Mark Reilly | Bethpage (Black) | Scores | Recap |
| 2011 | Anthony Aloi** | Eric LeFante | Hominy Hill | Scores | Recap |
| 2010 | Brian Komline | Alex Edfort | Spook Rock | Scores |
| 2009 | Josh Goldstein | Eric LeFante | Links at Shirley | Scores | Recap |
| 2008 | Michael Dominici | Peter Zeldin Sean Davy | Richter Park | Scores |
| 2007 | Justin Jacaruso | Richard Jung | Neshanic Valley | Scores | Recap |
| 2006 | Mark Farrell | Isaac Lim Brian Komline | Spook Rock | Scores | Recap |
| 2005 | Mark Farrell | David Segot | Bethpage (Black) | Scores |
| 2004 | Jason Bataille | Kyle Moran | Griffith E. Harris# | Scores | Recap |
| 2003 | Ralph Alfieri | David Solomon | Charleston Springs | Scores | Recap |
| 2002 | Peter Meurer | Joe Horowitz | Spook Rock* | |
| 2001 | Martin Catalioto | Gary Schmitt | Oyster Bay | |
| 2000 | David Kwon | Peter Meurer Clark Holle | Richter Park | |
| 1999 | Lee Richardson |
Matthew Corrigan, Harry Goett III, Mark McEvoy |
Hominy Hill | |
| 1998 | Jeff Thomas | Casey Alexander | Spook Rock | |
| 1997 | Paul Dickinson | Peter Meurer | Bethpage (Black) | |
| 1996 | Paul Dickinson | Michael Borelli | Hominy Hill | |
| 1995 | Jerome Kim | Donald Watkins | Richter Park | |
| 1994 | Lee Richardson | Jeff Thomas Glen Wiggers | Spook Rock | |
| 1993 | Lee Richardson | Al Falussy | Oyster Bay | |
| 1992 | Jeff Thomas | Ken Dardis | Richter Park | |
| 1991 | Robert Fisher Jr. | David Woliner R.J. Nakashian | Hominy Hill | |
| 1990 | Alan Specht | Bobby Fisher Jr. | Spook Rock | |
| 1989 | Del Kinney Jr. | Bobby Fisher Jr. Angelo Petraglia | Spring Lake | |
| 1988 | Del Kinney Jr. | Donald Watkins | Richter Park** | |
| 1987 | Mark Mielke | Vin Truscelli | Spook Rock | |
| 1986 | Charles Cowell | Scott Hawkins | Hominy Hill | |
| 1985 | Carl Campanelli | Mark Mielke | Blue Hill | |
| 1984 | Carl Campanelli | Ronald Francis | Bethpage (Black) | |
| 1974 - ‘83 | No Competitions | |||
| 1973 | William Cariello | Martin Nolletti Jr. | North Redoubt | |
| 1972 | Robert Britton | Ricky Paonessa | Lakeover | |
| 1971 | John Riccardo | William Cariello | Salem | |
| 1970 | James Stalarow | George Borbely | North Redoubt | |
| 1969 | Robert Issler | Ed Majka | Ardsley | |
| 1968 | Harry Kaufman | R. Howard Joerger | Richmond County | |
| 1967 | Neil Donovan | Jim Albus | Mill River | |
| 1966 | Leonard Dahl | Sam Petrone | Hubbard Heights | |
| 1965 | Joseph Roccisano | Steve Zuntag | Timber Point | |
| 1964 | James Alverson | Sam Petrone | Timber Point | |
| 1963 | Sam Petrone | Richard Carroll | Spring Rock | |
| 1962 | Stan Lugovich Jr. | Raymond Klein | Fairchild Wheeler | |
| 1961 | Sam Petrone | Jeff Josinksy | Orchard Hills* | |
| 1960 | James O'Neill | Peter Gruntal | Rockleigh | |
| 1959 | Sam Petrone | Robert Tolf | Mohansic | |
| 1958 | Sam Petrone | James Torre | Bethpage (Black) | |
| 1957 | James Torre | Harry Glick | River Vale | |
| 1956 | Jerry Buchetto | Orlando Lupinacci | Hubbard Heights | |
| 1955 | George Baskiel | Alan Cook | Bethpage (Black) | |
| 1954 | Roy Faber | Joseph Birofka | Ash Brook | |
| 1953 | Bernard Kane | George Baskiel | Hubbard Heights | |
| 1952 | George Baskiel | Stanley Metz | Island Hills | |
| 1951 | Al Bange | Jerry Zale | Salisbury | |
| 1950 | Frank Kaminski Jr. | Alvin Peterson | Hendricks Field | |
| 1949 | Charles Amandoles | Lester Jankoski | Essex County West | |
| 1948 | Ray Sullivan | Joseph Birofka | Galloping Hill | |
| 1947 | Steve Maurath | Ed McFarlane | Split Rock | |
| 1946 | Arnold Gray | Peter DeCaprio | Engineers | |
| 1945 | Charles Amandoles | Marcus McGarry | Hendricks Field | |
| 1944 | Gilbert Smith | Edward Searle | LaTourette | |
| 1942 - ‘43 | No Competitions | |||
| 1941 | Dominic Strafaci | George Davidson | Bethpage (Black) | |
| 1940 | George Davidson | Mario Morano | Hendricks Field | |
| 1939 | Charles Amandoles | Peter DeCaprio | LaTourette | |
| 1938 | Pat Mucci Sr. | Charles Amandoles | Aviation | |
| 1937 | Michael Cestone | Walter Thoren | Bethpage (Black) | |
| 1936 | John Cunniff | Roy Corey | Hendricks Field | |
| * Format changed to stroke play ** Won in a playoff # Rain-shortened | ||||
