Pinehaven C.C.- Tom Muto Jr. and Jeff Wolniewicz will contest the 86th Men’s Amateur final Saturday, after they emerged victorious from two tight semifinals.
Muto Jr. was able to hold off a late charge from Buffalo’s Matt Stasiak, holing a 20-foot downhill putt to close with a birdie-4 on the 17th and seal and 2 and 1 success.
Muto Jr. got off to a hot start, winning the first with a par before rolling in two lengthy birdie putts on holes three and four to move three up. Stasiak hit back with a birdie of his own on the par-5 6th, before finding trouble off the tee on seven to go back to three down.
Muto Jr. then birdied the 9th after a tee shot to four feet, making the turn at 4-up. The tenth was halved in par-4s and Stasiak missed a good opportunity to claw back, missing an 8-foot birdie putt on the par-3 11th after a towering long-iron shot.
Stasiak won twelve to get back to 3-down, after Muto Jr. found trouble from the tee and hit his third shot into a hazard behind the green. Muto Jr. won the 13th with a par after Stasiak hit his approach shot right of the green and was unable to get up and down.
At 4-down on the 14th tee things were looking bleak for Stasiak, but he was able to dig deep and pull off an excellent tee shot to within four-feet of the cup on the par-3, his resulting birdie good enough to reduce the deficit to 3 holes.
Stasiak then made another birdie on the par-five 15th, his chip for eagle narrowly sliding by the hole, but it was only good enough for a halve, as Muto Jr. also made four.
Sixteen saw Muto Jr. hit a 3-wood right off the tee, into a thick forest of trees, where he was unable to do better than 5, gifting the hole to Stasiak.
With Muto Jr. two up with two to play, both players split the fairway with their tee shots on the 500 yard par-5 17th. Stasiak’s second shot came up just short, and right, of the green before Muto Jr. pulled his second shot into rough left of the green.
Muto Jr. then pitched on and holed a 20-foot birdie putt to close out the match before Stasiak had a chance at a putt for a four of his own.
“It feels good to have made the final but it was a tough match,” Muto Jr. said “I managed to get up early which was nice because I have been down on the front in some other matches.”
Stasiak was clearly disappointed to have lost out in the semifinals but was able to look positively at the week:
“He played really well on the front nine and made a lot of long putts, like I heard he had been doing all week,” Stasiak said. “I got sloppy on a couple of shots, too, and gave him a couple of holes. It’s been a good week for me though, and I think it’s going to give me confidence for the rest of the season and for college in the fall.”
Muto Jr.’s father has been caddying for him since the championship began and Muto Jr. said his father had been a big part of his run to the final. He has also been helping his son on his thought process before shots.
“Having my dad caddie for me this week, in this heat, has been a big help to me,” Muto Jr. said. “He just says ‘tempo’ before I’m about to hit a shot, so it keeps my mind on one simple thought, and not about my swing,” Muto Jr. said.
Muto Jr. said he has not played with, or against, Wolniewicz before, but is in no doubt that tomorrow’s final will be challenging.
“I don’t know Jeff. I don’t how he plays, but anyone who has gotten to this stage of the tournament must be a real good player,” Muto Jr. said. “I’m not going to change my plan for tomorrow. I’m making a lot of birdies right now and feeling good about my irons especially.”
Wolniewicz defeated 2005 champion Jim Scorse in another close match that finished on the 17th hole. Wolniewicz was down in the entire match until the 15th hole, where a birdie enabled him to take a 1-up lead.
“I think the turning point in the match was the 14th hole,” Wolniewicz said. “When I holed my putt for par from off the green to tie the hole, that was a bit of a dagger in the heart for Jim.”
Scorse hit his tee shot to the par-3 up within a few feet of the hole, before it spun back down the slope to run off the green. Wolniewicz missed the green short with his tee shot and then watch his putt form off the green roll back down the slope and off the green close to where Scorse’s tee-shot finished.
Scorse chipped to within inches for a conceded three, before Wolniewicz rolled in his par attempt, up the hill, to halve the hole and keep the match all-square.
Wolniewicz went 1-up with his birdie on 15 before playing what he said was his best tee-to-green hole of the day. His wedge approach to the par-4 finished five feet from the hole, and he sunk the putt for a birdie to best Scorse’s par.
After Scorse hit his tee-shot to the par-5 17th in the water, Wolniewicz was afforded the luxury of a par to seal and 3 and 2 victory.
“Jim played unbelievable all day and other than a 3-foot putt his missed for par on ten, he gave me nothing,” Wolniewicz said. “I think the experience of playing in the final two years ago will help me out tomorrow.”
Wolniewicz said he hopes to continue hitting plenty of fairways and greens as he has been doing all week to make his opponent beat him, and not give anything away.
“It’s still the same strategy for the final,” Wolniewicz said. “If I can hit the ball like I have been and hole some putts, then maybe things can go my way tomorrow.”
Wolniewicz had good friend Jamie Miller on the bag in the semifinal and said it was a big help to his game.
“It was nice to have someone there to talk about shots and how we want to play the holes, read the greens, that sort of thing. He’s going to help me out again tomorrow which will be great,” Wolniewicz said.
The 36-hole final will tee off at 7.30 a.m. with a break for lunch after the morning round.
Posted by John Cronly, NYSGA Intern