NYSGA News

Elmira C.C.: Tim Rose of Hiawatha Landing sealed his maiden state championship this morning after the final round of the NYSGA Mid-Am was cancelled with incessant overnight rain making the course unplayable.

NYSGA Executive Director Bill Moore made a decision to cancel the final round at 7.45 a.m. after all hopes of getting the course playable today were lost.

Rose fired rounds of 73 and 72 on Friday and Saturday to hold a one shot advantage over North Country’s Barton Vanleuvan who shot 72 and 74. Rose said he was extremely pleased to win a state championship and convert his recent good form into success in tournament conditions.

“It feels great. The only thing is there is a sense of an asterisk next to the win as the third round was cancelled,” Rose said. “I would have liked to have got the third round in today and had a battle out there, but it obviously wasn’t possible. It turned out well for me though so it feels good.”

Rose has been working at Hiawatha Landing for 15 years after staring as a bag boy. He then earned a degree in turf management from Delhi College and became the assistant superintendant seven years ago, before taking the head position three years later.

Since working as a greens keeper, Rose has found it difficult to play much competitively and has not played in a state championship since the Men’s Amateur in 1994.

“Once I started working it was hard to get the time off in the summer to play in tournaments,” Rose said. “This year I decided to play more though and because I was able to drive down every day I was still able to work in the morning and then go and play.”

Rose said he tries to get out and play nine holes at least two or three times in the week, and then play as much as he can on the weekend with Hiawatha Landing member Mike Dalton, who incidentally finished third in the Championship with 148, three shots behind Rose.

Despite the fact Rose has not travelled great distances to play tournaments in the past, he said he will make an effort to defend his title at Glenn Falls next year.

“I would really like to get out and play again next year,” Rose said. “I mean you almost have to really, so I’m definitely hoping to get out there and maybe play a few more events next year.”

Submitted by John Cronly, NYSGA

Due to weather conditions, the final round has been cancelled at the Mid-Amateur Championship and the championship has ended after 36 holes.  We will have a final story later in the day.

Elmira C.C:- Tim Rose of Links at Hiawatha Landing will take a one-stroke lead over Barton Vanleuvan into the final round of the 25^th NYSGA Mid-Amateur Championship today, after a consistent 72 to post 145 for 36 holes.

Rose, who is the course superintendent at Hiawatha Landing, came back from a double-bogey, bogey, bogey, start, which included a disastrous 4-putt on the first green, to make the turn in two over.

He then recorded birdies on 12, 14, and 16 to get to one-under for the round, before bogeying the 17^th to finish at even par.

“After the start I had, nothing seemed to be going well,” Rose said. “Then all of a sudden the putter got hot and I started making birdies everywhere.”

Play had to be suspended for two hours and forty-five minutes after heavy, persistent rain overnight and early in the morning caused flooding throughout the course making it temporarily unplayable. Once play resumed at around 1 p.m., Rose said the softer conditions made the greens more receptive and easier to negotiate.

“I think the course superintendent did a great job to get the course playable, considering all the rain we had and it actually made putting a little earlier,” Rose said. “Putting is the key to playing well on this course, along with your tee shots, the greens are so nice that if you get it rolling you can get a score going.”

Rose’s aggregate of 145 was one better than round-one co-leader Barton Vanleuvan, who fired a 74 today to back up his 72 from yesterday.

Vanleuvan started consistently on the challenging front nine with two bogeys and a lone birdie on the par-5 5^th. Vanleuvan said he hit a nice drive, layed up and span a wedge back to a few feet from the hole.

On the back nine Vanleuvan recorded three bogeys, including a three putt on the last green, along with two birdies on 12 and 16 to come back in 38.

“It was a little bit of a struggle out there with the conditions but I hit the ball well and putted well,” Vanleuvan said. “The only mistakes I made were two three-putts and that was the two strokes I dropped right there.”

Vanleuvan said that despite a couple of minor mistakes he feels very happy with the way he has played over the first two days and is optimistic about his chances going into the final round.

“I’m hitting the ball well and I feel really good about my game right now,” Vanleuvan said. “My goal was to come in and shoot two rounds of even par and see what happens, but I’ll take a 74 today and come back tomorrow and see if I can hit it a little closer and make one or two more birdies.

Playing with Rose in the penultimate group today was Mike Dalton, also of Hiawatha Landing, who posted a 75 to hold third on 148.

Dalton posted 38 on the front nine before and up and down back nine saw him post three birdies and three bogeys to come back in 37.

“I hit it out-of-bounds on the 2^nd today which was a bit of a shaky start, but I was really just trying to get through the front nine after that,” Dalton said. “It wasn’t as good as I wanted out there today but I have a shot tomorrow and if I can go low then we’ll see.”

The 64 who started the second round today were reduced to the low 30 players and ties for tomorrow’s final round. The cut ended up coming at 157 with 31 players making the grade.

Tee times will begin at 8.00 a.m. with the leaders teeing off at 9.30. The weather forecast at this point is dicey, but with such a small field chances of overcoming weather delays are higher.

Submitted by John Cronly, NYSGA

The Mid-Amateur is back underway after a 2 hour and 45 minute delay.  Please stay posted for updates.

Elmira C.C.- Ray Neuman, Barton Vanleuvan and Chad Stoffer lead the NYSGA Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship after firing even-par-72s in testing conditions at Elmira Country Club today.

All three players started on the back nine, which was statistically the easier of the two nines, which seemed to help set them up for the more challenging front nine.

Neuman was in one of the first groups to finish in the morning wave, and held onto the lead throughout the remainder of the day as the other 121 players filtered in.

Starting on the back nine, the Shelridge C.C. player fired a 2-under-par 35 with birdies on the 10, 12, and par-5 16^th, before adding another at the par-4 1^st to get to two-under. Neuman then made what he said were his only two bad swings of the round, finding the hazard on the par-5 fifth going on to record a double-bogey seven.

“I made a lot of putts today and hit the ball well all day,” Neuman said. “Other than the two bad swings I made on five I was very happy with my score today.”

Neuman said he employed a strategy of keeping the ball in play on the more difficult front nine, and attacking more with the driver on the back side.

“I hit 2-iron off the tee on the tighter holes on the front nine, which worked well and I’ll probably stick with that plan again tomorrow,” Neuman said.

Vanleuvan told a similar story of solid ball striking accompanied by exceptional putting.

“My putter was crazy out there,” Vanleuvan said. “I did hit the ball well, but the putter was the key. I had a lot of one-putts and, other than my bogey on the eighth, I didn’t have any 3-putts, which is something I’ve struggled with in the past.”

Vanleuvan, starting on the 10^th, recorded birdies on 14 and 16 to go along with a bogey on 13 to turn in 36.

He then continued to play steadily through the opening holes of his back nine, still at one- under for the round after the fifth. A birdie on six and a par on seven left the North Country player two under with two to play.

Unfortunately, he finished with two bogeys to tie Neuman on 72.

“I was a little disappointed to finish with bogeys on my last two holes but I’m happy with 72, it is the best score I’ve had in a state event.” Vanleuvan said.

The final player to post 72 was the Edison Club’s Chad Stoffer, who began with three birdies in his first five holes before a 3-putt bogey on the par-5 16^th dropped him back to two under at the turn.

Stoffer then came back in two-over-par 37 with seven pars and two bogeys on the front nine.

“I was just trying to keep it in play today, I really wasn’t hitting a lot of drivers out there,” Stoffer said. “I kept the ball below the hole for the most part and putted really well all day so I was pleased.”

Stoffer, had never played the course prior to yesterday’s practice round which he ended up finishing in the dark, said that the knowledge he gained from the practice round was vital to his performance in the first round.

“It was very advantageous for me to see the course last night, especially the front nine where it is important to know where you have to maneuver the ball to,” Stoffer said. “I took some good notes on what to hit on certain holes and it paid off for me. I’m going to try and do the same thing tomorrow.”

Syracuse’s Nick Masterpole was another early finisher to score well after posting a one-over-par 73. Masterpole, another back-nine starter, began with a colorful first nine recording four birdies, a bogey and a double-bogey for 36.

He then turned home with three bogeys and a lone birdie for 37 on the front nine.

“I’ve had some good first rounds in a lot of events I’ve played this year, but up till now I haven’t been able to follow them up. I guess if you play enough events, lighting has to strike twice eventually.”

Tim Rose and Mike Dalton also posted 73 to tie for fourth place.

The field was culled from 122 to the top 60 and ties for tomorrow’s second round. After consistently lower scores in the afternoon, the projected cut dropped from 82 or 83, to finally finish at 80.

The second round begins at 8.00 a.m. tomorrow with the leaders teeing off at 11.09 a.m. At the conclusion of play tomorrow a second cut will take place with the top 30 players and ties to continue on to contest the final round for the Mid-Amateur Championship on Sunday.

Submitted by John Cronly, NYSGA Intern

The 25th Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship begins Friday at Elmira Country Club in Elmira, NY.  123 of the state’s finest golfers over the age of 25 will attempt to unseat defending champion John Vaccaro of Wolferts Roost and become the 25th Mid-Amateur Champion.  Please click here for Friday’s first round pairings and here for the Championship Media Guide.

Normanside C.C.- Chuck Connolly of Hiland Golf Club surged to a scintillating 68 to claim his second NYSGA Senior title on a perfect sunny day at Normanside Country Club.

Connolly, who teed off in the morning wave and started on the 10^th tee, turned in 34 after birdies on the 14^th and short 17^th to go with a solitary bogey on the difficult par-3 13^th.

On his back nine, the front nine for the course, the Queensbury native was a model of consistency. He birdied the 350-yard par-4 1^st before closing with eight straight pars for another 34 to finish at two-under par for the round.

“After I birdied one and got to two-under, I thought to myself if I can stay here and shoot 68, then I have a shot,” Connolly said. “I managed to par-in after my birdie on one. I had a couple of good chances for birdie coming in but wasn’t able to make any of them,”

Connolly had struggled somewhat with a sore back during the 36-hole event and said that it was something that he had to deal with and overcome if he wanted to win.

“I could swing the club OK,” Connolly said. “It hurt more when I was walking and bending over, that’s when I feel it the most. It has been bothering me for 10 days of so, but it didn’t get any worse so I was able to get through the round.”

His aggregate of 2-over-par 142 took the clubhouse lead early, with the last group in the afternoon wave not scheduled to finish for at least another five hours.

The afternoon wave included first round co-leaders, Randy Young and super-senior Mickey Gallagher.

Gallagher, who held a commanding lead in last year’s championship, turned in two-over-par 37 to fall to +4 for the championship. He was able to rally early on the back nine with birdies at 10 and 12 to get back to +2 for the championship, and draw level with Connolly.

However, unaware of Connolly’s 68 which was posted after he teed off, Gallagher bogeyed two of his last four holes to finish at 144 and second in the overall competition for the third time in his career.

“I three-putted on 15 and then I didn’t get it up and down on 17 after I missed the green,” Gallagher said. “I played pretty well though. I had a lot of pars and kept it in play.”

His 144 was good enough to clinch the super-senior title for the second straight year, however.

“You always want the big one, but I’m happy to have won the super-senior title again. As long as I play well and I’m competitive, that’s all I can ask for,” Gallagher said.

Gallagher said he will be back at Stafford Country Club next year to give the overall title another shot.

Wednesday co-medallist Young was not able to capture the form he had in the opening round and slipped to a second-round 81 to follow up his 72.

The final member of the trio who held the overall lead after the first round was Richard Hannington. Hannington, who is also a super-senior, started on the 10^th and struggled to get anything going on his opening nine, recording four bogeys and a double bogey for a six-over-par 41.

He rallied on his back nine however, birdying the eighth on his way to a homeward 35 for a 6-over-par 76 to go with his opening 72 Wednesday.

Hannington was one of the early finishers in the morning wave, and held the clubhouse lead for the super-senior division until Gallagher robbed him of the title with his 144 some four and a half hours later.

Unfortunately Hannington was unavailable for comment after leaving early to honor a business commitment in New York City.

“This victory feels even more special than the first,” Connolly said. “When I won in 2000 it was really the first time I had played in anything outside of my area and I didn’t really appreciate it as much as I should have. Now that I have been trying to win it again and I finally have, it’s a pretty cool feeling.”

Connolly said he only has a couple of local competitive events left to play in 2008 but will be back playing with his buddies at Hiland tomorrow morning.

Complete standings in both the senior and super-senior championships can be accessed on the scoreboards on the homepage.

The NYSGA wraps up the 2008 season with the Mid-Am Championship at Elmira Country Club on September 26-28.

Normanside C.C.- Randy Young and Super Seniors Mickey Gallagher and Richard Hannington lead the 52^nd Men’s Senior Amateur Championship when play finally got under way today at Normanside Country Club, after a Tuesday washout.

The first round of the 54-hole event was scheduled for Tuesday, but a heavy thunderstorm caused play to be cancelled and the championship to be reduced to 36 holes with no cut.

Gallagher, who led the Championship last year with one round to go, compiled a round of 72 that included two birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey on the par-70 Albany course.

Being the defending super-senior champion and senior runner-up, he hopes to go one better this year and collect both titles.

“I felt pretty good about my game out there today and managed to keep the ball in play off the tee, which is very important on this golf course,” Gallagher said.

The super-senior championship is for those players over the age of 65. As all competitors play from the same tees, those over 65 are eligible to win both the senior and super-senior.

Gallagher said he managed to stay out of the thick Normanside rough, which many players said they found difficult, and other than the double bogey on the tricky 13^th was able to avoid costly mistakes.

“You know this game comes and it goes, so we’ll see what happens tomorrow,” Gallagher said.

Co-leader Young was similarly consistent with four bogeys and two birdies in his 72. The Bellevue player said keeping the ball in play and solid putting were the keys to his good scoring.

“The course played a lot longer than it did in the practice round, but I was able to get the ball up and down a lot out there. I putted really good today,” Young said. “The course was tough. The wind started to pick up and the rough was thick and wet, but if you got it on the green you could make some putts.”

Young said the course was in immaculate condition considering the heavy rain that soaked it Tuesday.

“The greens were beautiful and there really weren’t any problems with embedded balls or anything. The course did play long but I hit the ball fairly long, so I just tried to control my driver and keep it in the fairway,” Young said.

Young and Gallagher were in the morning wave of players whilst Hannington posted the low score of those teeing off in the afternoon.

Hannington, 66, who has competed in two U.S. Senior Amateur’s and three British Senior Amateur’s, recorded two nines of 36 in a round that included three birdies.

He said he three-putted on two occasions after getting two aggressive and leaving his ball above the hole.

“I’m used to quick greens playing on Long Island,” Hannington said. “You just have to remind yourself that there are some greens where you just can’t be above the hole, even if you chip it 6 feet below the hole it’s better than anything above it.”

Hannington birdied the second and third holes along with the par-5 14^th, but did record a double bogey on the par-3 6^th after three putting from close range on the severely sloped green.

With the cancellation of play on Tuesday there will be no repairing of players for the final round so it is conceivable that the eventual winner could finish six or more hours before the final group finishes play. Players will tee off Thursday at their original Tuesday times.

“Tomorrow I’m playing early and then I have to get back to for a meeting at 6 p.m. so I’m going to tee it up and get out of here.”

Hannington said he only plays on Sundays these days and most of his competitive play in the Metropolitan Senior golf section is over by the end of May. He did play in the Hall of Fame tournament in North Carolina, but said his days of competing in national senior events are behind him.

In the super-senior division, five players posted rounds of 75 to lay three back of defending champion Gallagher and Hannington, including 72-year-old local radio show host Perry Noun.

Noun is the host of the weekly Syracuse golf show, “Tee time with the Pro-Noun,” and has been a regular competitor in NYSGA events for many years, including winning the super-senior championship in 2005.

“I made a great birdie on 11 today, which is a hole I don’t ever remember making birdie on before,” Noun said. “I did three-putt three times but overall I feel like I hit the ball fairly well today.”

Noun turned in 37, with a birdie and three bogeys on his outward half, before coming back in 38, his three bogeys on the back nine prevented Noun from achieving the rare feet of shooting his age.

However, within three shots of the lead in the super-senior with one round to go, Noun plans to keep the same game plan for tomorrow and see where he ends up Wednesday night.

“You have to be patient out there. The greens are very slick and difficult, but if I can hit the ball solid, hit the fairways and greens and avoid the three putts, I’ll be OK,” Noun said.

Play will resume at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow with a morning and afternoon wave of players. The projected finishing time will be approximately 7.15 p.m. Twenty-nine players are within four shots of the lead in the overall competition so tomorrow should make for an exciting day’s action.

Submitted by John Cronly, NYSGA Intern

The first day of play at the 52nd Senior & Super Senior Amateur has been cancelled due to weather.

PLEASE NOTE: Wednesday’s tee times will remain the same.  Tuesday’s pairings will be used on Thursday.  There will be no cut, and the championship will be 36 holes total.  If there are any questions, please email us at nysga@nysga.org.

The 52nd NYSGA Senior & Super Senior Amateur gets underway next week at Normanside CC in Delmar, NY.  Defending champions Ron Bayer and Mickey Gallagher will join 162 competitors for a 54 hole stroke play competition.  Please click here for the Championship Media Guide with pairings.