NYSGA News

The NYSGA’s effort to be continually innovative has evolved one more step. Beginning with the Junior/Boys/Girls’ event, on Tuesday, August 4th, there will be a live blog following all of the action from out on the course.

The blog can be found on the right-hand side of the NYSGA homepage and will be coupled with the live-scoring leaderboard which can be found on the left-hand column of the site. The live blog will contain detailed descriptions of the action and will serve as the bridge between the live scoring and the recap story at the end of the day. Comments can be posted to the blog which will receive feedback as quickly as possible throughout the day.

The full tournament recaps from the 87th Men’s Amateur and 80th Women’s Amateur are now available online and can be found by clicking on the championship tab at the top of the hompage and then selecting the respective event. There is also a video slideshow with over 100 photos from both the Men’s and Women’s Championship which can be found on YouTube.

Women’s Slideshow

Men’s Slideshow

Albany, N.Y. – The second NYSGA ‘Net Event’ of the week produced several close finishes among the five respective flights at the Town of Colonie Golf Club on Wednesday. The field of 62 participants battled through wet conditions for most of the day but still experienced an enjoyable and competitive event. Three of the five flights needed to be decided by the lowest net total over the last nine holes in order to declare a victor. A strong short-game was needed today to overcome difficult pin locations that stretched to the edges of some greens. Photos

Check out the full results from the NYSGA’s Town of Colonie State Day.

Clifton Park resident Tom Neiss came out on top in the men’s flight (0-12 course handicap). Neiss finished with a net total of 6-under-par 66 as did Gus Giuffre in the same flight. However, the tie-breaker goes to the lowest net total over the last nine holes which gave Neiss the edge with a 38 on the back nine to best Giuffre’s 39. Neiss rattled off seven pars and added two bogeys on the back nine to improve his front nine score of 40 by two strokes. Meanwhile, Giuffre started the back nine with a double bogey on the par-4 10^th hole. He responded with back-to-back birdies but picked up three costly bogeys in the final six holes to land him a 39 on the back.

The men’s flight of 13-17 course handicap saw three individuals fire 3-under-par 69; thereby enacting the tie-breaker which played in Bob Pecker’s favor. The Averill Park resident won his respective flight following a 4-over-par 40 on the back which beat out John Starr’s 7-over 43 (gross total) and Alan Sherline’s 6-over 42 (gross total). Starr narrowly missed repeat wins at the State Days following his victory in the men’s 18-over flight at Seven Oaks on Saturday but had a costly double-bogey on the 18^th hole. Sherline began his back nine with consecutive double-bogeys on the par-5 11^th and par-4 12^th. He reconciled his two doubles with a birdie on the par-3 17^th but bogeyed the 18^th hole for a total of 42 on the back. Pecker tallied a 9-over 45 after the first nine holes but registered a back nine that was five shots better, including birdies on the par-4 14^th and par-3 17^th.

The only decisive winner in the men’s division came in the 18-over course handicap flight. Vincent Somaio fired a net total of 2-under-par 70 to claim the win in his respective flight. Somaio’s one-stroke victory can be attributed to his birdie on the par-4 ninth hole which gave him momentum heading into the back nine where he carded a 7-over 43 gross total. Somaio improved his net total by four strokes between the par-4 7^th hole and par-4 12^th hole as he went from 3-over to 1-under.

The most anticipated finish of the day came in the women’s 0-17 flight. Kimberly Hines-Kaisik was the leader in the clubhouse after posting a net round of even-par. Hines-Kaisik played in the 9:20 a.m. group and owned a three-stroke lead amongst her flight who waited anxiously for the final group to finish on no. 18. When the final group approached the scoring table, it was Jeanette Pawlik, of Dolgeville, who turned in the winning scorecard of 1-under-par for her net total. Pawlik, who started two hours after Hines-Kaisik, registered a net total of even on the front and1-under on the back to win the women’s 0-17 flight.

The women’s 18-over flight played much like the men’s 0-12 and 13-17 flight in that a tie-breaker was needed to declare a winner. Katherine Kassabasian and Betsy Baker each finished with net totals of 1-under-par for the day but Kassabasian played the final nine holes six strokes better than Baker to win the flight. Albany resident Kassabasian hovered between 1-over and 1-under-par throughout the last eight holes for her net total, but made amends for her triple-bogey on the 16^th with a bogey-bogey finish for a gross total of 47 on the back nine.

Submitted by Kevin Solan

NYSGA Media Intern

Entries for the 26th NYSGA Mid-Amateur Championship will close at 5:00pm on Friday, July 31st.  No late entries will be accepted for any reason.

Hamilton, N.Y. – Seven Oaks G.C. played host to the 3^rd State Days Tournament of the season on Saturday and produced four winners from various flights based on course handicap. The course played relatively fast and firm over the weekend in preparation for the U.S. Amateur Qualifier which took place on Monday.

The lowest net total for the day was recorded by Kim Stanfield who posted a 5-under-par 67 for her net score. The Pennellville native tallied a 55 as she made the turn but improved her front nine score by seven strokes to finish at 103 for her gross total. Stanfield began the back nine with a bogey and followed the 10^th hole with a par on no. 11, as she became just the second player in her flight to stay bogey-free on the par-3. The women’s flight produced a range of net scores from 67-86 with the second place finish belonging to Colleen Roche, of Baldwinsville, who turned in a net total of 2-over-par 74.

Peter Moro, of Cicero, registered the next best net total with a 4-under-par 68. He carded two birdies to offset three bogeys en route to a 1-over 37 on the front nine. Moro notched back-to-back birdies on the par-4 6^th hole and the par-5 7^th hole to lower his score of 3-over down to 1-over for the front. He started the back nine with three straight bogeys but it didn’t matter as he ran away with the men’s flight of 11-17 (course handicap) by a five-stroke net total.

The rest of the field finished with net totals over-par with 73 being the next best score. Three players tied at that very position of 1-over-par 73, including Gregory Heidelberger who played out of the men’s flight 0-10 (course handicap). Heidelberger tallied nine pars and one birdie which came on the par-4 9^th hole to take the men’s flight 0-10 by three strokes. Heidelberger, of Minoa, recorded pars on four of his last five holes to best Michael Cashmore, of Clarence, by three strokes. Albany native John Starr and Vestal resident Steve Duffy also posted rounds of 1-over-par 73 for the day. Despite his T3 finish on the overall leaderboard, Starr won the men’s 18 and over flight by two strokes thanks to his par on no. 14 whereas the 18 and over runner-up Robert John Wright made double bogey. Wright finished with an overall net score of 75, which was good for second in his respective flight and seventh on the overall leaderboard. Duffy, who played out of the 11-17 flight, finished his round with three consecutive pars to hold onto the second spot in his flight by a two-stroke margin.

The player with the highest gross total out of the 0-10 handicap flight had the lowest total of the day on the 2^nd hole where he made a hole-in-one on the 123-yard par-3 that plays uphill from a blind tee shot. Dave Coombs, of Cazenovia, heard the roars from the group ahead of him following his tee shot but didn’t quite know how close his ball had landed until he completed his anxious walk to the cup and picked his ball out of it. Full Results

The next NYSGA net event will be on Wednesday at the Town of Colonie Country Club where 64 players will vie for the top spot in the 4^th State Days tournament of the season.

Submitted by Kevin Solan

NYSGA Media Intern

The pairings for the State Days Tournament at Town of Colonie GC on Wednesday, July 29th are complete. View

Entries for the 47th Girls Amateur Championship at Skaneateles CC close today (Tuesday) at 5:00pm.  Late entries will not be accepted for any reason.

The pairings have been completed for the State Days Tournament to be held on Saturday, July 25 at Seven Oaks GC. View

Victor, N.Y. – It came down to the 71^st hole until it became clear that Yaroslav Merkulov would be crowned champion at the 87^th Men’s Amateur on Thursday. Merkulov fired a three-day total of 7-under-par 281 to tie Nick Raasch’s feat of becoming the youngest state amateur winner in NYSGA history at the age of 17.

The defending state junior winner, Merkulov, tamed the Ravenwood course for three straight days in the 72-hole four-round stroke play format. He was one of few players who carried their clubs for the duration of the event. Still, he needed to carry one very important thing with him before he left; the Ganson Depew Cup, which is awarded to the winner of the state amateur each summer and is held for a period of one year.

However, not everything was handed to the talented junior on Thursday. Merkulov worked his way back from an 8-stroke deficit at one point during the 36-hole finale that played out on a warm and windy day in Victor.

In the morning round, Merkulov was 3-over-par through the back nine holes while Dominic Bozzelli, the leader after two-days, notched an unthinkable feat in reaching 10-under par for the tournament following three birdies through the first nine holes. The 8-shot lead seemed insurmountable despite the 27-holes still slated to play judging by the momentum.

But in the blink of an eye, the two were even once again with seven holes left to play to declare a victor. “Once I tied him with my birdie putt on the 11^th hole I felt like even though there was a lot of golf left that I was in control,” says Merkulov. “I knew there was still a lot of golf to play but I thought that if I could play the rest of these holes just one shot better than him [Bozzelli] than I’d be alright as long as Gavin didn’t have birdies on 16, 17, & 18 like he did this morning.”

The duo continued to par hole after hole until the par-3 17^th which ultimately decided the winner. With two holes left to play and Merkulov and Bozzelli playing nearly perfect golf it felt like it would come down to the final hole to decide the outcome; similar to the last time the men’s amateur was at Ravenwood back in 2003 when Kyle Hess defeated Matt Thomas on the par-5 18^th hole.

However, Bozzelli met face to face with strong prevailing winds, a difficult pin placement which was tucked at the back right of the green, and a water hazard as he carded a quadruple bogey on the par-3. Bozzelli’s initial tee-shot cut right of the green and took two bounces in the water that players are forced to carry in order to land the green in one stroke. He would then lie two-strokes when he hit his next shot from the drop zone, which measured 130 yards to the flagstick. Bozzelli, who feared that Merkulov may sink his 30-foot birdie putt tried to hit his next shot from the drop zone right at the pin. Yet, once again the ball caromed off the right side off the rough and bounced into the water. Bozzelli would two-putt for a seven after getting his third shot from the drop zone on the green. However, it was too late as Merkulov sealed the deal with a par on the 17^th and a safe bogey on the 18th to win by two shots over Bozzelli and Gavin Hall.

At times, Merkulov flew under the radar of all the attention given to Hall and Bozzelli throughout the day. The 14-year old Hall was coming off a victory at the John Ryan, Jr. Memorial Tournament last week and survived a quintuple bogey on the par-4 15^th in the morning to remarkably post an even 36 on the back nine. Hall followed his nine on the 15^th with a birdie on the 16^th, 17^th, and 18^th to go along with his birdies on 10 and 13 to begin his day. His 20 birdies over four-rounds were good for second-best out of the entire field. The player with the most birdies over the three-day event went to Bozzelli as he posted three rounds of par or lower, including his 6-under-par 66 on Tuesday.

Merkulov didn’t seem to let anything bother him en route to his first men’s state amateur title. He began his comeback on the ninth hole when he flipped a wedge shot onto the green from 45 yards and then made his 15-foot birdie putt which played right-to-left on a downward slope. Merkulov then hit a 3-wood off the par-4 10^th hole that played downwind to about 100 yards. Again, he showed off his up-and-down game hitting a wedge shot about 3 feet from the green where he would make birdie. On the next hole, Merkulov landed his second shot from 130-yards away to just 8-feet from the pin as he tied Bozzelli for a share of the lead. On the par-5 12^th, Merkulov nearly holed out of the front bunker for eagle but missed a foot short.

“I’ve got to give it to Yarik,” says Bozzelli. “He played really well with that 69 in the final round and he earned it. I mean, I was hitting it pretty good all week and putting well for the most part. You want to be in position on the last day to have a chance to win and that was a lot of fun out there. That’s what you play for.”

“Overwhelming,” says Merkulov in describing how it feels to become this year’s champion. “I haven’t won a tournament this year and the field was just so strong it feels overwhelming.” Merkulov was most proud of the fact that all his hard work during the off-season paid off which allowed him to survive such a grueling day of 36 holes. “I was happy that I was still able to make good swings on those last couple holes because in the past those last 3 or 4 holes I would have been done,” says Merkulov.

Merkulov will be competing in the U.S. Junior Amateur from Trump National G.C. in Bedminster, N.J. next week. The state champion will also be competing in the Canon Cup with running mates Bozzelli and Hall in two weeks. The trio will represent 3-of-the-10 players from the East Team who will head to Flagstaff, Arizona to play at Forest Highlands G.C. in the match-play event.

Submitted by Kevin Solan

NYSGA Media Intern

Victor, N.Y. – Nineteen players took advantage of the dry weather in Victor on Wednesday to post rounds under-par at the 87^th Men’s Amateur Championship. At the end of the day, only 42 players survived the cut which fell at 151 for the two days; thus giving them a chance to compete in the 36-hole finale on Thursday.

Ten players in the morning wave recorded rounds under par at Ravenwood G.C. Thomas Muto, Jr., of Sodus Bay Heights G.C., carded six birdies and an eagle on the par-4 2^nd hole to match Bozzelli’s 6-under 66 performance yesterday to climb just two shots back of the lead. However, it was James Buchanan, of Wolferts Roost C.C., who came through the field in the second to last group to post the low-round of the tournament at 7-under-par 65.

Buchanan improved his Tuesday total by 15 strokes to propel himself into a tie at 10^th place. Mental toughness was the difference between the two rounds for the University of Connecticut sophomore. “I hit the ball the same but I focused a lot more today,” says Buchanan. “I controlled my ball really well today and I just took it one shot at a time.” Buchanan started birdie-bogey off the 1^st tee, but fired five more birdies and an eagle on the par-5 18^th to end his day. He used a driver/6-iron combination to land his second shot 6 feet from the 18^th green before taking his 65^th stroke on the day for eagle.

Players began their round on Wednesday with the intention of improving upon their performance from yesterday; even Dominic Bozzelli, who posted the low-round at 6-under-par 66 yesterday. “My goal was to get to 10-under today,” says Bozzelli. “The pins were a little tougher today so you can’t be too aggressive. You need to know when to be aggressive and when not to out there.”

Muto, Jr. played aggressively from the start including an eagle on the par-4 2^nd hole where he nearly drove the green and was able to chip in for eagle. He birdied four out of his last six holes on the back nine for a momentum boost heading into tomorrow’s 36-hole final rounds. Muto, Jr. holed out a birdie from the greenside bunker on the par-3 17^th hole. “It was unbelievable. The ball was plugged in the face of the lip and I was just trying to get it on the green somehow to salvage par and it went in,” says Muto.

Muto, the 2008 runner-up at the Men’s Amateur Championship, felt that his confidence was a major factor in playing so well today. “I was just standing over the ball knowing I was going to hit it close,” says Muto. He managed to stick it close all day, including a second shot on the 13^th hole that landed just six inches from the pin, where he would later make birdie.

The overall leader, Bozzelli, who plays out of Locust Hill C.C., started off the 10^th tee with a birdie on the par-4 and finished his day with a birdie on the par-5 9^th hole. He also birdied the par-4 2^nd, which was a popular hole for scoring under par today with the pin location at the front of the green. Bozzelli pulled driver off the tee and landed his shot just shy of the fringe. He chipped past the flagstick on his second shot but was able to convert his birdie putt from 10 feet. Bozzelli was fighting to save par on numerous occasions after finding himself in trouble off the tee. On the par-5 18^th hole, Bozzelli flew his tee shot past the bunkers that line the left side of the fairway to a tough lie in front of a tree which was just short of the hither. He followed with a remarkable second shot that landed pin-high but off to the left fringe. Bozzelli then missed long on his chip but two-putted to save par. “I think I had 27 putts out there again so I am pleased with my putting,” says Bozzelli.

The third member in tomorrow’s final grouping will be Yaroslav Merkulov who will join Bozzelli and Muto as he trails by only one stroke heading into the final round. Merkulov followed his 2-under-par outing yesterday with a 3-under-par 69 for a two-day total of 139. The Penfield resident excelled all day on the long par -5’s that stretch to nearly 600 yards at Ravenwood. “The par-5’s on this course are playing like long par-4’s in my opinion,” says Merkulov. He recorded birdies on three out of the four par-5’s today.

The 14-year old Gavin Hall started off on the opposite side of the course than he did on Tuesday, but managed to post a similar result; 1-under-par 71 for the day. The Mendon teenager will play in the second to last group tomorrow after putting together a two-day total of 140. After five holes of play, Hall found himself 2-over par with bogeys on the 11^th and the par-4 14^th. “It’s really not worth it to get mad at yourself,” says Hall in reflecting upon his double at the par-4 5^th hole. “The whole field is going to make bogeys at some point and a lot of birdies are out there which you can see from the scores today.”

On the par-4 3^rd hole, Hall carefully carried the water on his tee shot, leaving him with an approach from about 150 yards away. He stuck his second shot on the challenging green about three feet from the pin to set up a birdie putt that he would make. Hall continued his solid iron-play on the 4^th tee where again stuck his shot on the green and above the pin. His optimum chance for birdie was squandered by a putt that narrowly missed by six inches. He three-putted the par-4 5^th hole for a double bogey but regrouped to tally consecutive birdies and move back to 1-under for the day.

“I’ve learned so much from these 4-round tournaments,” says Hall. You really have to pace yourself and don’t shoot yourself out of it.” Fellow Rochester native Merkulov echoed similar advice in preparing for the 36-hole finale tomorrow. “It’s important to conserve energy out there and take it one shot at a time,” says the defending state junior champion.

Kevin Kaye, of Wildwood C.C., posted his second straight round under-par for a two-day total of 142. He rattled off four straight pars on both the front nine and back nine for a consistent round that saw three birdies and two bogeys. He remains three strokes back of Muto, Jr. and five strokes behind Bozzelli who has a two-day total of 137.

2008 Men’s Amateur quarterfinalist James Scorse is among the field of 42 competing in the final round on Thursday. He put together rounds of 71-72 and remains six strokes back of the lead. Also in the field of 42 is Jim Roy, of Bellevue C.C., who notched a 3-under-par 69 on the day and waits eight shots back of the lead.

Submitted by Kevin Solan

NYSGA Media Intern

Victor, N.Y. – The second round of play got underway this morning in the 87^th Men’s Amateur Championship. Ten players in the morning wave recorded rounds under par at Ravenwood G.C. Thomas Muto, Jr., of Sodus Bay Heights G.C., carded six birdies and an eagle on the par-4 2^nd hole to match Bozzelli’s 6-under 66 performance yesterday to climb just two shots back of the lead.

Players began their round with the intention of improving upon their performance from yesterday; even Dominic Bozzelli, who posted the low-round at 6-under-par 66 yesterday. “My goal was to get to 10-under today,” says Bozzelli. “The pins were a little tougher today so you can’t be too aggressive. You need to know when to be aggressive and when not to out there.”

Muto, Jr. played aggressively from the start including an eagle on the par-4 2^nd hole where nearly drove the green and was able to chip in for eagle. He birdied four out of his last six holes on the back nine for a momentum boost heading into tomorrow’s 36-hole final rounds. Muto, Jr. holed out a birdie from the greenside bunker on the par-3 17^th hole.

Bozzelli, who plays out of Locust Hill C.C., started off the 10^th tee with a birdie on the par-4 and finished his day with a birdie on the par-5 9^th hole. He also birdied the par-4 2^nd, which was a popular hole for scoring under par today with the pin location at the front of the green. Bozzelli pulled driver off the tee and landed his shot just shy of the fringe. He chipped past the flagstick on his second shot but was able to convert his birdie putt from 10 feet. Bozzelli was fighting to save par on numerous occasions after finding himself in trouble off the tee. On the par-5 18^th hole, Bozzelli flew his tee shot past the bunkers that line the left side of the fairway to a tough lie in front of a tree which was just short of the hither. He followed with a remarkable second shot that landed pin-high but off to the left fringe. Bozzelli then missed long on his chip but two-putted to save par. “I think I had like 27 putts out there again so I am pleased with my putting,” says Bozzelli.

Kevin Kaye, of Wildwood C.C., posted his second straight round under-par for a two-day total of 142. He rattled off four straight pars on both the front nine and back nine for a consistent round that saw three birdies and two bogeys. He remains three strokes back of Muto, Jr. and five strokes behind Bozzelli who has a two-day total of 137.

The afternoon flight of players have all started their round with some groups beginning to make the turn. Results and a full recap will be posted later this evening.

Submitted by Kevin Solan

NYSGA Media Intern