What are NYSGA State Days? A blend of fun, net events for people of all abilities with the feel of tournament golf. Don’t miss out on the 2010 State Days Series! Visit www.nysga.org for a complete listing of tournament dates/locations.
Jim Roy, a 5-time NYSGA Champion, qualified for the fifth and final exempt spot on the PGA Champions Tour today with a final round 66.
Roy, who turned 50 just a few months prior to qualifying school, was tied for fifth with Bruce Vaughan, 2008 Senior Open Champion, and Kirk Hanefeld, who was also an exempt Tour player in 2009. Roy birdied the first playoff hole for the final full exemption on the 2010 Champions Tour.
The NYSGA has doubled its State Days schedule for the 2010 season, offering 14 opportunities to participate in fun, net events at prestigious courses throughout New York State.
With the adoption of a Tournament Series format, the expanded schedule will have an added element of excitement in 2010. The series is comprised of 13 regular season events that run from May 17 - September 2 and will conclude with a Champions Day on the 18th of September at Drumlins Golf Club. The net winners of each flight and gross winners of each gender will automatically qualify, free of charge, for the Champions Day.
In response to suggestions made by frequent State Days participants, the NYSGA incorporated numerous changes to its Net Event series. For instance, a shotgun start will be featured at all but one event. Also, two tournaments were added in the North region of the state as a result of popular demand.
The season will commence at Bellevue Country Club in Syracuse on May 17, 2010. Check out the full schedule.
Included with the entry fee for the regular season events are greens fees, cart, player gift, range balls, $10 toward prizes, and a meal after your round or at the turn. Proceeds directly support the NYSGA Scholarship Program.
Online registration opens at 9 a.m. on Monday, March 15, 2010. Remember, you can sign up as an individual or with a group of friends!
Join the hundreds of satisfied State Days participants who have discovered the fun in net events. State Days Interview
Three champions from the 2009 New York State Golf Association season were named first-team Rolex Junior All-Americans on Tuesday. Yarik Merkulov, Gavin Hall and Kristina Wong were recognized for their outstanding play in national competition by the American Junior Golf Association.
Merkulov, a Penfield high-school senior, ended the season No. 3 in the Polo Golf Rankings and was an All-American first-team selection on the strength of four top-10 finishes in six national junior golf competitions. His best finish on the national platform was a runner-up performance at the Junior Players’ Championship, where he shot a 3-under-par 213 on the famed TPC Sawgrass Course.
The All-American team was decided exclusively through the Polo Golf Rankings, which takes into account results from national junior golf competitions. However, Merkulov’s efforts in state competition hardly went unnoticed with record-breaking performances in the Men’s Amateur and Junior Championship. At the age of 17, he became the youngest individual to win the state amateur following a 72-hole score of 7-under 281. Merkulov later etched his name into the Skaneateles Country Club record book after a course record 10-under-par 61 on the final day that allowed him to defend his Junior title.
Merkulov competed on this year’s Canon Cup East Team with fellow All-American first-team pick Gavin Hall. The 15-year-old Pittsford Mendon freshman, Hall, notched four top-15 finishes in national junior golf events this summer. He posted second-place finishes at the AJGA Cliffs Championship and the Rolex Tournament of Champions.
At the state amateur in Victor, Hall played all four rounds at even-par or better for a second-place finish behind Merkulov. He went on to defend his Boys Championship title at Skaneateles with a 13-stroke victory. Hall joins the list of Tommy Nixon (1984 & 1985) and Nick Park (2001 & 2002) as the only players to repeat as champions in the boys division.
Merkulov and Hall are the only individuals from northern schools to receive the All-American accolade.
Meanwhile, Kristina Wong earned Junior All-America honors on the girl’s team for the fourth year as she placed in the top three at three national junior golf tournaments. Wong represents one of four players who were named first-team All-Americans for the second time. She tied for second at the Scott Robertson Memorial and earned a share of third place at the McDonald’s Betsy Rawls Girls Championship. Wong, who is a member of the PING Junior Solheim Cup Team, placed third at the Thunderbird International Junior.
In state play, Wong was crowned champion at the 80th Women’s Amateur Championship at Drumlins East. The Vestal teenager walked away with the Oak Hill Cup after posting a three-day total of 216. She is currently in her freshman year at Stanford University.
Submitted by Kevin Solan
NYSGA Media Intern
NYSGA News