Thomas La Morte Seeks To Defend State Amateur Title At Tavistock
It’s been quite a 2017 for Thomas LaMorte of Haworth, winner of the 2016 NJSGA Amateur.
On Jan. 7, he was hospitalized for 10 days with a burst appendix. He recovered enough to finish as runner-up in the Big South Conference Championship for Campbell University and was named to the all-championship team.
Last weekend, La Morte won the New York City Amateur with three rounds of under par, shooting six-under-210, including a 67 on the final day to win by three strokes.
Next week, June 6-8, La Morte, who lives in Demarest,will attempt to win a second straight NJSGA Amateur when the 116th State Amateur Championship takes place at highly-regarded Tavistock Country Club in Haddonfield.
“There’s more of a calmness that I have now. In the New York City Amateur, I just thought to myself that I can win it because I did it before at the State Amateur. I think that helped me more than anything else,” said La Morte, who has one more year of college at Campbell University.
In the NYC Amateur, La Morte played with a driver he purchased just days before. The 21-year-old continually put himself in great position with long and straight shots off the tee.
“It feels awesome to have won the State Amateur. It’s a thrill to have my name on that trophy forever along with guys who have done great things. I’m blessed to have had that opportunity and that I was able to succeed,” he said.
Solving Tavistock's greens will be the key to winning the NJSGA Amateur.
"Not only putting, but also irons shots because you have to hit it in good sections of the green to have a good putt at it," said Tavistick member Tom Gramigna, who won the State Amateur in 2008 and is a three-time NJSGA Mid-Amateur champion.
Gramigna said Hole No. 16, a 188-yard, par-3 could decide the championship.
"Whenver we have a tournament, if it's not the hardest hole, it is in the top three. It's a decent length par three with a very, very difficult green. The green is big and probably should hit it from 188 yards, but it traditionally plays into the wind which makes it a bit more challenging and the green is very dififcult to putt."
In 2007, Tavistock hired the services of Forse Design and with Jim Nagle’s guidance the original Tillinghast golf course went through a complete restoration and renovation. The addition of anew . irrigation system throughout was also installed and reconstruction of all bunkers and green surrounds complete with new drainage. Since the course renovations completion in 2008 the club has committed all the necessary steps each year in the eradication of common Bermuda grass.
Phase two of the process is an extensive ongoing management program in conjunction with the addition of several naturalized areas and evaluating the many waterways on property.
With the course restoration and renovation completed the need for adequate maintenance facilities was evident. In 2009 a new state of the art Golf Course Maintenance Facility project began. The construction of a new repair shop, equipment storage and wash area and a chemical and fertilizer facility were constructed. In May of 2014 the completion of a separate equipment storage building and staff building finished the project.
The course record since the 2007 redesign is 66.
