Jim and Greg DeLuca Capture the 99th Father and Son Championship presented by McRae Capital Management
SCOTCH PLAINS, N.J. - Jim and Greg DeLuca fired a 1-under par 69 in an alternate shot selected drive format to seize the 99th New Jersey State Golf Association Father and Son Championship presented by McRae Capital Management at Shackamaxon Country Club in Scotch Plains. The pair made five birdies and just one double bogey.
“My driver got hot, which meant that Greg got the second shot,” Jim DeLuca, 61, said after the round. “I think what hurt us a little bit was reading the greens, but for our first time playing here, it was pretty good.”
The strategy of father finding fairways off the tee and son hitting close approach shots into the green proved very effective for the DeLuca duo. They played the three par-5s at 2-under par and the five par-3s at 2-under par. As a team, they were as low as 3-under after 17 holes, before a water-ball at the 18th led to their lone double-bogey.
“That was our goal going into the day,” Greg DeLuca, a 21-year old student at Villanova, said. “It’s funny. On the way here, my dad actually turned to me and said, ‘Let’s go win this thing.’”
This was the first time that Jim and Greg DeLuca participated in the Father and Son Championship.
"Let's go win this thing."
— NJSGA (@NJSGA1900) August 16, 2021
Jim and Greg DeLuca of @TrentonCC1897 fire a 1-under 69 at our Father & Son Championship presented by McRae Capital Management and are now our leaders in the clubhouse!
The pair has a winning mentality - will it be enough?https://t.co/Vvb1k8nhkV pic.twitter.com/ZORsVBCkW9
“We’ve both been working really hard,” Greg DeLuca said. “I have five sons and Greg is my youngest, so I have the opportunity to play with my sons occasionally. What is special about the whole thing is when you’re actually with your son and the chemistry is working, that’s what it’s all about.”
James and Zach Arsenault finished in second place, making 16 pars en route to an even-par 70. Six teams finished tied for third at 1-over par in the Gross Division: Kevin and Richard Garrigan, Niall and Conor Handley, Sam and Danny Dolan, Rich and Gavin Rau, Morten and Patrick Gotterup, and Mike and Michael Paduano.
In the Net Division, Craig and Joseph Moylan battled back from a double bogey at the first hole to win with a net 5-under par. The Moylan team was tied with Brian and Ronald Criscuolo at -5, but earned the victory on a match of cards. The Moylan pair made six net birdies on the back nine
