The road to Arcola: Amateur Qualifying Roundup
June 15, 2020 - When the 119th New Jersey State Golf Association Amateur Championship, presented by Provident Bank begins at Arcola Country Club in Paramus on August 3, an exceptionally talented field will vie for the Edwin M. Wild championship trophy. As the Championship fast approaches, here is a look back at the four completed qualifying rounds:
On June 25 at the 6,649-yard, par-70 Burlington Country Club in Mount Holly, medalist Kevin Sarlo of Little Mill dominated a course that he was no stranger to, having won two club championships there in the past. Firing a five-under-par 65, Sarlo lead the field by four strokes. Four players shot under-par including Corey Katzen of Burlington, Jack Irons of Little Mill, and Sean McMonagle of Tavistock; a total of 12 golfers earned their spot at Arcola. (Scoring here)
At the second qualifier on July 7, 17 more golfers punched their ticket to the 119th Amateur Championship at the 6,663-yard, par-72 New Jersey National Golf Club in Basking Ridge. Exceptional putting propelled John Havay of High Bridge Hills to medalist honors, whose three-under 69 bested Justin Chae of Watchung Valley, Alex Pompey of Ridgewood, Chris DeJohn of Arcola, and Randall Lazzaro of Trump National – Colts Neck. Havay, a perennial fixture on the local competitive golf scene hopes to have his best finish of his career at Arcola. (Scoring here)
Two days later at the challenging 6,243-yard, par-70 Lake Mohawk Golf Club in Sparta on July 9, Niall Handley of Essex Fells Country Club fought hard to earn medalist honors, carding a one-under-par 69 on a course that he hasn’t played in over a decade. His morning efforts outlasted William O’Neill of Spring Brook and John Felitto of Echo Lake. Handley is excited to take on Arcola along with the rest of the 17 golfers who qualified at Lake Mohawk. (Scoring here)
On July 11, the 6,626-yard par-72 Quail Brook Golf Course in Somerset hosted the fourth of five qualifiers where 15 golfers would earn their spot on the 119th Amateur Championship tee sheet. The field was led by Chris Peyman of Neshanic Valley whose albatross on the par-5 17th hole put him in place to win the medalist honor. His four-under 68 was two strokes better than Arav Patel of Forsgate, Kieran Purcell of Essex County, Nick Loughlin of NJSGA eClub, and Jonathan Ross, also of NJSGA eClub. (Scoring here)
The fifth and final qualifying round takes place Wednesday at Galloping Hill, which will round out the field for the championship proper. Follow all the action by visiting NJSGA.org.
