Schedule Spotlight: Juniors
ELMSFORD, N.Y. (March 21, 2024) – The MGA championship schedule features opportunities for all ages to compete against the area’s best. The juniors have three specific events on the 2024 calendar—the Met Junior, Carter Cup, and Boys’ championships, plus the opportunity to represent the MGA in the Williamson Cup.
Related: 2024 Schedule
The 107th Met Junior Championship Sponsored by MetLife, will be hosted by Sunningdale Country Club July 15-17 and will kick off the junior events. The only other time Sunningdale has hosted the Met Junior, the oldest junior tournament in the country, was in 1938 when William Clark beat Wilson H. Flohr, 3 and 2.
Seth Raynor designed the original layout in 1916, with A.W. Tillinghast and Mike DeVries having their hands in redesigns since. The highlight of the DeVries renovation and long-term master plan, which was completed in 2016, is the green complexes.
Last year’s champion, Barnes Blake, won on home turf at Echo Lake Country Club. Blake posted a course record 63 in the opening round of stroke-play qualifying on his way to co-medalist honors. The current Georgetown Hoya beat Liam Pasternak in the championship match, 3 and 2.
Winged Foot Golf Club will host the 22nd Carter Cup on August 6. The MGA’s junior stroke play invitational heads to the revered Mamaroneck, N.Y., club as traditional host Baltusrol Golf Club undergoes renovation work on its Upper Course. This will be the fourth time Winged Foot has hosted the Carter Cup, with the last coming in 2018.
In addition to Winged Foot’s storied history of major championship golf including six U.S. Opens – and a seventh coming in 2028 – the club has always been a gracious supporter of local championships as well. Hosting the Carey Cup last fall marked the seventh different MGA event welcomed by the club, which has crowned seven Met Open champions.
Last year, Blake continued his stellar play with another victory and another record-setting performance in the Carter Cup. The 2023 MGA Junior Player of the Year set a new Carter Cup scoring record, finishing at 11-under to win by eight shots. Blake tied Baltusrol’s Lower Course record with a 64 in round two.
Related: Schedule Spotlight - Women's Events | Schedule Spotlight - Seniors | MGA Announces 2024 Schedule
White Beeches Golf and Country Club in Haworth, N.J., will host the 56th MGA/MetLife Boys' Championship. This will be the first time the Boys' Championship has been played at White Beeches.
Walter J. Travis designed the layout in 1918. Travis, a four-time Met Amateur winner, designed a number of Met Area courses including the nearby North Jersey Country Club, the South and West courses at Westchester Country Club, and Round Hill Club, in addition to influencing many others through re-designs or as a consultant.
Last year, Gardiner’s Bay Country Club hosted the MGA/MetLife Boys’ Championship, where Ken Fernandes took home the title. The 14-year-old edged Holden Schipper in the championship match, 2 and 1, giving him the opportunity to defend his title in 2024.
Additionally, the Williamson Cup stands as an annual junior team event between 10 northeast golf associations. Four juniors represent each association, with the best three scores from each round counting toward the team’s overall score.
The event’s 60th playing will be hosted by the Delware State Golf Association at Rehoboth Beach Country Club in Rehoboth Beach, Del.
The MGA finished second to the Rochester District Golf Association by only two shots last season.
Championship registration opened on March 1 on the Golf Genius platform.