Team MGA Preps for Carey Cup in Irish Amateur Open
Royal County Down Photo: Aidan Bradley
UPDATE (May 14, 2017) -- Following a challenging round three in which wind and rain led to higher scores, Stewart Hagestad finished play in the Irish Amateur Open at Royal County Down on Sunday with a 2-over 73 to finish the championship tied for 13th at 9-over par. Ireland's Peter O'Keefe claimed the title, tallying a 2-over 286 tournament total.
Related: Irish Amateur Open Scoring
Hagestad scored a pair of birdies on the day, which allowed him to play the opening par-five 5th in 6-under for the week and the par-five 12th in 4-under for the week.
Trevor Randolph carded an 81 in the third round as he battled the tough conditions, missing the 54-hole cut by one shot at 11-over.
Westchester's James Nicholas was able to make the cut, ending the week tied for 51st.
MGA teammates Hagestad, Randolph, Tyler Cline, Darin Goldstein, Brian Komline and Ethan Ng now set their eyes on taking on six competitors from the Golfing Union of Ireland in the 14th Governor Hugh L. Carey Challenge Cup, May 17-18 at Galway Bay Golf Resort in Oranmore, Ireland.
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UPDATE (May 12, 2017) -- Trevor Randolph and Stewart Hagestad carded quality rounds of 1-under 71 and even-par 70 in Friday's second round of the Irish Amateur Open at Royal County Down, both moving considerably up the leaderboard.
Related: Irish Amateur Open Scoring
As Hagestad did in round one, Randolph opened round two with an eagle-three. Despite a pair of bogeys in the middle of his outward nine, Randolph tallied a birdie-three on the eighth hole to turn in one-under. He added a bogey and birdie on the 10th and 12th holes, then parred out for 70. Randolph is 1-over for the championship, currently tied 14th and four-shots back of co-leaders Sean Towndrow of England and Kyle McClatchie of South Africa. Hagestad posted four birdies on his day, helping erase a double bogey and two additional bogeys. He is tied for 20th at 2-over following two rounds of play.
A cut will be made following the third round, in which the low 50 scores and ties will advance to the final round.
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NEWCASTLE, Northern Ireland (May 11, 2017) -- Team MGA has set foot in Ireland for the 14th Governor Hugh L. Carey Challenge Cup, May 17-18, but are first preparing for the Walker Cup-style event by competing in the Irish Amateur Open at famed Royal County Down. Play began Thursday, with the championship running through Sunday.
Related: Irish Amateur Open Scoring | Meet Team MGA
Stewart Hagestad of Deepdale, Trevor Randolph of Arcola, and Darin Goldstein of Noyac led the MGA representatives with 2-over 73s and are tied for 45th in the 142-man field. Tyler Cline of The Tuxedo Club tallied a 5-over 76, while Brian Komline of Black Oak rounded out the MGA's Carey Cup competitors with an 11-over 82.
An eagle-birdie start quickly shot Hagestad up the leaderboard early in the round, but a qualdruple-bogey eight on the par-four ninth later derailed his momentum. He tallied his third birdie of the day on the par-five 12th en route to his 73. Goldstein played steadily through the day, carding one birdie to three bogeys, while Randolph birdied the opening two holes and scattered in four bogeys the rest of the way.
Though not competing in next week's the Carey Cup, James Nicholas of Westchester is also in the Irish Amateur Open field and tallied a 3-over 74 in round one.