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Allied Association of the MGA

Pierson Sets Pace at WGA Mid-Am

HASTINGS-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. (October 2, 2017) -- A pair of familiar names are in contention after day one of the 8th Westchester Mid-Amateur Championship at The Saint Andrew's Golf Club, with two-time champion Patrick Pierson of Hollow Brook leading the way with a 2-over 73 and 2012 winner Michael Karger of Century just two shots back following a 4-over 75.

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Dan O'Callaghan of Bedford Golf & Tennis tallied a 3-over 74 to sit in solo second, while Philip Mintz of Century also tallied a 75 to match Karger. George Miller of host Saint Andrew's and Chris Kelly of Centennial round out the top five following day one, both carding 6-over 77s.

Pierson, the winner in 2014 and 2016, used three birdies en route to his 73, posting circles on his card on Nos. 2, 5, and 13. Pierson's birdie on the par-three 13th (the lone one on the hole for the day) returned him to 1-under for the round, but a trio of bogeys on the way in led to the 2-over total.

O'Callaghan, a semifinalist in the 2011 Westchester Amateur, registered four birdies on the day (Nos. 2, 6, 10 and 14) to help offset a triple-bogey seven on No. 15 and four bogeys. His birdie on the par-four 14th pulled him to 2-under for the day, but O'Callaghan dropped five shots on the challenging final four closing holes.

Mintz recorded perhaps one of the most steady rounds, registering 13 pars on his card. His lone birdie came on the par-four 4th, but he also added three bogeys and a double-bogey for 75. Meanwhile, Karger posted two birdies (including the day's only birdie on the par-five 17th) on his way to 75.

Tuesday's final round will begin at 8:30 a.m., while the final group of Pierson-O'Callaghan-Pierson will go off at 10:20 a.m. Scoring updates will be available on mgagolf.org/wga, while additional updates will be available on the WGA Twitter, @WGA1916.

Competitors must be at least 30 years of age by the beginning of the championship and have an official Handicap Index of 8.5 or better to be eligible for the Westchester Mid-Amateur Championship.