Quarters Set at WGA Amateur
ARMONK, N.Y. (June 13, 2017) – Quarterfinal matches are set for the 98th WGA Amateur Championship, which began Tuesday at Whippoorwill Club with two rounds of match play.
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Top-seeded James Nicholas of Westchester Country Club made quick work of his two matches on the 90-degree day, claiming victories of 7-and-5 in the morning and 5-and-4 in the afternoon. Christian Cavaliere of Mahopac, the 2012 WGA Boys and Junior champion, also took a pair of convincing wins by margins of 5-and-4, and 4-and-3.
One of the afternoon’s thrilling matches came between eClub member Paul Pastore and Al Tenembaum of Rockland. Tenembaum took a 2-up lead after two holes, but Pastore battled back wining four holes in a five-hole stretch to take a 1-up lead after 11. The two halved the remaining holes, with Pastore sinking a five-footer for a sand-saving par on the final hole for the 1-up win.
After claiming a 19-hole victory in the morning, James McHugh of Rye secured a 6-and-5 victory in the afternoon to secure his spot in the quarterfinals. One match in the afternoon went extra holes, as 2012 WGA Mid-Am champion Michael Karger of Century edged out Denver Brown of Whippoorwill Club in 19 holes. Karger faced a two-hole deficit with five holes to play, but squared the match with wins on Nos. 15 and 16. Brown responded with a win on the par-three 17th, but a par from Karger on 18 sent the match to extras where Karger won with par on the first hole.
Owen Elliott, an eClub member, advanced to the quarterfinals with a pair of 4-and-3 victories. Bradford Tilley of Sleepy Hollow edged Bobby Diforio of Westchester Hills 2-and-1 in the afternoon, after Diforio claimed the morning’s most lopsided victory, 8-and-6. Claiming the final slot in the quarterfinals was Luke Feehan of Mahopac, who is seeking his second title in the event after claiming the title in 2014.
Related: Senior Bracket | Super Senior Bracket
The WGA Senior and Super Senior championships also took place. George Riehm of Sprain Valley, Jim Romaniello of Shorehaven, Scott Matthews of Hudson Hills, and Mark Vassalotti of Sterling Farms all earned a pair of victories to advance to Wednesday’s seminfinals. Russ Sirico of Lake Isle, Robert Miller of Spook Rock, Rick Blank of Metropolis and Peter Friedes of Wykagyl advanced to the semifinal of the Super Senior.
Play continues on Wednesday, beginning at 7:30 a.m. Live scoring will be available, while updates can also be found on the WGA’s Twitter, @WGA1916.