For more than a century, the Metropolitan Golf Association has provided local golfers and fans alike” with an outstanding schedule of highly competitive championships, played on some of the most challenging courses in the country and hosted by some of the region’s most prestigious clubs.  The 2004 schedule will continue that tradition in grand style.

 

The season’s three major events, the ““Ike”,” presented by Canon USA, Met Amateur, and Met Open, presented by MetLife, will be contested on three of the most challenging courses in the Met district-- the ““Ike”” over the A.W. Tillinghast masterpiece at Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale, NY, the Amateur at the demanding Stanwich Club in Greenwich, CT, and the Open on the cliffs of the Hudson at the Hudson National Golf Club in Croton-On-Hudson, NY.  The three venues represent three distinct generations of golf course design.

 

During the 2004 season, the MGA will conduct a total of 16 Championships, part of a schedule that includes 30 qualifying rounds as well as 17 qualifying rounds for USGA Championships.  For the 24th consecutive season, the MGA welcomes MetLife as a sponsor of eight MGA events and our Calendar of Competitions. Canon USA returns for a second year as sponsor of two MGA championships.  As always, our sponsors’ support helps the MGA tournament program maintain its premier reputation across the country.  A complete rundown of the schedule follows:

           

MAY

The 2004 season commences with the seniors in action during the first week of May, first at the Senior Amateur Championship May 4th-5th at the Glen Head Country Club in Glen Head, LI, then in the Senior (Net) Tournament at the Westchester Hills Golf Club in White Plains, NY, on May 6th.

 

JUNE  

After a seven-week championship hiatus, during which several 23 qualifying rounds are played, the season shifts into high gear with the “Ike", the MGA’s Stroke-Play Championship, which will be played for the first time ever at Quaker Ridge on June 28-29, and sponsored for the second consecutive year by Canon USA.  The “Ike” will cap a remarkable two weeks at Quaker Ridge, which will host its own prestigious Hochster Memorial the previous week, an event in which many of the top “Ike” contenders will compete.  The full “Ike” field will compete in the first round on June 28, after which the field will be cut to the low 40 (plus ties).  The final two rounds of the 54-hole event will be played on June 29, and will decide the individual and team champions.  Defending champion Brad Tilley of Sleepy Hollow is likely to be on hand to defend his title.

 

JULY

Five championships will be contested in July, beginning with the MGA/MetLife Net Team Championship, often referred to as “The U.S. Open for the Average Golfer,” which will take place on July 6 at the picturesque Plandome Country Club in Plandome, NY, on Long Island.  The “Met Net” will be followed on July 7th by the WMGA/MGA Women’s Public Links Championship, which will be held this year at the Crystal Springs Golf Course in Hamburg, NJ.

 

The MGA Junior, the nation’s oldest junior championship, will be played on July 13-15, and will be preceded on July 12th by the MGA/MetLife Pro-Junior Tournament, both sponsored by MetLife. The event will be held for the tenth time at the Rockaway River Country Club in Denville, NJ, and is open to Met Area young men not yet 19 years of age.  The MGA Junior often provides an early look at future contenders for the region’s top amateur events.  Witness last year’s winner, Michael Quagliano of Knollwood, who narrowly missed winning the Met Amateur a couple of weeks after his win in the Junior at Apawamis.

 

On July 23rd the 36-hole MGA/MetLife Public Links Championship will be played for the first time at the revamped Griffith E. Harris Golf Course in Greenwich, CT.  This event has attracted large and talented fields in recent years, and is likely to do so again in 2004.

 

July concludes with the MGA Boys Championship, which will be held on July 29-30 at the venerable Bedford Golf & Tennis Club in Bedford, NY.  This will mark Bedford’s seventh time as host of the Boys, which is open to Met Area young men not yet 16 years of age on the first day of the tournament.

 

AUGUST

August begins with the youngsters showcased again at the second edition of the MGA Junior Stroke Play Championship, The Carter Cup, at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, NJ, which will be played on August 4th.   The 36-hole invitational event played annually over the demanding Upper and Lower courses, seems destined to become one of the area’s most prestigious junior titles.

 

The following day the Met Amateur begins at The Stanwich Club, host of the 2002 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship. The tournament will run from Thursday, August 5th through Sunday, August 8th.  The 36-hole qualifier on the first day will identify the 16 golfers who will advance to the match-play portion of the tournament contested over the next three days.  The final match will be played over 36 holes.  The Met Amateur will go a long way in determining the 2004 MGA Jerry Courville, Sr., Player of the Year Award.  Mike Stamberger of Plainfield most likely will be on hand to defend his title, while last year’s runner-up, Michael Quagliano of Knollwood, will likely be looking to avenge his loss in last year’s playoff at Somerset Hills.

 

On Monday, August 9th, the MGA Father & Son (Net) Tournament will be played at the Lake Success Country Club in Great Neck, NY, and this will be followed the next day, August 10th, by the MGA Father & Son (Gross) Championship, which will be contested at the outstanding and recently renovated Essex County Country Club in West Orange, NJ.

 

The region's top professionals and leading amateurs will vie for the Met Open title at Hudson National on August 24-26, marking the third major MGA event held at the club in its ten-year existence.  The players will compete for a purse of $125,000.  Sponsored for the 24th year by MetLife, the Met Open will be preceded on August 23 by the MGA/MetLife Caddie Scholarship Pro-Am.

 

The Met Open will be followed the next week by the MGA Senior Open at the Century Country Club in Purchase, NY, on August 30-31.  Sponsored by Canon USA for the second year, the field of senior professionals and amateurs (aged 50 and up) will compete over 36 holes for a purse of $25,000 in what has become one of the area’s most competitive senior events.

 

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER        

The 2004 season continues after Labor Day, first with the MGA Mixed Pinehurst to be played on September 13 at the Green Brook Country Club in North Caldwell, NJ.  And finally, the MGA/MetLife Women's Net Team Championship will be played at the Morris County Golf Club in Convent Station, NJ on October 1.

 

The season will conclude in mid-October, when the MGA and WMGA field a six-man and four-woman team to compete against the Ligue de Paris in the 12th bi-annual French-American Challenge at the Plainfield Country Club.

 

For more information, please contact: Gene Westmoreland or Brian Mahoney of the MGA,  914-347-4653, or e-mail gwestmore@mgagolf.org, or bmahoney@mgagolf.org