The magic ran out for 52-year-old Tom Yellin on Saturday, at the 103rd Met Amateur where he lost his semi-final match to Metuchen’s Ron Vannelli 6&5 after three days of superb play at The Creek, the spectacularly beautiful course on Long Island’s north shore in Locust Valley, NY.  Vannelli, a contemporary of Yellin, who was the on-site medalist at the US Senior Amateur at Bel-Aire CC in 2004, will meet Patrick Pierson of Minisceongo in the 36-hole final, after Pierson defeated Tarik Can of Bethpage 4&3.

After a decisive 7&6 victory over Garden City Golf’s Andreas Huber in the quarter finals, Vanelli continued his outstanding play taking an early lead on Yellin on the second hole and never looked back.  He birdied four and five and won eight with a par to take a three-up lead on Yellin, whose putter failed him for the first time all week. On the par 4 tenth, Vannelli sank a 20-footer for birdie to go four up, another birdie at 12 stretched the lead to five and he won the next hole with a par to close out the match on 13. 

Pierson, who recorded a double eagle on the par 5 18th  in Thursday’s stroke play qualifying round started his match one down after losing the first hole to a birdie by Can but pulled even with a par on the third hole when Can three putted for a bogey 5.  Pierson returned the favor with a three putt bogey on four but he won holes six, seven, eight and nine to go three up after nine.  After both players birdied the 12th, Pierson went four up on the 13^th hole.  A bogey on the 14th dropped him back to 3 up but he rebounded with birdie on 15 to close out the match 4&3.

Pierson and Vannelli will meet in the 36-hole final on Sunday, August 7^th.  The championship match begins at 7:30 AM.  Pierson’s father Howard won the Met Amateur in 1980 and if Patrick wins, they will join Mark Stuart and Mark Stuart, Jr. and Jerry Courville and Jerry Courville, Jr. as the only father and son winners of the championship.   If Vannelli wins, he would be one of the oldest Met Amateur champions in history, at 57.

The Met Amateur is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious regional amateur championship which counts the likes of Walter Travis, Jess Sweetser , Willie Turnesa, Richard Siderowf and George Zahringer among its past champions.

Real time scoring, provided by TPP, will be featured on the MGA's website, www.mgagolf.org. For more information on this year’s Championship contact Jeanne McCooey or Jeff Carroll of the MGA at (914) 347-4653.

Official Results - Semi- Finals

Ronald Vannelli, Metuchen def. Tom Yellin, Stanwich 6&5

Patrick Pierson, Minisceongo def. Tarik Can, Bethpage 4&3