Links at Shirley to Host 62nd MGA/MetLife Public Links Championship on July 2
ELMSFORD, N.Y. (July 2, 2009) - The 2009 MGA/MetLife Public Links Championship is set for Tuesday, July 7th at one of Long Island’s premier public courses, The Links at Shirley in Shirley, N.Y. An initial entry of 352 public links golfers has been narrowed down through five sectional qualifying rounds to a final field of 51 contestants, including six exempt players, who will compete in this 36-hole, stroke play championship.
This year’s event will be the 62nd edition of a tournament that was first played in 1936, making it the second-oldest public links championship in the country. It originated at the Hendricks Field Golf Course in Belleville, N.J., whose golfers were the driving force behind the championship’s creation. It was not played between 1973 and 1983, but was reinstated by the MGA in 1984 and, with the support of MetLife, it has flourished since. The championship has been conducted on some of the most highly acclaimed public layouts in the nation including Bethpage Black, site of the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Opens, and nationally ranked facilities such as Richter Park in Danbury, Conn., and Hominy Hill in Colts Neck, N.J.
The MGA/MetLife Public Links Championship remains one of the MGA’s most prestigious titles, and has been won by players such as former Met Open champions Charlie Cowell and Mark Mielke, along with the late Jeff Thomas, a past U.S. Mid-Amateur champion.
Leading the contenders in this year’s field is 2007 MGA/MetLife Public Links champion Justin Jacaruso of Spook Rock Golf Club. Among the six exempt players are the two players who finished runner-up last year, Sean Davy of Plainfield West Golf Club and Peter Zeldin of Patriot Hills. Also in the field are brothers Chris and Stephen Scialo of Spook Rock, while Dave Segot of Nassau Players Club and David Prowler of Bethpage look to win their first MGA title after being in contention on several occasions.
The championship is open to male golfers who reside in the MGA district, have an official USGA Handicap Index of 8.0 or less and who do not hold playing privileges at a course from which the general public is excluded. The championship is conducted at 36 holes of stroke play.
For more information on the MGA/MetLife Public Links Championship, contact Bob Nielsen or Greg Midland at the MGA at (914) 347-4653.
