71st MGA Public Links Heads to The Griff
Gray Barnes
ELMSFORD, N.Y. (June 11, 2018) – For just the second time and for the first time in 14 years, the MGA Public Links Championship will return to Griffith E. Harris Golf Course in Greenwich, Conn., where 66 of the region’s top public players will vie for the nation’s oldest public links championship. The 36-hole championship has provided exciting finishes in recent years, with two of the last three requiring a playoff.
Related: Pairings | Public Links History | Public Links Records
Back-to-Back?
Alex Kang of Harbor Links prevented 2016 champion Michael Miranda from repeating in 2017, claiming the title in a playoff. This year, Kang—who played at Florida Atlantic University—aims to become the first repeat champion since Mark Farrell won in 2005 and 2006. Meanwhile, Miranda has since turned professional.
Past Champions
MGA eClub – New Jersey member David Cha joins Kang as the only former champions in the field. Cha won in 2015 on Eisenhower Park’s Red Course, outlasting Kyle Brey in a playoff.
On a Roll
Gray Barnes of Centennial—who shared the lead following 18 holes in 2016—has had a strong start to the season. After qualifying for both the Public Links and Ike championships, Barnes recently finished as runner-up in the Westchester Amateur at Brooklawn Country Club in Fairfield, Conn., falling 2 and 1 to Christian Cavaliere.
Always Near the Top
Having won the Havemeyer Invitational this spring, Jonathan Jeter of Nassau Players Club now aims to capture the elusive Public Links title. Jeter has had strong finishes in the event, finishing third in 2017, tied for second in 2016 and tied for fourth in 2015. This season, Jeter also qualified for match play at the historic Travis Invitational and made the cut at the Long Island Open.
From Medal to Trophy?
Qualifying rounds saw a number of impressive scores, with medalist honors going to Peter Terrence Jakaitis (-4/67) at Hudson Hills, Chris Lambrou (-4/68) at Bethpage Blue, Dan Doran (-2/69) at Rockleigh, Jin Han (-2/70) at The Golf Club at Middle Bay, and Devlin Walsh (-1/71) at Philip J. Rotella.
Keep an Eye on…
The field includes a long list of proven players capable of capturing the title, including 2016 Public Links runner up Michael Young Jr. of South Shore; 2017 Westchester Public Links champion Herrol Pryce of Baychester; 2017 U.S. Mid-Am qualifier Rob Pepi of Nassau Players, who’s competing in the Public Links for the first time; Devlin Walsh of Shawangunk, who closed 2017 strongly with a tie for fourth at the MGA Mid-Am; and and frequent competitors David Prowler of Bethpage State Park and Marc Coleman of Nassau Players.
Format
- One day, 36 holes of stroke play
- Field determined from five local qualifiers throughout the Met Area
- Open to competitors with a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 8.0
Griffith E. Harris Golf Course
- Robert Trent Jones, Sr. layout, designed in 1963
- First dedicated as “The Bruce Memorial Golf Course” in honor of Robert M. Bruce—a local philanthropist who donated parkland that was later developed for I-95
- Griffith E. Harris helped champion for the establishment of a golf course, helping raise additional funds to see the plan to fruition
- Harris passed in 1998, and the course was renamed in his honor in 1999
- Long, open first nine and a shorter, tree-lined second nine helps test variety of skills
Coverage
- 9- and 18-hole updates for the first round and additional updates during the final round
- Social Media: @MGA1897 on Twitter for updates throughout the day; additional content on Facebook and Instagram
- Scoring, recaps, interviews, and photos on mgagolf.org