Canoe Brook Set to Host Ike for the First Time

ELMSFORD, N.Y. (June 19, 2019) – The Met Area’s top amateurs head to Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit, N.J., June 25-26, to battle for the MGA’s first major of the season—the 64^th Ike MGA Stroke Play Championship Presented by Callaway.

The championship, which Canoe Brook will welcome for the first time and host on its North Course, perennially features a deep field containing the region’s top amateur talent. This year’s qualifying for the 144-player field was completed through qualifying rounds at five sites throughout the Met Area.

Related: Pairings | Ike History | Ike Records | Ike Champions

Up For Grabs
The Ike title is up for grabs as reigning champion Michael Graboyes of Watchung Valley turned professional for last year’s Met Open. Last year’s top-10 featured two additional players that have since turned professional: Dylan Stein of Stanton Ridge and Evan Grenus of Sterling Farms.

In the Mix
Two players in the field have recorded top-10 finishes both of the last two years, with Chris Gotterup of Rumson finishing second and tied for eighth, and Sam Goldenring of Brooklake finishing tied for fifth at both Century and Meadow Brook. James Nicholas of Westchester had back-to-back top-10s in the Ike in 20016-17 (T5, T7), before finishing tied for 16^th at Meadow Brook last season.

Building on 2018
In addition to Gotterup and Goldenring, Ethan Ng of Knickerbocker, Adam Xiao of Old Westbury, Joe Saladino of Huntington and Zach Grossman of South Fork return to the Ike’s field this year following top-10 finishes at Meadow Brook.

The Race Ramps Up
The Ike stands as the first significant point total event of the season in the race for the MGA Jerry Courville Sr. Player of the Year award, with the winner earning 250 points. Players making their mark early in the race include Thomas Lamorte of Knickerbocker (225 pts), Trevor Randolph of Arcola (200 pts) and Long Island Open low amateur Christopher White of Garden City Golf Club (170 pts), and recent Long Island Amateur champion Prescott Butler of Meadow Brook (155 pts)

Starting ‘19 Right
A number of players have already earned titles in 2019 and aim to carry momentum into the Ike. Early winners include Joe Saladino of Huntington at the Havemeyer Invitational, Eric LeFante of Somerset Hills at the Mittelmark Invitational and Trevor Randolph of Arcola at the Hochster Memorial.

College Strength
College competitors account for many of the competitors likely to be in the mix at Canoe Brook, including recent Yale graduate and Ivy League Player of the Year Nicholas, recent Rhode Island graduate and A-10 All-Conference selection Dawson Jones of Eagle Oaks, rising Rutgers junior and Second Team All-Big Ten honoree Gotterup, rising Binghamton senior and Second Team All-Big Sky selection Ryan Rodriguez, rising Stanford sophomore Ethan Ng, and rising Alabama sophomore Prescott Butler of Meadow Brook.

Young Guns
A number players from the junior ranks will aim to put their name on the leaderboard, including reigning MGA Junior Player of the Year and South Carolina Commit Jack Wall of Manasquan River; MGA eClub – Hudson Valley member, two-time New York State high school champion, and Columbia commit Nathan Han; Villanova commit Matt Minerva of Hudson National; Rutgers commit Brendan Hansen; Maryland commit Will Celiberti of Arcola; and Harvard commit Adam Xiao of Old Westbury.

Experience Pays Off
Not to be outdone, the field includes a number of decorated mid-am and senior competitors aiming to vie for the title, including reigning MGA Player of the Year Darin Goldstein of Deepdale, Matt Mattare of Darlington, Randolph of Arcola, Brad Tilley of Sleepy Hollow, the 2003 Ike Champion. 

Hosting for the First Time
Canoe Brook is no stranger to hosting MGA championships, having crowned nine MGA champions beginning with 1923 Met Open winner Bob MacDonald. However, this will be the first time the Ike will be contested at the club, which will become the 17^th club to have hosted each of the MGA’s three majors—the Ike, Amateur, and Open.

Previous MGA Championships at Canoe Brook

1923	Met Open	Bob MacDonald
1935	Met Amateur	John Parker, Jr.
1949	Met Amateur	Joseph McBride
1961	Met Amateur	Robert W. Gardner
1973	Met Amateur	Jerry Courville, Sr.
1976	Senior Amateur	Gerold Lauck
1984	Father & Son	Clifford & Edward Weber
1987	Men’s Four-Ball	P. Glantz/L. Wilner
2006	Met Open	John Guyton

Representing the Host Club
Host club Canoe Brook has three competitors in the field: Peter Borst, Nick Lemieux, and Sean Vowells.

MGA Champions in the Field
The depth of the field continues with past MGA champions in the field aiming to add their name to the MGA record books once again:

Erick Alonso	Knickerbocker	‘14 Carter Cup
Gray Barnes	Centennial	‘19 Public Links
Ken Bakst	Friar’s Head	’96 Met Amateur
Jack Boatwright	Brooklawn	‘18 Met Junior
Christian Cavaliere	Mahopac	‘16 Met Junior
Nathan Han	MGA eClub – Hud. Valley	‘15-‘16 Boys
Darin Goldstein	Deepdale	‘17 Mid-Amateur
Jim Graham	Winged Foot	‘19 Senior Amateur
Jonathan Jeter	Nassau Players	‘18 Public Links
Dawson Jones	Eagle Oaks	‘14 Met Junior
Brian Komline	Black Oak	’10 Public Links
Matt Mattare	Darlington	‘17 Met Amateur
James McHugh	Rye	‘15 Met Junior
Ethan Ng	Knickerbocker	‘16-‘17 Carter Cup
Carter Prince	Huntington Crescent	‘18 Carter Cup
Trevor Randolph	Arcola	‘15-‘16 Mid-Am
Jonathan Renza	Hudson National	’07 Boys
Ryan Rodriguez	Mansion Ridge	‘13 Boys’
Mike Stamberger	Manasquan River	’03 Met Amateur
Brad Tilley	Sleepy Hollow	'03 Ike

Format

• Two days, 54 holes of stroke play
• Field cut to low 40 players and ties following Tuesday’s opening round
• Ike Team Championship runs concurrently
  • Title goes to the two individuals from the same club with the lowest combined score for 54 holes
• Eligibility open to amateur golfers who are members of an MGA Member Club with a Handicap Index not exceeding 5.0.

Canoe Brook Country Club

• Founded in 1901 and courses have been worked on by Jack Vickery, Walter Travis, Alfred Tull, Robert Trent Jones and Rees Jones.
• Has hosted the U.S. Women’s Amateur on three occasions: 1936 (South), 1983 (North), 1990 (North).
• Has hosted the MGA-conducted U.S. Open sectional qualifying round on a three-year rotating basis, last doing so in 2018.
• Will be hosting its sixth different MGA championship and 10^th overall MGA championship

Coverage

• 9- and 18-hole updates for the first two rounds (Monday, Tuesday morning)
• Live hole-by-hole scores for the majority of groups during the final round, Tuesday afternoon
• Social Media: @MGA1897 on Twitter for updates throughout the day; additional content on Facebook and Instagram
• Scoring, recaps, interviews, and photos on mgagolf.org