Devlin Walsh leads 19 Ike Qualifiers from Redding
WEST REDDING, Conn. (May 22, 2018) – The fourth sectional qualifying round for the 63rd MGA Ike Stroke Play Championship Presented by Callaway was held at Redding Country Club on Tuesday. Out of a starting field of 114 players, a total of 19 qualified for the MGA’s first major of the year, which is set to be held on June 25-26 at the Meadow Brook Club in Jericho, New York.
Related: Results
Standing alone at the top of the leaderboard was Devlin Walsh of Shawangunk, who shot a 3-under 68. Walsh’s score of 68 was fueled by an unlikely eagle at the 412 yard par-four 2nd hole.
Just behind Walsh was Connor O’Brien from Oak Hills Park, who shot 1-under 70 behind three birdies in his first six holes. Reigning Westchester Amateur champion Christian Cavaliere of Mahopac, Adam Friedman of Birchwood, and Michael O’Connell of Arcola all finished at even-par, shooting 71 to lock up their spots.
Also playing his way into the championship proper was Kevin Talty of Smithtown Landing with a 1-over 72. Talty finished strong with five pars on the final five holes to end his day.
Additionally, four players finished at 2-over with a 73: Myles Gillespie of Winged Foot, Ryan Rodriguez of The Golf Club at Mansion Ridge, Justin Lane of Woodstock, and Connor Daly of Siwanoy Country Club.
Finishing their rounds at 4-over 75 were Ben Mitchell of Fresh Meadow, David Sampson of River Vale Country Club, Matthew Jackson of the Golf Performance Center, Matthew Fields of Quaker Ridge, and Ryan Lee of Blue Hill Golf Association, all of whom were able to qualify on Tuesday.
Finally, four players secured their spot in the field just under the cut line, finishing at 5-over 76: Sam Weiss of Century, Julius Oppenheimer of Pelham Country Club, Gray Barnes of Centennial, and Michael Blum of Engineers.
Redding Country Club played to a par 71 at 6,289 yards on Tuesday, with players dealing with intermittent rain throughout the day.
The MGA will conduct two more qualifiers to fill out the final field for the Ike Championship, with the next taking place May 30 at the Westhampton Golf Club in Westhampton, N.Y., while the final qualifier takes place at Richmond County Country Club in Staten Island, N.Y. For complete details and qualifying information, visit mgagolf.org.