Jeter Notches Second MGA Public Links Title
POUND RIDGE, N.Y. (June 17, 2021) – Patience and a conservative attack paid off for Jonathan Jeter on Thursday at Pound Ridge Golf Club as rounds of 72-74 led the Nassau Players Club member to his second career victory in the MGA Public Links Championship. Jeter edged Ryan Lee of Blue Hill (73-74) by one shot on the challenging Pete Dye layout, which was hosting its first-ever MGA Championship.
“Coming into today was a bit of a question mark,” admitted Jeter, whose morning round of even-par 72 placed him one shot behind Andrew Lord of Hudson Hills. “I hadn’t been playing very well. I didn’t have a whole lot of expectations, but I knew if I played alright and kept it around par, I might have a shot.”
After starting his day on the 10th hole, Jeter turned in 1-over 37. On the front, Jeter made birdies on the par-4 third and fifth holes as well as the closing par-5 ninth for his even-par round.
As the afternoon round progressed, both Jeter and Lee faced tough stretches on the scorecard, but the championship became a two-player race. Jeter played his first four holes of the afternoon in 4-over, while four consecutive bogeys (Nos. 17-18, 1-2) derailed Lee in the middle of his round.
Both battled back though, with Jeter playing Nos. 5-16 in 4-under par and Lee quickly answering his four doubles with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 5-6 to give himself a chance coming down the stretch.
Jeter also faced a unique challenge when his driver grip became loose with nine holes to go, leaving three-wood as his longest club in the bag off the tee on a long, challenging layout.
Jeter hadn’t checked scores much throughout the round, but after a double-bogey on the par-4 17th, he couldn’t resist seeing where he stood. Knowing the slim margin, he made par on the closing hole for his afternoon 74.
Lee came to the par-5 ninth needing birdie to tie Jeter’s lead in the clubhouse. But, after putting his second shot pin-high right of the green, he pitched to eight feet and his putt to tie slid past the hole.
“This course was really all about patience,” said Jeter, whose nine-shot victory in 2018 at Griffith E. Harris Golf Course set the record for largest margin of victory. “There’s a lot of places to get in trouble, so I just tried to play pretty conservative most of the time. Some of the par-fives, I just laid up every time and just tried to keep the big numbers off the card. It seemed to work out pretty well.”
With the win, Jeter becomes the 10th player to win the MGA Public Links at least two times in their career. “This event is bar-none one of the best around. As a public golfer, it means a ton to me.”
First-round leader Lord and Erik Stauderman of Casperkill tied third at 7-over for the day while Gavin Rau of Neshanic Valley rounded out the top-five at 10-over.
Pound Ridge served as an outstanding host site for the 73rd playing of the MGA’s Public Links Championship. Its extremely well-conditioned layout demanded accuracy from tee to green and placed a premium on strategy as well, evidenced by how Jeter thought himself around the course. Though certainly a challenge, players commented on the fairness of the course and the test that it provided for the championship.