Live From: 20th Carter Cup
SPRINGFIELD, N.J. (August 2, 2022) -- After round one of the 20th MGA Carter Cup, Mark Yan of Newburgh, NY leads at Baltusrol Golf Club. Yan, who was the only player in the field to finish his round on the Upper Course under-par, used four birdies to push him to his first round 1-under, 71. Yan, playing in his first Carter Cup, birdied two of the first five holes in his round to set the tone. A birdie on the 18th solidified his position as the leader after the morning wave.
Barnes Blake of Westfield, NJ grinded through his back nine to finish the opening round at even par. Blake aced the third hole, hitting a five iron from 195 yards out. Blake carded two more birdies on the front and made the turn at 4-under. Despite a triple bogey on the back, Blake was able to right the ship enough, closing with two birdies in his final three holes to finish just one stroke off the lead.
Cameron Besaw of New Canaan, CT closed his round with a birdie on the last to climb within one stroke of the leader as well. Besaw had four birdies on his round, accompanying two bogeys and a double.
A slew of competitors will head back out for the final 18 holes on the Lower Course well within striking distance. A group of three golfers: Derek Gutierrez of Cranford, NJ, and Will Lodge of Darien, CT and Luke Ogrady-Rodgers of Patterson, NY currently sit at 1-over par for the tournament. Four more golfers finished their opening rounds at 2-over, three shots off the lead.
If last year is any indication - Nathan Drogin of Essex Fells, NJ charged from six shots back to win - plenty of golfers are still in the mix as the focus shifts to the newly-restored Lower Course. Drogin himself is in the large group with a chance, sitting four shots back of Yan.
The final afternoon group will tee off at 2:50 p.m.
The Carter Cup was first played in 2003 and is named in honor of Michael P. Carter, an accomplished junior player at Baltusrol and standout member of the golf team at New Jersey’s Delbarton School who died in a car accident in 2002. Carter had won the junior club championships at both Baltusrol and Winged Foot, and at the time of his death played for Penn State.
Even with its brief history, the Carter Cup has produced an incredible list of champions, including professionals Morgan Hoffmann (2005), and David Pastore (2010) and Cameron Young (2011). The field once again contains the region's top rising stars, who earned entry to the event based on performance in notable Met Area events.
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