rolex logo

Match Play Set at 102nd Met Junior

Ben Carpenter

BAY SHORE, N.Y. (July 17, 2019) -- Following 36 holes of stroke play at Southward Ho Country Club on Wednesday, the match play bracket for the 102nd Met Junior Championship Sponsored by MetLife is set, with Ben Carpenter of Darien, Conn., capturing the top seed behind a 3-under 139.

Related: Match Play Bracket | Photos

Carpenter's steady play landed him the medalist position, as rounds of 69-70 placed him two shots better than 2018 Connecticut Junior champion Connor Belcastro of Rowayton. Carpenter tallied nine birdies and an eagle on the day to help offset three bogeys, a double, and a triple. Belcastro set the morning pace with a 5-under 66 before carding 75 in the afternoon.

Jesse Goodman of New York City played to level par for the 36 holes, while Shane DeVincenzo of Port Jefferson, N.Y., and 2018 MGA/MetLife Boys' champion Luke Sample of New York City registered 1-over 143s. Belcastro and DeVincenzo both advanced to match play last year, while others with previous Met Junior match play experience advancing once again include 2018 Met Junior runner up Will Celiberti of Ridgewood, N.J., Jackson Fretty of Cos Cob, Conn., and Brandon Valvano of Franklin Lakes, N.J.

Stephen Sul of Old Bridge, N.J., secured the final slot in a three-for-one playoff. He and Tyler Lee of Franklin Lakes, N.J., both birdied the par-four 8th and rolled in eight-foot putts for par-threes on the 9th. Both then parred No. 8, before Sul drained a 12-footer for birdie on the 9th to earn the matchup with Carpenter.

The Round of 16 begins Thursday at 7:30 a.m., with the quarterfinal matches slated to follow in the afternoon. Live hole-by-hole scoring will be available for every match.

Southward Ho, an A.W. Tillinghast design, served as a strong test for the Met Area's top juniors during Wednesday's stroke play and will also certainly stand as a fun test for match play for the remainder of the championship. The Met Junior, which is the nation's oldest junior championship, is the first MGA championship hosted by the club.