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Met Area Locals Qualify for U.S. Mid-Amateur

Colorado Golf Club

The MGA in 2019 conducted two sectional qualifying rounds for the 39th U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, which takes place at Colorado Golf Club in Aurora, CO., September 14-19. 

CHATHAM, N.J. (August 12, 2019) -- Six competitors punched their tickets to the 39th U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship from Monday's Sectional Qualifying Round at Fairmount Country Club, led by Mark Costanza of Jersey City, N.J. Costanza took home medalist honors with his low score of 4-under 68. Starting on the back nine, Costanza made the turn at 1-over, but fired back with an impressive 5 birdies on the front nine (his back) to take the clubhouse lead early in the afternoon. 

Related: Results

Two shots back was Eric LeFante of Florham Park, N.J., the 2012 MGA Public Links Champion. Lefante shot 35-34-69 during the morning wave to safely qualify. Matthew Finger of Wilmington, DE., finished with a 2-under 70 and Brandon Dalinka of New York, N.Y. carded a 1-under 71 to also qualify for the championship. 

Five players finished with scores of an even par, forcing a playoff for the final two positions as well as the first and second alternates.  On the first playoff hole (#10 at FCC), Riaz Rattansi of England made a birdie to take the fifth qualifying position. Nicolas Donaldson of New York, N.Y., secured the sixth and final spot on the second playoff hole (#17). Thomas Lee of Alpine, N.J., is the first alternate and WIlls Reardon of New York, N.Y., finished as the second alternate. 

Fairmount Country Club played to 6,800 yards. 


GLEN COVE, N.Y. (August 6, 2019) -- Johnny DelPrete of Juno Beach, Fla., carded a 5-under 65 at Nassau Country Club to take home medalist honors and lead six qualifiers to the 39th U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, September 14-19 at Colorado Golf Club in Parker, Colo.

Related: Results

Trevor Randolph of Franklin Lakes, N.J., fired a 4-under 66 during the morning wave to place himself atop the leaderboard for much of the day, before DelPrete turned in his impressive score. Randolph registered six birdies to a pair of bogeys, while DelPrete also had six birdies--three on each side--to just one bogey for his 65.

With the pair separating themselves from the field, a playoff was needed to determine the final four qualifiers as five players came in with scores of 1-under 69.

The playoff took place on Nassau's par-three 10th hole, which played 162 yards. Rich Vandermass of Locust Valley, N.Y., secured his spot with a five-footer for birdie, while Jason Zubatkin of Valhalla, N.Y., and Troy Vannucci of Marlton, N.J., claimed their spots with two-putt pars.

Michael Muehr of McLean, Va., and Ross Lehrer of Roslyn Heights, N.Y., carded bogeys and returned to the tee to determine the final slot. Lehrer's tee shot hit the flagstick on the fly and ricocheted to the greenside rough, while Muehr landed his safely on the green, 20 feet from the hole. After Lehrer's chip ran by, Muehr rolled in the birdie putt to earn his way to Colorado.

Lehrer took the first alternate position, while Jon Ross of Jersey City, N.J., claimed the second alternate spot by making birdie from four feet on the par-four 1st as part of a 4-for-1 playoff among players who shot even-par 70.

The MGA's second and final U.S. Mid-Am sectional qualifier takes place Monday, August 12 at Fairmount Country Club in Chatham, N.J.

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