Met Area Represented at U.S. Junior Am at Baltusrol
ELMSFORD, N.Y. (July 13, 2018 -- A field of 156 of the world's best juniors will take on legendary Baltusrol Golf Club in the 2018 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, July 16-21. The competition begins with two rounds of stroke play; competitors will play one round each on Baltusrol's Upper and Lower courses. The field will then be cut to the low 64 scoreres who will advance to match play on the Upper Course for the duration of the championship.
Related: U.S. Junior Amateur Home | Pairings and Starting Times
The Met Area is well represented with many local players in the field:
From the USGA Storylines:
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Douglas Beney, 16, of Rye, N.Y., is competing in his first USGA championship. Beney, who was born in Switzerland and was a self-taught golfer until age 14, recently completed his sophomore season on the Rye High School golf team. He earned honorable mention Westchester/Putnam recognition by the Journal News. In 2017, he won three PGA Metro section titles and posted nine top-10 finishes and was second in the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour’s Major Championship at The Architects Golf Club in Lopatcong, N.J. (ages 14-15).
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Tyler Gerbavsits, 18, of Huntington, N.Y., has been a member of the Huntington High School team for six years and will attend St. John’s University in the fall of 2018. He is competing in his first USGA championship. Gerbavsits has earned Newsday All-Long Island, All-Suffolk County and All-Suffolk League honors throughout his career. He has also competed in the Metropolitan Golf Association’s Williamson Cup and Carter Cup.
- Nathan Han, 17, of Somers, N.Y., won the 2017 NYSPHSAA state championship when he made a 10-foot par putt on the third playoff hole to defeat Adam Xiao. Han, who tied for second in the state championship the previous year, also won the Section I title. Han, who attends Ethan Allen Prep, in Ridgefield, Conn., won the 2015 and 2016 Metropolitan Golf Association Boys Championship, the first player to win consecutive crowns in 30 years. He was chosen the Westchester/Putnam Boys’ Golf Athlete of the Year as a sophomore.
- Alex Kyriacou, 17, of Suffern, N.Y., was fourth in the 2018 NYSPHSAA state championship. He is a two-time Rockland County player of the year by the Journal News and was the Sectional I runner-up. Kyriacou, who has served as team captain at Suffern High School since seventh grade, won the International Junior Golf Tour’s Faldo Series Pennsylvania Championship on April 15. In 2017, he was sixth in the New York State Federation Tournament and tied for seventh in the New York State Boys Junior Amateur.
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Jud Langille, 16, of Ossining, N.Y., won the 2017 MGA Boys Championship when he defeated Jimin Jung in 20 holes. He also claimed the Westchester Golf Association Boys title and was chosen WGA player of the year. Langille, who tied for 35th in this year’s NYSPHSAA state championship, advanced to his first USGA championship by holing a 50-foot birdie putt to shoot 70 and earn the fourth and final spot in the Elmsford, N.Y., sectional qualifier. In 2017, he captured the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour’s Northeast Regional Invitational (ages 14-15) in a sudden-death playoff.
- William O’Neill, 18, of Morristown, N.J., is competing in his first USGA championship and will attend Georgetown University in the fall. O’Neill is a two-time all-state selection in New Jersey and was the Morris County golfer of the year. Last year, he was the Metropolitan Golf Association Junior Championship runner-up, losing to Jake Mayer in the final. He began playing competitively as a freshman after concentrating on basketball. He was the runner-up in the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions in 2017 and tied for fifth this year. He won the Group IV title as a junior and was runner-up as a senior.
- Sean Taylor, 18, of Westfield, N.J., missed nine months and his senior ice hockey season due to an ACL and MCL tear in his knee. He regrouped for the spring golf season when he tied for fifth in the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions and qualified for his first USGA championship. Taylor, who will attend the University of Rhode Island in the fall, also tied for second in the Group IV championship on his way to receiving first-team all-state recognition. Taylor, who is a three-time All-Union County performer, earned medalist honors with a 69 in U.S. Junior Amateur qualifying at Shackamaxon Country Club, in Scotch Plains, N.J.
Baltusrol, the host of the 2016 PGA Championship, has a long and storied history of hosting national championships. In addition, the club is the annual host of the Carter Cup, the MGA's Junior Stroke Play Championship, and was the site of the 2015 Met Amateur Championship. With the U.S. Junior Am at Baltusrol this year, Winged Foot's East and West courses will host the 2018 Carter Cup.
For full coverage of the 2018 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, click here.