Met Moments: Best of the Decade

ELMSFORD, N.Y. (April 8, 2020) -- The 2010s provided plenty of thrilling championship moments in MGA history, from dominating victories and record-setting play to oustanding achievements and clutch performances. We've picked out 16 of the best moments, now we're turning it over to you. Recount the events below, then head to Instagram or Twitter (@mga1897 for both) to submit your vote. The first round begins Wednesday evening at 6 pm. The moments with the most combined votes between Instagram and Twitter will advance until we have the best moment of the decade.

Wednesday (6pm): Round of 16
Thursday: Quarterfinals
Friday: Semifinals
Saturday: Finals

15th Governor Hugh L. Carey Challenge Cup | 2019 | Arcola Country Club | Paramus, N.J.
Recap | Video | Photos
Despite trailing the Golfing Union of Ireland 4-2 heading into the final day, team MGA took 4.5 of the possible 6 singles points to claim the unlikely come-from-behind victory. Early wins over the GUI’s three Walker Cup team members shifted momentum, while Trevor Randolph of Arcola drained a clinching 12-foot putt in the final match for the 6.5 - 5.5 win.

61st Ike Championship | 2016 | Essex County Country Club | West Orange, N.J.
Recap | Photos
After Cameron Young and Peter Kim tied the Ike’s 54-hole scoring record of 203, Young went on to claim victory and successfully defend his title in a thrilling playoff. While Kim birdied the 54th to force the extra holes, Young provided dramatics to close out the initial three-hole aggregate playoff by stuffing his approach to just a foot for birdie. Young’s par on the first hole of sudden-death—the par-4 18th—then earned him the win.

114th Met Amateur | 2016 | Country Club of Fairfield | Fairfield, Conn.
Recap | Video | Photos
A 15-foot birdie putt on the 38th hole of the championship match earned Stewart Hagestad the exciting victory in the MGA’s oldest championship. The tightly contested match included 18 total birdies. Hagestad’s run to the title backed up his stellar start in the event in which he posted an overall MGA-championship record 9-under 61 and set a new on-site qualifying record of 15-under 125 for the Met Amateur.

112th Met Amateur | 2014 | The Creek | Locust Valley, N.Y.
Recap | Photos
Standing 2-up with two holes to play, David Pastore provided a thrilling walk-off moment as he aced the 135-yard 17th hole – the 35th of the match – to earn a 3-and-1 victory over Matt Lowe. His win came just over a month after having won the Ike Championship as well.

100th Met Open |2015 | Winged Foot Golf Club (East) | Mamaroneck, N.Y.
Recap | Photos
The historic 100th Met Open needed extra holes to decide a victor after professionals Ben Polland and Tyler Hall finished 54 holes at even-par 210. With the three-hole aggregate playoff taking place on Nos. 11, 17 and 18, Polland came away victorious.

13th MGA Mid-Am | 2019 | Wee Burn Country Club | Darien, Conn.
Recap | Photos
After hitting his tee shot out of bounds on the par-5 18th hole, Brad Tilley drained a 50-foot, par-saving putt on his second ball to claim the MGA Mid-Am by one shot. The win remarkably also concluded his sweep of regional Mid-Am titles, having won the New York State, Westchester, and MGA Mid-Ams in a span of 10 days.

97th Met Open | 2012 | Plainfield Country Club | Edison, N.J.
Recap | Interview 
Entering the final round seven shots off the pace, Danny Balin tallied seven birdies en route to an outstanding final round of 6-under 66 at Plainfield. Balin captured the title by one shot over competitors Mike Ballo, Jr., Robert Gage, Morgan Hoffmann and then-amateur Ryan McCormick.

62nd Ike Championship | 2017 | Century Country Club | Purchase, N.Y.
Recap | Video | Photos
A new Ike and course record 10-under 61 in the final round led Matt Lowe to an 8-under 205 total and a five-shot victory. Lowe trailed by six shots entering the final round, with his impressive 61 standing seven shots better than the afternoon’s next lowest round.

113th Met Amateur | 2015 | Baltusrol Golf Club | Springfield, N.J.
Recap | Photos
Despite limited preparation time having just completed summer boot camp, West Point cadet made an impressive run to claim the Met Amateur title. Kim took the No. 16 seed with a birdie on the 6th playoff hole – the Upper Course’s par-4 18th – and battled tendonitis in his ankle, noticeably limping down the stretch en route to his 1-up victory in the 36-hole final over Ryan Snouffer.

103rd Met Open | 2018 | Wykagyl Country Club | New Rochelle, N.Y.
Recap | Video | Photos
Andrew Svoboda played his first six holes of the final round in 6-under par, leading him to his third consecutive round in the 60s (68-69-68) and his second Met Open title of his career. With his 11-under total, Svoboda edged 17-year-old amateur Jack Wall by one shot and became the first player to win the Long Island Open, New York State Open and Met Open in the same season.

Jim Graham wins 92nd Senior Amateur & 8th MGA Senior Masters |2019
Senior Amateur | Senior Masters
Longtime MGA competitor Jim Graham broke through for his first MGA victory at Montclair in the MGA Senior Amateur, defeating 1997 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Ken Bakst on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff. Graham then won the Senior Masters at Manhattan Woods, doing so in similar fashion, this time on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff against 2002 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion George Zahringer.

58th Ike Championship |2013 | Wykagyl Country Club | New Rochelle, N.Y.
Recap | Photos
Eleven birdies over the final day’s 36 holes of competition—rounds of 65-69—propelled Cameron Wilson to a four-shot victory at Wykagyl. The win sealed his fifth MGA victory and second consecutive win in the Ike Championship

71st MGA Public Links Championship | 2018 | Griff Harris Golf Course | Greenwich, Conn.
Recap | Video | Photos
After several close calls in the nation’s oldest public links championship, Jonathan Jeter cruised to a record nine-shot victory at Griff Harris Golf Course. Jeter recorded the day’s lone two rounds under-par, posting a 4-under 138. The previous largest margin of victory was just four shots.

20th Senior Open Championship | 2016 | Brooklawn Country Club | Fairfield, Conn.
Recap | Interview | Photos
After a poor opening nine in the championship, Jim McGovern played his last 27 holes in 9-under, forcing a playoff against Bill Van Orman. McGovern began the final round five shots behind Van Orman, but completed his comeback on the sixth hole of the sudden-death playoff.

Ina Kim-Schaad wins three of four Women’s Met Amateurs | 2016, 2018, 2019
2016 | 2018 | 2019
After taking a more than a decade away from the game, Ina Kim-Schaad found impressive form and claimed victory in the 2016 MGA/WMGA Women’s Met Amateur at Atlantic Golf Club. Her momentum has continued, having won the title in 2018 at The Saint Andrew’s Golf Club and 2019 at Somerset Hills Country Club as well.

100th Met Junior Championship | 2017 | Plainfield Country Club | Edison, N.J.
Recap | Interview | Photos
A dominating 7-and-8 victory in the championship match led Plainfield’s very own Jake Mayer to the title in the historic 100th Met Junior Championship Sponsored by MetLife. Mayer tied for 12th in stroke play, but used his home course knowledge to tear through the bracket toward victory.