Semifinals Set at 101st Met Junior
ELMSFORD, N.Y. (July 13, 2018) – Thursday morning’s semifinal round is set in the 101st Met Junior Championship Sponsored by MetLife following two rounds of match play at Siwanoy Country Club, Wednesday.
Related: Match Play Results | Bracket | Photos
James Pak of Palisades Park, N.J., Brendan Hansen of Spring Lake, N.J., Jack Boatwright of Fairfield, Conn., and Will Celiberti of Ridgewood, N.J., all earned a pair of wins to keep alive their hopes of hoisting the Mandeville Trophy.
As the No. 3 seed, Pak stands as the top seed remaining from Tuesday’s on-site qualifying—which was trimmed from 36 holes to 18 due to severe afternoon storms. Pak kept rolling Wednesday morning with a 6-and-5 win in the Round of 16, before holding off Carter Prince of Centerport, N.Y., 3-and-1, in the afternoon.
“What’s really been most important these two days has been my putting,” said Pak. “I haven’t had a single three-putt yet. If it wasn’t for that I wouldn’t be standing here right now.”
Despite entering the championship with some uncertainty about his game, Pak has quickly settled in at Siwanoy and found his form. “My last competitive round, my swing was all out of sorts and, honestly, I came here with no expectations,” he said. “But, the course fit my eye and because of that I’ve been comfortable the entire time.”
Boatwright, 18, registered a pair of impressive wins, claiming a 4-and-2 victory in the morning before holding off recent Connecticut Junior champion Connor Belcastro of Rowayton, 2-and-1, in the afternoon. Boatwright, who said he prepped for the championship by working on simple things and putting with Brooklawn professional Jim Fatsi, won Nos. 9-12 to take a 4-up lead in the match. While Belcastro won two of the next three holes, halves on Nos. 16 and 17 left the match in Boatwright’s favor.
“My ball-striking has been as good as it could be,” said Boatwright, the grandson of past USGA Executive Director P.J. Boatwright, Jr. “I’ve hit so many fairways, so many greens, and stuck a lot of wedges. The birdies I’ve had have usually been around three-four-five footers.”
Pak and Boatwright, the No. 7 seed, will square off in Thursday’s second semifinal match beginning at 7:40 a.m.
No. 4 seed Hansen had both of his matches advance to the 18th hole, but the 18-year-old won the hole on both occasion—including with a birdie for a 1-up victory in the afternoon against Brandon Valvano of Franklin Lakes, N.J.
Trailing by three through eight holes against Valvano, Hansen settled in as play turned toward the inward nine, winning three of the next five holes with pars to square the match. Valvano birdied the par-four 15th to go 1-up, but Hansen wasn’t ready to finish his run in the championship. After halving the 16th with fours, Hansen knocked one tight on the par-four 17th for birdie, then got up and down for another birdie on the par-five finisher to earn the 1-up win.
“I knew Brandon was playing well enough that he wasn’t going to make bogeys, so I had to go out there and make some birdies,” said Hansen of his comeback. “I was happy with the way I closed.”
Celiberti, the No. 9 seed, birdied the 18th to win his morning match over Jimin Jung of Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., 1-up. The birdie seemed to build momentum for his afternoon match, as the 17-year-old registered five birdies over his first 10 holes against top-seeded Erik Stauderman of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and cruised to a 4-and-3 victory.
“I put my driver out in the right spots and the greens are really tough, so getting pin-high is really pivotal,” said Celiberti on the keys to his performance so far.
Hansen and Celiberti lead Thursday’s morning semifinal matches at 7:30 a.m.
The championship match will follow in the afternoon and live hole-by-hole scoring is available for each match.
Historic Siwanoy Country Club—site of the first-ever PGA Championship—has proved to be a stern test and a quality match play layout for the Met Junior, the nation’s oldest junior championship. Only three players broke par in stroke-play qualifying, though the opening two rounds of matches have seen plenty of both birdies and bogeys. Its rolling terrain, angled fairway bunkers, and undulating greens highlight the Donald Ross gem.