Wee Burn Welcomes 13th MGA Mid-Am, Oct. 7-8

ELMSFORD, N.Y. (October 3, 2019) -- The MGA will crown its final individual champion of the 2019 season next week, as the 13th MGA Mid-Amateur Championship takes place Oct. 7-8 at Wee Burn Country Club in Darien, Conn.

Related: Pairings | Mid-Am History

The Mid-Amateur stands as the MGA’s second youngest championship. It debuted in 2007 at Hudson National and has been staged upon some of the Met Area’s most revered venues, with Tamarack Country Club, Bayonne Golf Club, and Maidstone Club hosting the most recent playings. The event is an invitational to competitors at least 30 years of age based on finishes in MGA and Met Area events. The trophy, the Westmoreland Cup, is named for longtime MGA Tournament Director Gene Westmoreland.

Wee Burn, a three-time host of the U.S. Women's Amateur, is welcoming an MGA event for the sixth time, last hosting the Senior Amateur in 2008. The club was established in 1896 in Noroton and in 1923 relocated to Darien, opening its Devereax Emmet layout two years later. The course is characterized by small greens often surrounded by either mounds or dropoffs, while a pair of it's namesake "burns" or streams affect play on eight holes.

Past Champions
Four past champions are in the field at Wee Burn:
Darin Goldstein, Deepdale (2018)
Michael Karger, Century (2013)
Dennis Lynch, Nassau Players (2009-10)
Michael Reardon, Tuxedo (2007)

Up For Grabs
While reigning champion Darren McCormack is not in the field, seven top-10 finishers from last year at Maidstone return to the field in hopes of another top finish, including runner-up Goldstein and fourth-place finisher Chester Patterson of Darlington.

Winning Ways
Standing as an invitational, it’s no surprise there are a number of players in the field who have already claimed titles this year. Those include:
Eric Lefante, Somerset Hills - Mittelmark Invitational
Jonathan Jeter, Nassau Players - LIGA Mid-Amateur
Joe Saladino, Huntington - Havemeyer
Brad Tilley, Sleepy Hollow - NYSGA Mid-Amateur

Format

• 36 holes of stroke play over two days
• Cut to the low 40 scores plus ties, and anyone within five strokes of the low score after 18 holes

Coverage

• 9 and 18-hole updates for Monday’s opening round
• Live hole-by-hole scores for final pairings during Tuesday’s final round
• Social Media: @MGA1897 for additional updates on Twitter; plus coverage on Facebook and Instagram
• Scoring, recaps, interviews and photos on mgagolf.org