Garbrous Captures Westchester Public Links Title
OSSINING, N.Y. (May 22, 2018) – Phillip Garbrous, an MGA eClub – Hudson Valley member, carded a 2-over 73 on Tuesday afternoon to claim the Westchester Public Links Championship by four strokes at Hudson Hills Golf Course.
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Garbrous used a pair of birdie-threes on Nos. 5 and 8 as he made the turn in even-par 35. Though he tallied bogeys on the par-five 15th and par-four finisher, his touch out of the thick greenside rough allowed him to get up and down on several occasions to secure the victory.
“There really were zero expectations,” Garbrous said. “I just wanted to get out and play the first competitive round of the year.”
Part of having no expectations was because Garbrous was facing his first round at Hudson Hills, where positioning is key to scoring well. “It might have even helped me going in blind,” he said.
With the championship title to his name, Garbrous is looking forward to carrying momentum to his next task at hand, saying “I’m looking forward to Leewood tomorrow and can hopefully continue some good play and qualify [for the Westchester Amateur] there.”
Michael Bernacchia, an MGA eClub – Westchester/Connecticut member, finished as runner-up with a 6-over 77. Dave Castellano of Maple Moor took solo third with a 7-over 78, while Kenneth Ambrosio of Hudson Hills and MGA eClub – New York City member Andrew Singer rounded out the top five with matching 9-over 80s.
Hudson Hills played to a par 71 from 6,360 yards. As part of the partnership between the WGA and MGA, competitors also had the opportunity to use their score in qualifying for the 71st MGA Public Links Championship, which takes place at Griffith E. Harris Golf Course in Greenwich, Conn., on June 13.