Brendan Hansen, 17, Leads State Open Heading Into Final Round
Brendan Hansen of Spring Lake may be 17, but he certainly has a chance to become the youngest ever to win a New Jersey Open championship.
Hansen, a rising junior at Christian Brothers Academy, fired a one-under-par 71 to match the lowest score of the 54-hole event, and owns a one-stroke lead heading into the final round of the 97th New Jersey State Golf Association Open Championship at 7,094-yard, par 72 Metedeconk National Golf Club in Jackson.
Hansen (74-71-145) holds a one-shot advantage over pro Grant Sturgeon of Arcola (72-74-146), followed by amateur Logan Sabins of Jumping Brook (74-73-147) and pro Richard Terga of Mountain Ridge (74-73-147), who are tied for third.
Three shots off the pace are amateur Luke Graboyes of Watchung Valley (75-73-148), a former high school state champion, 2009 State Open champion Brett Jones of Due Process Stable (72-76-148) and pro Alex Beach of Baltusrol (75-73-148), who has qualified for the PGA Championship August 10-13, at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, N.C.
The youngest to ever win the State Open was Max Greyserman of Crestmont, who won the title at age 19 in 2014. Greyserman, who now plays on the Mackenzie Tour- PGA Canada, won the State Amateur the following summer.
The low 52 golfers who shot 159 or better advanced to Thursday morning’s final round. The low pro earns a check for $15,000 out of the $75,000 purse. The event is sponsored by the Lincoln Motor Company. The leaders tee off Thursday at 8:44 a.m.
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“I played a lot better than my score showed. I made a dumb mistake on No. 17 when I hit a wedge from the middle of the fairway and I flew the green and three-putted,” said Hansen, who helped lead CBA to the high school Tournament of Champions title this May.
“It’s disappointing, but I put myself in good positon for tomorrow and that’s what really counts.”
Hansen had a strong front nine with three birdies and a bogey to go two under at 34, then added birdies at Nos. 12 and 13 to go four-under for the day. But a bogey on the par-3 No. 15 and the double bogey on No. 17 accounted for the 71.
“I drove the ball really well and missed only one fairway all day. I hit driver on only six holes, and I played the par fives in one under par,” said Hansen, who is familiar with Metedeconk National as his family has a membership.
“You have to fight the ball in this weather. If I play the way I played today, and make a couple of putts, then I think I’ll be good tomorrow,” Hansen said.
Sturgeon is a former assistant pro at New York’s Winged Foot who this spring accepted the head pro job at Arcola. He had an uneven round that included four birdies and four bogeys – and a double bogey on his ninth hole, No. 18.
“Hopefully, I’ll be ready to go tomorrow. I won’t do anything too complicated. I’ll pick a small target off No. 1, and let it rip,” said Sturgeon, who won the Met Open in 2014 at Trump National in Bedminster.
Sabins, 20, of Manasquan is transferring from Brookdale Community College to Butler University in Indiana.
“The key is getting used to the pace of the greens. It’s crucial. It’s about putting and keeping it in the fairway,” he said.
Sabins rode a hot putter over his back nine when he birdied holes 11, 12 and 13 by draining putts of 20 feet, 10 feet and 20 feet.
“I’m going to really try to not look at any scoreboards. I’m going to try to stay calmer than I was today,” Sabins said.
Terga is in his second year as an assistant pro at Mountain Ridge and spends his winters in his native Miami, Fla. He carded three birdies and four bogeys on Wednesday.
