40th Mid-Amateur Championship Set for June 6-8 at Deal Golf & CC
DEAL, N.J. - Deal Golf & Country Club will host the 40th New Jersey Mid-Amateur Championship from June 6-8 as the top 69 male amateur golfers ages 25 and older will compete at the historic shore club.
Deal, who’s celebrating its 125th Anniversary this year has hosted 17 NJSGA Championships in the past. Just last year, the NJSGA visited the club for the 90th Four-Ball Championship where Michael Brown and Peter Barron won the championship - competitors who are both in the 2023 Mid-Am field.
Inside the Field
A slew of former champions in Eric LeFante (2021), Michael Brown (2020), Peter Barron (2017), Michael Stamberger (2008), Harris Podvey (2001) stack the field at Deal, seeking yet another victory.
Last season’s champion, Brandon Dalinka of The Ridge at Back Brook is not entered into the 2023 field. He took home his second Mid-Amateur trophy last year, winning decisively, 3&1 over 2008 Mid-Am Champion, Michael Stamberger.
Deal’s own Anthony Campanile and Brian Hart have great familiarity with the course layout. For Campanile, who has reached the match play portion of the championship the last two years has been on a solid run as of late. Most recently at the 91st Four-Ball Championship at Hamilton Farm Golf Club, Campanile and Hart earned themselves a trip to the quarterfinals and in 2022, a run into the semifinals.
The NJSGA Featured Group
For the stroke play portion of the championship, Eric LeFante, Pat Wilson and Troy Vannucci will be highlighted as the NJSGA’s ‘Featured Group’ for their opening hole at 9:28 a.m. ET. Follow @NJSGA1900 on Facebook to stay tuned to the live action.
The group is made up of the 2021 New Jersey Mid-Amateur Champion, LeFante, 2022 Metropolitan Golf Association Mid-Amateur Champion, Wilson and the 2022 Golf Association of Philadelphia (GAP) Mid-Amateur Champion, Vannucci.
Deal Golf & CC Celebrates 125 Years
The Donald Ross design and is well known for its tight fairways, challenging bunking and demanding greens. Founded in 1898, Deal G&CC features a primarily flat course with critical tee shots and uniquely contoured putting surfaces.
Amassing just over 6,300 yards, Deal requires precision with every single stroke. From a narrow tee shot, to an approach into a green that is guarded by bunkers, Deal will provide a true test of golf for even the well-seasoned golfer.
Railroad financier and shipping magnate George Washington Young discovered the Jersey Shore and purchased 135 acres in West Deal. He would construct a 9-hole golf course and a clubhouse, which would become Deal Golf Club. Just one year later in 1899, Young would expand the golf course, adding a 9-hole track strictly for women and another 9-hole course for men. By 1903, there were nearly 600 members and the club became one of the most well-known facilities in the country.
After Young suffered some financial troubles, holes 4, 5, and 6 and Deal would have to be sold to Hollywood Golf Club and become their 16th, 14th, and 15th, respectively. The club would change hands to Francis J. “Frank” Arend, the club president from 1917 – 1942 before becoming member- owned and officially changing its name to Deal Golf & Country Club.
Vic Ghezzi, a member of the inaugural NJSGA Hall of Fame class in 2018, served as golf professional at Deal from 1935 through 1941. In 1941, Ghezzi beat Byron Nelson on the 38th hole to win the PGA Championship at Cherry Hills C.C. in Colorado. He won 11 times on the PGA Tour, three New Jersey State Opens (1937, ’43, ’44) and two New Jersey PGA Championships (1939, ’49).
NJSGA Social Media
For the latest updates and news, visit njgsa.org or follow New Jersey State Golf Association on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @NJSGA1900.
