New Jersey Trio Makes Match Play at U.S. Mid-Am
PHOTO: Charlotte C.C. (USGA photo)
Three players with ties to New Jersey have advanced into the match-play Round of 64 portion of the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, beginning today at Charlotte Country Club in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Darin Goldstein of Bayonne Golf Club finished tied for 14th at even par 142 after the 36-hole, on-site qualifying rounds. Dan Macdonald of Arcola Country Club was one shot back, tied for 19th.
Matt Mattare, a resident of Jersey City, had the most interesting route to qualifying. After coming in at 5-over 147, he found himself in a 16-man playoff for the 12 spots needed to start match play with the magic number of 64 golfers. Surprisingly, he was still alive after a bogey on the first playoff hole, but a par on the second secured his place in match play.
Today, Goldstein tees off at 9 a.m. vs. Rusty Mosley of Vidalia, Ga.; Macdonald tees off at 9:10 a.m. vs. Matt Sughrue of Arlington, Va., while Mattare tees off at 1 p.m. vs. Bradford Tilley of Easton, Conn.
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Five players from New Jersey will be competing in the 2018 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, to be played, Sept. 22-27, at Charlotte Country Club in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Gregg Angelillo of Baltusrol Golf Club and Basking Ridge, recent winner of the NJSGA Pre-Senior Championship, is among the five – each of whom earned Mid-Am berths through regional qualifiers. They will be vying to become the second New Jersey golfer to win the event; the late Jeff Thomas won the event in 1993, earning an exemption into The Masters the following spring.
Also in the field of 264 golfers -- consisting solely of players 25 years old or older – are Dan Macdonald of Arcola Country Club, Steve Zychowski of Mendham Golf and Tennis Club, Thomas Lee, who resides in Alpine and Matt Mattare, who lives in Jersey City.
Mattare qualified for this event in dramatic fashion, holing out for eagle from 123 yards on the first playoff hole at the Cedarbrook Country Club in Pennsylvania. He will be making his fifth appearance at this national championship.
The Mid-Am begins with stroke play over two courses on Saturday and Sunday, Charlotte C.C. and the Carolina Golf Club. The low 64 golfers will advance to match play, which begins on Monday and concludes with the finals match on Thursday. The winner of this year’s event will earn several exemptions into prestigious tournaments, including the 2019 U.S. Open and Masters.
