Adam Bracy Medalist At Men's Public Links Qualifier
Adam Bracy of Harbor Pines Golf Club in Egg Harbor Township was the only golfer under par and claimed medalist honors in qualifying for the 14th NJSGA Public Links Championship on Tuesday, July 17, at the 6,756-yard Howell Park Golf Course in Farmingdale.
Bracy fired a round of 1-under-par 71, two strokes better than Vincent Palazzolo of Colts Neck Golf Club and Lou Fulgoni of Howell Park.
Austin Devereaux of Howell Park was fourth with a 74. The low 10 scorers from the field of 40 who shot 76 or better advanced to the Public Links Championship, which will take place on August 20 at Heron Glen Golf Course in Ringoes.
Other qualifiers will be conducted on August 1 at Flanders Valley Golf Course in Flanders and on August 9 at Galloping Hill Golf Course in Kenilworth.
Bracy, 38, grew up in Willingboro and lives in Edgewater Park in Burlington County. He played collegiately at Drexel University. Bracy noted that he won a New Jersey Public Golf Organization Public Links championship in 1994.
The only other time he competed in the NJSGA Public Links Championship was 2014 at Neshanic Valley Golf Course in Neshanic Station. This year, he qualified for both the NJSGA Mid-Amateur and the Golf Association of Philadelphia Mid-Amateur.
“I’ve been working really hard on my game, with my former college coach, Mike Dynda. I’ve been working on my short game and my putting. To be medalist here means a lot of me. It shows my hard work has paid off,” Bracy said.
Bracy carded just one bogey, on the par-3 No. 8. There, he missed the green, chipped to 15 feet and two-putted.
On the back nine, he birdied both par fives, Nos. 11 and 15. He played them similarly, hitting a 3-wood on the second shot to 30 yards. He pitched to 15 feet and made the birdie putt on No. 11, and pitched to 20 feet on No. 15, draining that putt.
“This is a great golf course,” Bracy said. “It’s my first time playing here. The greens are perfect.”
In 2014, Palazzolowon the Billy Y. Dear Junior Championship at Suburban Golf Club in Union.Palazzolo recently completed his education at George Washington University where he was a four- year member of the golf team.
“I finished top 15 in the Atlantic 10 Conference championship this year and was in the top 10 last year. I decided to take a little time away from golf this spring and didn’t try to qualify for the State Amateur or the State Open, but I made a last-minute decision to qualify for the Public Links. I’m too competitive to stay away,” said Palazzolo, 21, a graduate of Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft and a resident of Colts Neck.
He has competed in a number of NJSGA Open and NJSGA Amateur championships, with a best finish of T-12 in the Amateur at Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit in 2013.
Fulgoni, 50, a resident of Toms River, is a two-time gross champion on the John Caliendo Shore Winter Golf Tour. He has played multiple times in both the NJSGA Open and NJSGA Amateur championships.
“I have played here at Howell Park well over 200 times and it has never been in better shape. The greens are spectacular. The greens are running very well,” he said.
