Baltusrol's Alex Beach Successfully Defends Njpga Section Championship
Alex Beach, an assistant professional at Baltusrol, is back in the winner’s circle.
The Minnesota native successfully defended his New Jersey PGA Section Championship on Thursday, Sept. 14, by shooting a 3-under-par 68 for a 209 total to defeat Richard Terga of Mountain Ridge (71-211) by two strokes in the 54-hole event at Mountain Ridge Country Club in West Caldwell.
A month ago, Beach played in the PGA Tour’s PGA Championship at Quail Hollow but failed to make the cut. If anything, it buoyed him into moving forward with his career.
“The thing I took out of that was learning patience. You don’t have to shoot low all the time. You have to make smart shots. In this tournament, I played smart. I took my time. On a championship course like this, that’s how you win,” said Beach 28.
In third place was second-round leader Sam Kang of Essex Driving Range (76-214), followed by Travis Deibert of Ridge at Back Brook (72-215) and Brett Jones of Due Process Stable (68-216).
One of Beach’s biggest shots came on his second shot on the par-5 No. 17 when he hit a 2-iron 252 yards to just off the left side of the green. He chipped up to three feet for a birdie that gave him a two-shot cushion over Terga. Terga followed with a birdie of his own, very similar to Beach’s, to trail by two strokes heading into the par-4 No. 18.
“I was a great week for me. I got a lot of support from the membership,” said Terga, a native of Miami. “I was happy the way I played. I got beat, is basically it.”
Beach, who finished the week at 4-under, is the first player since Frank Esposito (2010-11) to successfully defend the New Jersey PGA Section Championship title. He has now won three majors at Mountain Ridge, also winning the Fall Finale there two years ago.
“I love this golf course. I’ve been playing well. Coming in, I knew if I hit the shots I was capable of hitting, I’d be in good position. I know how to win on this golf course,” Beach said. “I didn’t look at the scoreboard all day. This golf course is gettable. Patience is the key for me.”
The former Ridgewood C.C. assistant pro (2014-16) also stated that enjoys being part of the New Jersey section.
“A lot of the older guys have helped me become a better player. I found out through them thst it takes a lot of losing to learn how to win,” Beach noted.
The top 12 finishers gained a spot in the PGA Professional Championship, June 17-20, 2018 at Bayonet Black Horse. Joining Beach is Terga, Kang , Deibert , Jones, Echo Lake’s Pat Fillian, Jim McGovern of White Beeches, Brent Studer of Metedeconk National, Forsgate’s Frank Esposito, Toms River Golf Center’s Marc Issler, Trump Colts Neck’s Bill Britton, and Nick Beddow of Green Brook, who earned the last spot in a playoff.
