Dean Greyserman Collects Second W.Y. Dear Junior Championship Title on Wednesday at Essex County CC
WEST ORANGE, N.J. – After defeating Cole Ekert 3&1 in the final match of the 100th W.Y. Dear Junior Championship at Essex County Country Club, Dean Greyserman hoisted the Lichenwalter Trophy for the second time in his budding career.
“I have a lot of good memories here,” Greyserman expressed. “Dating back to when the State Open was here when my brother (Max) won. It’s pretty cool to come back and win here.”
In the finale, Ekert led 2-up through nine holes, but Greyserman changed course of the match by winning holes 11, 12 and 13 to secure a 1-up lead.
“Cole was playing great on the front nine and I needed a couple of good shots,” Greyserman refelected. “I hit good tee shots on 11, 12 and 13, so I was in the fairway and able to attack a little more.”
Ekert continued to fight back, notching a birdie at No. 14, but Greyserman persisted, carding birdies on No. 15 and 17.
On the 255-yard par 3 15th, Greyserman knocked his tee shot within two feet of the hole, while Ekert missed the green to the right. Greyserman hit an errant drive on the 385-yard par 4 17th, leaving himself an unconventional 125-yard shot into the green from the fairway of No. 16. The Short Hills native put his approach shot within 10 feet, and drained his putt to clinch the match.
Dean Greyserman defeats Cole Ekert 3&1 to become a TWO-TIME W.Y. Dear Junior Champion! 🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/0BilBpMlFC
— NJSGA (@NJSGA1900) August 11, 2021
Despite competing against one another, Greyserman and Ekert enjoyed each others company, walking and chatting throughout the match.
“Cole is a really good friend of mine and is one of the best players in the state,” said Gresyerman. “Any kid that plays golf in New Jersey will tell you Cole is one of the best kids out there. It was a lot of fun and we’ve always played great when we play together so it was a great battle.”
The last two-time winner of the W.Y. Dear Junior Championship was Jason Bataille, who won the event in 1999 and 2000.
In Greyserman’s morning semifinal match, he defeated Dylan Gallagher 3&2. Ekert took down Ethan Lee handedly, 8&7 en route to the final.
Continuing coverage of the New Jersey State Golf Association is available at NJSGA.org for live scoring, news, and recaps. Fans and players can follow the organization on its social media outlets at Facebook.com/njsga1900, @NJSGA1900 on Twitter and @njsga1900 on Instagram.
