Galloping Hill Hosts Its First State Open Qualifier
The first NJSGA State Open qualifier ever conducted at Galloping Hill Golf Course in Kenilworth was an unqualified success.
In 2016, the State Open will be conducted at Galloping Hill. On Tuesday, June 23, 104 golfers attempted to be among the low 17 players (and ties) to gain entry into the 2015 State Open, set for July 14-16 at Rockaway River Country Club in Denville.
“I’ve heard nothing but good things,” said Harry Goett, Union County Golf superintendent. “The players seem of really like the condition of the course, the greens and the fairways.”
VIEW PHOTO GALLERY COMPLETE SCORING
“This is an important day for us to see how we set up for next year,” said Armando Sanchez, Union County Director of Golf Operations. “We made changes to the infrastructure and we’re anxious to see how they are received and if they work or not and then maybe we a do a little bit more to make the course satisfactory.
“From an historical sense, this is extremely important. It’s the second most important event we’ve had here until next year. It definitely puts us in a place where we’re a tournament-ready golf course and we can flip the switch at any time.
“It’s a culmination of the vision of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, and the support and hard work that’s been put into this course, and where we’ve come from in 10 years time. All that hard work has come to fruition,” Sanchez added.
Professional Tyler Hall, who plays out of Upper Montclair, was medalist with a two-under par 69 , followed by amateur Zach Stark of Cedar Hill with a 70. Stark, who attended Livingston High School, is a rising junior on the Stetson golf team. Pro Stu Blasius of Golf-Tec and amateur Luke Graboyes of Twin Brooks, the 2013 New Jersey High School champion out of Watchung Hills, both shot 71.
Hall, 33, is Director of Instruction at Upper Montclair who won the 2010 Met Open. Hall has received his TATHATA Golf Certification, and is one of the first few Certified Instructors in THATATA in the world.
Graboyes and his brother, Mike, who followed his brother as the 2014 N.J. High School champion, are both NJSGA Caddie Scholars and play on the golf team at Cornell. Teammate Jordan Lerner of Metedeconk, a Princeton resident, joined them and shot 75.
“This was a tough, but air test,” said Blasius, who played in the U.S. Senior Open in 2014. “It’s certainly a good test of golf. You’ve got to control the ball flight off the tee. Visually, I like the look off the test. You could see what was in front of you. I also like the way the balls rolled on the greens.”
