Jack Wall Edges Jake Mayer In Classic Junior Championship Final
Jack Wall of Manasquan River, runner-up last year, found a little something extra over the final two holes in a classic match as he defeated 2015 champion Jake Mayer of Plainfield, 1 up, in the final match of the 97th Billy Y. Dear Junior Championship on Wednesday, July 26, at Watchung Valley Golf Club in Watchung.
In a match that was never separated by more than two holes, Wall birdied the par-4 No. 17 out of a difficult fairway stance, and then made a tough par on the par-5 No. 18 to fend off Jake Mayer, who last week won the Met Junior at Plainfield and was seeking to become just the seventh individual to win both in the same year since Ken Macdonald of Upper Montclair in 1995.
In the concurrent Boys Championship, Tyler Galantini of Montclair, who attends West Orange High School, chipped in from 25 yards for a par on the 16th hole to close out a 3 and 2 victory over Charlie Cummings of Arcola.
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“I learned a lot from being runner-up last year, that you can’t get upset about a bad shot, you have to let it go,” said Wall, 16, a rising junior who helped Christian Brothers Academy to the state high school championship this year. “You have to be calm and not show a lot of emotion. You’ve got to keep yourself in the game and stay sharp and focused.”
The Junior final match could have easily have swayed in Mayer’s favor after he chipped from the back rough from 15 feet in for a bogey and a halve on No. 16 that kept the match all square. Wall three-putted there from 40 feet.
But Wall, who lives in Brielle, won the next hole, the 370-yard, par-4 No. 17 which features the double-bunkered Principal’s Nose in the middle of the fairway.
Wall’s drive found the rough along the edge of the right of the two bunkers, leaving him 110 yards from the hole. With one foot in the bunker and one on top, he hit a 56-degree wedge to within six feet. After Mayer missed his birdie attempt from 10 feet, Wall calmly sank five-footer.
“I played 17 and 18 well this morning. I needed a couple of good shots and I got them,” said Wall, who edged Christopher Lee of Overpeck, 1-up, in the morning semifinal by sinking a 25-foot birdie putt on No. 18.
On No. 18 against Mayer, Wall tried to play conservative off the tee, hitting a three-wood on the par-5, 535-yard uphill hole. But he sliced his drive to the right rough and nearly blocked himself out of the fairway.
“That was the worst swing of the week for me. I was nervous. But when I got there, it wasn’t as bad as I thought. I hit a five iron 180 yards. First, I had a six iron in my hand, but I hit the five iron perfect and a little fat , enough to get over the water and back on the left side of the fairway.
“That’s the kind of shot that’s a risk or reward and fortunately, I got rewarded,” said Wall, who had a big smile on his face after realizing he had about 15 yards to spare in clearing the water.
He then hit his next shot from 140 yards onto the green, 35 feet from the pin, and put his first putt to within three feet. Mayer, meanwhile, hit his tee shot down the middle, and then hit a three iron to about 40 yards from the flagstick. He chipped to six feet, but his birdie putt attempt to even the match missed on the left side of the hole.
Wall then made his three-footer for par to halve the hole and win the match.
“Jack outplayed me. He made every putt he looked at. I’m mentally and physically tired,” said Mayer, who has played more than 300 holes over the past nine days, including the Met Junior, Plainfield club championship and NJSGA Junior. The Princeton-bound Mayer placed sixth in the State Open at Metedeconk National two weeks ago.
“The chip-in was a break for me on 16, keeping it all square. But I missed two big putts over the final two holes. I tip my hat to Jack,” said Mayer, a graduate of Pingry school who defeated Stephen Sul of Forsgate, 6 and 4, iin the morning semifinal.
Wall, last year at age 15, tested himself in the Junior Championship when he was runner-up to Anthony Colombino of Montclair, 3 and 2. This year, he was ready to play against juniors up to 18 years old. Last week, he placed eighth in the Western Junior in Illinois.
Mayer won the first two holes to go 2-up, but Wall got back to all square with a birdie on the par-5 No.3 and a par on the par-4 No. 7. Mayer got the lead back with a par on the par-3 No. 9, but it got to all square again as Wall parred the par-3 No. 11. Mayer forged ahead again with a par on the par-4 No. 12, but Wall tied it up again with a par on the par-4 No. 14. It stayed that way until No. 17.
“It’s nice to know I can compete against older kids. I always played against older kids, like my brothers,” said Wall, whose siblings, Augie, 25, Ethan 23, and Jerry, 21, are all talented golfers.
“So the times when you win, it’s special.”
