Jeremy Wall (70) Medalist At Amateur Qualifying At Jumping Brook
Jeremy Wall of Manasquan River has done a lot on the golf course in his teenage years.
Just 18, the senior at Christian Brothers Academy, who on Monday won state scholastic Non-Public B championship, has already played in two U.S. Amateurs, two U.S. Junior Amateurs and a State Amateur. He also has won an American Junior Golf Association tournament.
On Tuesday, May 20, Wall added medalist as he led qualifying for the 113th State Amateur with a one-under-par 70 in a field of 136 players at Jumping Brook Country Club in Neptune.
Wall’s effort was three shots better than Kieran Purcell of Essex County and Brian Roth of Paramus, who each shot 73. A total of 34 golfers who shot 78 ot better advanced to the 113th Amateur Championship at Knickerbocker Country Club, June 3-5.
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The 70 by Wall was the lowest score at any of the three Amateur qualifiers. Steven Zychowski of Mendham won the qualifier at Rumson at 1-under 71. At the Oak Hill qualifier, John Havey of High Bridge Hills and Bradley Roberts of Little Mill shatred medalist honors at even-par-72.
“What I’ve learned from playing in those national events is that you have to play solid, make a lot of pars, hit a lot of greens and control your emotions,” said Wall, who next year will play at Loyola of Maryland. He will be joined there by his older brother Ethan, who is transferring in from Lehigh. They will partner with Rumson’s Jimmy Dengler, a junior-to-be at Loyola who was runner-up in the 2013 State Amateur.
“Today, I made a lot more birdies than usual in a qualifier,” said Wall, who carded five birdies against four bogeys. His longest birdie putt was a 20-footer on the par-4 first hole.
“I made four bogeys and they were all sloppy. I’m upset because three of them were from just a couple feet for par saves,” he said. “The worst one was on my last hole, No. 9, when the wind affected my shot. It would have been nice to come in at 68 or 69.”
Brett Flynn of Rumson recorded the first hole-in-one of his career on the par-3, 135-yard 15th hole, using a pitching wedge.
“As soon as I hit it, I knew it was going at the pin. I wasn’t sure it went in the pin. It landed about three feet right of the hole and rolled right in,” said Flynn, 41, who owns a handicap of five. He shot 82 on Tuesday.
Although he has never played in a State Amateur, he missed qualifying by one stroke two years ago at Suburban Golf Club when the Amateur was conducted at Baltusrol.
