Metedeconk National claims second Foley Cup title in three Years
Photo: Metedeconk National 2019 Senior Interclub champions. Back row, left to right: Michael Ling, Tom DiPaola, Don Hilker, Frank McMahon, Paul Brown; front row, Mike Paglione, Bill Boyle (captain), Brian Dorey.
Team captain Bill Boyle and partner Brian Dorey combined for a three-under-par 69, the low score of the day, as Metedeconk National won its second NJSGA Senior Interclub Championship in three years on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at Mendham Golf and Tennis Club.
Metedeconk National was awarded the Adrian "Bud" Foley Cup that goes to the winning team. The champions were one of six teams that won section titles in the overall 25-team Senior Interclub field and advanced to the finals at Mendham.
The six section winners, each featuring two “A” teams and two “B” teams, squared off in the medal-play, best-ball format for the overall championship. All four better ball scores counted in the team total and handicaps are not applied in the scoring.
Besides Boyle and Dorey, also figuring in the victory for Metedeconk National victory was the other “A” Division team of Frank McMahon and Paul Brown (74). Metedeconk National’s two “B” Division squads included Tom DiPaola and Mike Paglione (79) and Mike Ling and Don Hilker (81).
Metedeconk’s total of 303 strokes was eight shots better than Baltusrol (311). Third place went to Echo Lake at 316, followed by Forest Hill at 322, Oak Hill at 324 and Deal at 326.
“The Adrian ‘Bud’ Foley Cup is named in honor of one of the greatest past presidents of the NJSGA,” said Eric Houseknecht, NJSGA president. “Bud was a great and thoughtful leader who exemplified everything that’s good about volunteerism and leading a public life devoted to the good of others. In naming the trophy in his honor, the NJSGA’s objective is to have this event capture the spirit of sportsmanship Bud brought to everything he did on behalf of our association.”
Dorey, the 2018 Metedeconk National club champion and runner-up this year, shot a one-under-par 71 on his ball, carding five birdies. The birdies came on his first two holes, Nos. 8 and 9, and Nos. 4, 5, and 7 on his finishing nine.
“I played here last week in the match we won against Mendham to reach the finals and I shot 78. But that day I really got to know the course. There are some tricky holes here and that was actually helpful.
“My partner, Bill Boyle, was a very consistent player today, and that allowed me to go for it on a lot of holes. I got some new irons recently and I’m hitting the ball further and with more accuracy,” said Dorey, 55.
Boyle stated that the play of DiPaola and Paglione, when they made a pair of 20-foot birdie putts over the final two holes to defeat Mendham last week, enabled Metedeconk National to have a chance at winning the Bud Foley Cup.
“This is great for our club. The funny thing is we couldn’t defend our title last year at our own club when Royce Brook won, so it feels good to bring the trophy back to Metedeconk,” Boyle said.
The “A” and “B” division format for the seven-week season of the Senior Interclub is designed to encourage participation from higher handicap golfers from each club. The “A” division may include golfers of any handicap index, while the “B” division may include only those with a handicap index of 8.0 or higher. In match play, the two divisions compete only against players in their same category.
