New Jersey Boasts Seven Golfers In U.S. Men's Mid-amateur
The six New Jersey representatives who qualified for the U.S. Mid-Amateur will not have far to go to compete. The 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, which will be conducted September, 6-11, at Saucon Valley Country Club, in Bethlehem, Pa. The event will be conducted over both of Saucon Valley’s courses.
Michael McCoy, 51, of West Des Moines, Iowa, became the second-oldest Mid-Amateur winner last year when he defeated Bill Williamson, 8 and 6, in the championship match. In a golf career that spans more than three decades, he now has a national title on his résumé.
Here’s a look at the seven New Jerseyans competing in the 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur:
Peter Barron III , 38, of Mays Landing was a member of the victorious NJSGA Stoddard Trophy team in 2012. He plays out of Stone Harbor. Barron won this year’s Philadelphia Mid-Amateur. He was fourth in the NJSGA Player of the Year standings in 2013.
Nick Desai, 47, of West Orange, N.J., is playing in his third U.S. Mid-Amateur and his cousin (Nikhil) also qualified for this year’s championship. He was born in Zambia and played cricket and field hockey at Seaford College, in Petworth, England. Desai attended Rutgers University and was a member of the table tennis team in the early 1990s. He is a consultant for RB Allied, LLC. Nick and Nikhil Desai, cousins who have ties to the country of Zambia, both qualified at the Trump National-Colts Neck sectional.
Brian Kilduff, 27, of Summit, was tied for medalist honors with a 70 in the U.S. Mid-Am qualifier at Timberlin Golf Club in Kensington, Conn. Kilduff, the club champion and two-time stroke-play champion at Plainfield Country Club, was on the golf team at Hobart College. He has represented Plainfield in the Hoffman Cup matches the past five years and was runner-up with Mike Stamberger in the Ike Team Championship this summer.
Andy Latowski, 34, of Plainsboro is a former Penn State golfer who also participated in mini-tours. He works in the pharmaceutical industry in Princeton.
Eric LeFante, 28, of Branchburg won the NJSGA Public Links championship in 2009 and 2010 and was runner-up in 2012. He set the 36-hole scoring record of 130 in an NJSGA event in 2010. He won the 2012 Met Publix title. The native of Colts Neck won three straight scholastic Monmouth County championships from 2002-04.He was medalist with a 67 at U.S. Mid-Am qualifying at Trump National-Colts Neck.
Matthew Mattare, 28, of Jersey City reached the quarterfinals of the 2012 U.S. Mid-Amateur, his first USGA championship, and was the stroke-play medalist last year at the Country Club of Birmingham (Ala.). Mattare works for Morgan Stanley in New York City as an operations associate. His father, Gene, is the general manager and director of golf at Saucon Valley Country Club, the site of this year’s Mid-Amateur.
Trevor Randolph, 41, of Franklin Lakes moved to New Jersey three years ago from his native Maryland where he has won four straight club championships at esteemed Congressional. In 2013, Randolph won the NJSGA Mid-Amateur championship at Trump National in Bedminster. This summer, he was co-runner-up in the NJSGA Amateur. He has been named captain of the New Jersey Team that will compete in the USGA National State Team championship in two weeks.
There are 44 states represented at the 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur: California (30), Texas (18), Pennsylvania (17), Illinois (16), New York (15), Florida (12), Georgia (12), Michigan (9), Ohio (9), Arizona (8), North Carolina (8), Maryland (7), Massachusetts (7), Washington (7), New Jersey (6), Colorado (5), Kentucky (5), Louisiana (5), South Carolina (5), Tennessee (5), Alabama (4), Indiana (4), Minnesota (4), Arkansas (3), Connecticut (3), Iowa (3), Missouri (3), Nevada (3), Utah (3), Virginia (3), Idaho (2), Kansas (2), Nebraska (2), Oklahoma (2), New Mexico (2), Mississippi (2), Wisconsin (2), Alaska (1), Hawaii (1), Maine (1), Rhode Island (1), Oregon (1), Vermont (1) and West Virginia (1).
International – There are five countries represented at the 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur: United States (260), Canada (2), Argentina (1), Peru (1) and Zambia (1).
Bill McCarthy is in charge of setting up the two courses at Saucon Valley Country Club. The Old Course will be used for both stroke-play qualifying and match play, while the Weyhill Course is the companion stroke-play qualifying course. Competitors will play 18 holes on each course, with the low 64 scorers advancing to match play.
“Our goal in a two-course championship is to provide a companion course almost or at the level of the quality of the match-play course,” McCarthy said. “That’s what we are finding here.”
The Old Course will be set up at 7,076 yards and will play to a par of 36-35–71. The Weyhill Course is a par-71, 7,054-yard layout. Herbert Strong designed the Old Course, which opened for play in 1922. Weyhill opened in 1968 and was designed by David and William Gordon.
