NJSGA takes Stoddard Trophy Match at Apawamis
With all 12 team members contributing, the team representing the New Jersey State Golf Association came home victorious in the 94th Stoddard Trophy Match played on Tuesday, July 2, at the Apawamis Club in Rye., N.Y.
The NJSGA attained a 20-19-15 victory over the host Westchester Golf Association (19) and the Long Island Golf Association (15). The NJSGA leads the series that dates back to 1922, 42-24-24 with four ties.
“A lot of our guys were first playing in the Stoddard Trophy Matches for the first time, so it’s nice for them to get their names on a this beautiful trophy,” said team captain Jay Blumenfeld of Mountain Ridge.
“I never played Apawamis, but the golf course could not have been in better shape. It was absolutely spectacular and the Westchester Golf Association did a fine job hosting. It’s a difficult golf course with blind shots and elevations up and down, so winning here where most of us have not played, makes the victory ever better,” said Blumenfeld, who contributed to the victory with a point in the singles matches and also in the foursomes with partner Danny Harcourt of Shackamaxon.
Sharing in the victory for the NJSGA were Ryan Davis of New Jersey National, who won both of his singles matches and shared in two foursomes victories with 2018 NJSGA Player of the Year Thomas LaMorte of Haworth. LaMorte added a point in his singles victory over Westchester’s Gray Barnes.
Troy Vannucci of Little Mill scored two points in singles. Harcourt also won both of his singles matches. Sam Goldenring of Brooklake added two singles victories and combined in foursomes with Chester Patterson of Darlington for another 1.5 points
Patterson and Thomas Guy of Eligo Club each added a singles victory.
Chris Gotterup and Jack Skirkanich, both of Rumson, added one point in a foursomes victory, as did the pairing of Tom Collins of Essex County and Guy. Tom Hyland of Little Mill and LaMorte each halved in a singles match.
Partners Vannucci & Hyland added a half-point in foursomes matches.
Last year, Westchester attained a 20-19-15 victory over the NJSGA (19) and Long Island (15). The previous NJSGA victory came in 2017, when the NJSGA won at the Rockaway Hunting Club in Lawrence, N.Y.
The Stoddard Trophy competition is a one-day triangular match, featuring six foursomes (alternate-shot) matches in the morning and 12 singles matches in the afternoon.
In the morning, teams play foursomes matches (alternate shot) against the teams from LIGA and WGA in the same group. Each team can win a maximum of two points (one for each match). In the afternoon singles matches, a total of 36 points are at stake, with 24 points being the maximum available to any one team (if each of the 12 players swept their two individual matches).
