NJSGA Wins 52nd Compher Cup At Galloway National
For the first time since 2009, the New Jersey State Golf Association's team won the annual Compher Cup match against the Golf Association of Philadelphia.
Top amateurs from the New Jersey State Golf Association and the Golf Association of Philadelphia (GAP) squared off on Wednesday, April 24, in the 52nd Compher Cup Matches at Galloway National Golf Club in Galloway with New Jersey as the host team.
The NJSGA defeated GAP, 10.5 to 7.5. The victory comes just six months after the NJSGA secured victory in the Stoddard Cup over the Long Island Golf Association and the Westchester Golf Association.
In Compher Cup play, all 12 players from each side square off in individual matches and in four-ball matches that run concurrently for a total of 18 points at stake.
The teams of Allan Small of Fairmount and Pat Wilson of Panther Valley and Jay Blumenfeld of Mountain Ridge and Matt Finger of Darlington each swept their matches, handing the NJSGA three points per team by winning the individual matches and the four-ball match.
Adding to the NJSGA victory with individual triumphs were defending State Open champion Ben Smith of Neshanic Valley, State Open runner-up Niall Handley of Essex Fells, State Public Links champion Justin VanHyning of Mercer Oaks, and Peter Barron of Stone Harbor. The team of Barron and Ron Vannelli of Forsgate was all square in the four-ball match for another half-point.
"This victory validates how good our players are and what kind of sportsmen they are," NJSGA president Tom McGovern stated. "They are competitive on the course as individuals but came together as a team. They supported each other. I have to give credit to our team captain, Niall Handley. He did a fantatsic job making this group into a team."
"When I looked at the golfers we had, I saw a great team on paper," said Handley, who won the NJSGA Tournament of Club Champions event last fall. "I reached out to all the players and talked about the pairings. We were sending e-mails back and forth to build camaraderie. It helps knowing this course. We were here last year for the Mid-Amateur and the State Team championships."
GAP, which won last year, 11.5 - 6.5, leads the series, 34-13-4. The Compher Cup began in 1962 with the NJSGA winning at Hollywood G.C. in Deal. The 2005 event was canceled due to weather.
Playing for the NJSGA are Peter Barron of Stone Harbor, Jay Blumenfeld of Mountain Ridge, Matthew Finger of Darlington, Niall Handley of Essex Fells, Mike Paduano of Colts Neck, Allan Small of Fairmount , Benjamin Smith of Neshanic Valley, Mike Stamberger of Spring Lake, Justin VanHyning of Mercer Oaks, Ron Vannelli of Metuchen, Pat Wilson of Panther Valley and NJSGA Player of the Year Ryan McCormick of Suburban, who won the State Amateur and Met Amateur in 2012.
NJSGA Four-Ball teams include Small and Wilson, Smith and team captain Handley, McCormick and Stamberger, Paduano and VanHyning, Blumenfeld and Finger and Vannelli and Barron. Small is competing in his 26th Compher Cup match, while Blumenfeld and Vannelli each will represent the NJSGA for the 16th time.
Galloway National, a nationally ranked course designed by Tom Fazio, has become a prime host for significant competition in New Jersey. It staged the USGA Men’s State Team Championship last September and hosted the NJSGA Mid-Amateur Championship four times since 2002.
The NJSGA Best-Ball-Of-Four Championship will take place there September 24. The Compher Matches are named for Frederic M. Compher, who donated a silver cup in 1959, leading to the start of competition in 1962 between the two associations. The teams play four-ball stroke-play and individual matches.
Fazio carved the Galloway National course out of a 200-acre tract of heavily wooded, gently sloping bayside property with views of the Atlantic City skyline. The designer called it “one of my best ever.” Natural contour changes, pine forest, sand and water test golfers on the way to greens that are large, very quick and undulating.
It is consistently ranked as a top venue by national magazines.
