Rick And Anthony Campanile Of Deal Win 92nd Father & Son

Anthony Campanile of Deal won some impressive championships in his younger days, but none was as rewarding as winning the NJSGA 92nd Father and Son Championship which he achieved on Thursday, July 31 with his dad, Rick, at Edgewood Country Club in River Vale.

“I became a father myself six months ago, so now I see the other side of things. Winning this golf tournament is one of the best experiences of my life,” said Anthony, 28, a two-time Northeast Conference champion when he played at Monmouth University.

“Winning a state championship is a lot better than winning a pick-up match at a golf course. Doing it with my dad, who I played golf with every weekend since the age of eight, makes us an even closer family. It was a pretty special day.”

The Campaniles, playing in their first NJSGA Father and Son, combined for a 3-under-par 69 to win by two strokes over four other duos, including last year’s champions, Bob and Bobby Krueger of North Jersey.

Others who shot 71 included Stephen and Brian Boyd of Baltusrol, Tom and Michael Hyland of Little Mill and Drake and Ken Ferriter of Ramsey.

The net division was claimed by Rod McRae III and son Rick of Baltusrol. They shot 33-33-66 to win on a match of cards over Stephen and Brian Boyd and Tom and Dan McCreesh of N.J. National. The Campaniles combined for a net 65 but were ineligible to win both championships.

“I loved the course,” Anthony Campanile said. “For a tournament like that, it was perfect. It was fun, it was playable. There were a lot of good holes and the greens were in good shape and really true.”

The Campaniles birdied the 16th and 17th holes to pull away from the pack, and on both holes, it was Rick Campanile, 62, who sank the birdie putt. On No. 16, he drained a 12-footer and on No. 17, he sank a sliding six-foot downhill putt.

The Campaniles have twice won the Father and Son crown at Deal, in 2011 and 2013. Anthony, a sales manager in the life insurance field who lives in Tinton Falls, is a scratch golfer while Rick, a nurse anesthesiologist at Jersey Shore Hospital who lives in Toms River, has a 10 handicap.

“I teed off on every hole since I can hit it further,” Anthony said. “But my father has a great short game. It seemed like he made every putt.”