Stockl Wins 10th Men's Public Links In Playoff At Neshanic Valley
Jacob Stockl of Hyatt Hills, who 10 day ago played in the U.S. Public Links, needed an extra playoff hole to win the 10th NJSGA Men’s Public Links Championship on Thursday, July 24, at Neshanic Valley Golf Course in Neshanic Station.
Stockl won the first extra playoff hole with a par, which included a cut shot from 180 yards to the green, to edge Tim Timby of Mercer Oaks.
Stockl shot rounds of 1-under-par 71 and 1-over 73 for 144 while Timby carded rounds of even-par 72-72-144. In third place was Drew McMahon of Mercer Oaks at 70-75.
Justin VanHyning of Mercer Oaks, the 2012 champion, had the day’s low round of 69 in the morning, but finished 69-79-148 to tie for seventh.
Stockl, who turns 21 on August 19, is a rising senior at Rutgers where he plays on the university’s golf team. Last spring, he won the Rutgers Invitational at Rutgers Golf Course. In 2011, Stockl was runner-up to Anthony Aloi of Mercer Oaks in the Men's Public Links Championship at Heron Glen.
“It means a lot to me to win this. I’m a supporter of public golf. It feels good to represent the New Jersey State Golf Association as their champion,” said Stockl, who lost in the first round of match-play at the U.S. Public Links at Sand Creek in Newton, Kansas.
In Thursday’s morning round, Stockl finished his first nine on the Meadow Course going birdie, birdie, eagle to be 3-under par-33. His eagle came on the par-5 ninth when his 290-yard wind-aided three-wood shot ended 10 feet from the hole.
After three bogeys on the back nine, playing the Lake Course, he birdied the final hole for his 71.
“At the turn, I felt I was hitting it good. I knew I was in the hunt. I was playing solid,” he said.
He doubled both par 3’s on the final nine on the Meadow, but birdied the par-5 final hole for the 73. For the day, Stockl played the eight par 5’s of both rounds in 7-under par.
On the first playoff hole, he drove his tee shot into the left rough and was blocked by trees. But his cut shot ended on the green, 25 feet from the cup. He putted to a foot to win with a par against Timby’s bogey.
“This is the last event of the summer, so I want to ride this momentum into the Rutgers fall schedule,” said Stockl, a Labor Relations major who had a GPA of 3.8 this spring. “I’m looking for big things with Rutgers joining the Big 10 Conference. Playing with the best players can only make you better,” said Stockl, who has PGA Tour aspirations.
