Weigold, Bush, Greyserman, Nunez Reach Semifinals Of Junior Championship
Moritz Weigold of Mendham Golf & Country Club, the 16th seed, defeated two of the state’s top teenage golfers as he made his way to Wednesday’s semifinals of the 97th NJSGA William Y. Dear Junior Championship at the Raritan Valley Country Club in Bridgewater.
On Tuesday, Moritz, a native of Germany now living in Mendham, ousted defending champion Jack Wall of Manasquan River Golf Club, 19 holes, in the Round of 16, then moved on to defeat Wall’s Christian Brothers Academy teammate and NJSGA Tournament of Club Champions winner, Brendan Hansen of Spring Lake Golf Club, 1 up. Wall and Hansen have led CBA to back-to-back New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association Tournament of Champions titles
Moritz, who needed eight extra holes just to qualify on Monday, will face Johnny Bush of Plainfield Country Club in the semifinals. Bush beat Michael Paduano of Eagle Oaks Golf Club, 2 up, in the Round of 16, and Max Rubin of Little Mill Country Club in the quarterfinals, 19 holes.
Medalist Dean Greyserman of Crestmont Country Club had the easiest time reaching the semifinals, defeating James Pak of Edgewood Country Club, 5 and 4, in the Round of 16 and Clement Shao of Neshanic Valley Golf Course, 6 and 5. Greyserman’s opponent is 17-year-old Carter Nunez of Galloping Hill Golf Course, who edged Connor Bekefi of Eagle Ridge Golf Course, 2 and 1, in the Round of 16, then bested Mac Bredahl of Fairmount Country Club, 1 up, in the quarterfinal.
MATCH-PLAY BRACKET PHOTO GALLERY
Greyserman, 15, is trying to duplicate the feat of his brother Max, an eventual NJSGA Open and Amateur champion, who won the Junior Championship in 2013. He registered five birdies in the Round of 16 and four birdies and an eagle in the quarterfinals.
“I’m hitting my driver well and pretty far,” Greyserman said. “I’m hitting a lot of wedges in close. I’d love to win this and keep it in the family.”
“It was an accomplishment for me to get into match play. My driver is so much better this year. I can draw it or fade it and I have confidence in it,” said Nunez, a rising senior at Columbia High School who played in the 2017 U.S. Amateur at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles.
Weigold, 18, who qualified for both the NJSGA Open and Amateur championships, said he has lived in nine countries, but moved to the United States last August due the transfer of his father, an executive with Novartis pharmaceutical company. He attends Gill-St. Bernard’s School in Gladstone. Weigold shot 70 and 71 in his two matches Tuesday.
“I didn’t expect to get this far in this heat for 36 holes, but in the end it’s about who wants it more, who puts the time in and who concentrates better,” Weigold said. “I know I’m the underdog. To qualify was great. To beat Jack Wall was even better and to reach the semifinals is icing on the cake.”
Weigold won his match against Wall on the first extra hole, the par-5 No. 1, when Wall lost his tee ball in the fescue on the right side of the fairway and eventually conceded the hole.
“Yes, it means a lot to beat somebody like Jack Wall. I had been struggling for a couple of months and to beat somebody like him shows me I can do it. Jack had a little trouble with his driver today and I was trying to capitalize on his mistakes,” said Weigold, 18.
Against Hansen, Weigold found the fescue on the first hole and got himself into a one-hole deficit. He got to all square with a birdie on the par-4 No. 3, and later took a 2-up lead when Hansen bogeyed the par-3 No. 10. But Hansen rallied for an eagle victory on the par-5 No. 11 to cut the lead in half. Weigold, however, won the next hole, the par-5 No. 12, with a birdie to take a 2-up lead.
Hansen won the par-4 No. 17 with a par when Weigold three-putted for a bogey. Weigold clinched the match with a sand save on the par-4 No. 18, sinking a side-hill five-footer.
Bush needed a birdie on the 19th hole, the par-5 No. 1, to defeat Rubin. After a drive down the middle, he hit a three-wood from 270 yards to 25 feet onto the neck of the green and two putted for the birdie.
“It would mean a lot to me to win this, a New Jersey state championship. I’m excited to see what tomorrow brings,” said Bush, 17, a rising senior at Cranford High School. Last year, he won the club championship at Plainfield and was medalist at the Met Junior.
