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Thursday, May 30, 2013

US Open Test In Westchester

If you want to watch some great golf at the ideal price--free--head to Century CC and Old Oaks CC in Purchase Monday, June 3. After a three-year hiatus, sectional qualifying for the US Open returns to the two venerable clubs. The Metropolitan Golf Association conducts this sectional for the USGA, rotating the venues every three years between Westchester County and New Jersey. Canoe Brook CC in Summit, N.J., had the qualifier from 2010-2012.

Century Country Club was designed by the team of Charles Hugh Allison and Harry Colt and opened in 1908.  Old Oaks, situated on 220 acres and designed by A.W. Tillinghast with help from Charles Hugh Allison and Harry Colt, was established in 1925.

Several notable players are scheduled to compete in this sectional, including amateur Mike Miller, who led New York to the 2012 USGA Men's State Team Championship last fall and was part of the team that brought home the Carey Cup from Ireland this spring. Other notables in the field are past PGA Tour winner and 1983 USA Walker Cup member Brad Faxon, 2010 U.S. Junior Amateur champion and 2012 Junior Amateur runner-up Jim Liu, 2004 U.S. Amateur runner-up Luke List and reigning USGA Senior Amateur champion Paul Simson, who competed in the 1998 U.S. Open at The Olympic Club.

Also in the field are two local PGA Champions, Rob Labritz from GlenArbor GC, who was low club pro at the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in 2010, and Greg Bisconti of St. Andrew's GC, who brought home the same trophy from Hazeltine in 2009. Anthony Casalino, assistant pro at Willow Ridge and recent contestant on the Golf Channel's Big Break, joins them in the field along with Max Buckley, an amateur from Westchester CC, Mark Ledom from Sunningdale CC, Grant Sturgeon from Winged Foot GC, and Brian Bartow from Apawamis.

The Open hopefuls will play 36 holes, one round on each course, in a long, grueling test to see who will compete at Merion the following week. Spectators are welcome at the qualifying venues.

Among many other books, Dave Donelson is the author of Weird Golf: 18 tales of fantastic, horrific, scientifically impossible, and morally reprehensible golf

2 comments:

BruceMiller said...

Open qualifying events are always fun to watch and patrons may be surprised at who'll be playing in them; club pros and PGA Pros alike. Will you be in Pinehurst for the 2014 Open? Always regretted never playing no 2.

Dave Donelson said...

I remember that trip to Pinehurst well, Bruce. We had some fun, though, didn't we? It was a shame #2 was closed at the time. I got to play it after the renovation, though. Here's my review:
Pinehurst No.2 Returns to Its Roots