BEDMINSTER – New York club pro Grant Sturgeon delivered a strong finish today to rally and win the 99th MGA Open Championship.
Sturgeon, 36, who works at famed Winged Foot in New York, had birdies on the 14th, 15th, and 16th holes on the Old Course at Trump National GC and pulled away to a three-stroke win.
Sturgeon shot 1-under 71 today, and his three-day, 7-under 209 was three shots better than fellow Empire State pros Timothy Puetz and Frank Bensel, who both closed with 69s. Sturgeon earned a check for $27,500.
“I was behind the entire time, so I kept needing one more, and one more, and one more, and after the third [birdie], I finally had the lead,” said Sturgeon, who lives in Port Chester, N.Y. “And on the last two holes, fortunately, par was good enough.”
With owner Donald Trump watching his stretch drive, Sturgeon’s trio of birdies enabled him to climb past Connecticut pro Mike Ballo Jr., who played his last six holes at 4-over for a 75 and tie for fourth at 213.
Saddle River’s Harrison Shih earned low amateur and was the lone Garden State representative to crack the top 10. Shih closed with 70, with three birdies and one bogey, for a 213 and share of fourth.
“I’m really happy with the way I played this week,” said Shih, 20, a rising junior at Columbia who graduated from Bergen Catholic. “I put three rounds together, at a championship like this, where the course conditions were hard.”
Shih climbed past 17-year-old New Yorker Cameron Young, who suffered a three-stroke penalty on the 18th hole after playing the wrong ball from the side of a hill and realizing his ball was actually in a lateral water hazard. Young shot 75 for a tie for seventh at 214.
Only one Garden State pro cracked the top 20: Basking Ridge’s Brett Jones of Mountain Ridge, whose brother, Matt, is competing at The Barclays at Ridgewood CC in Paramus, tied for 14th. Jones, 39, shot 72 for a 216 at a club where he worked for several years as an assistant.
99th MGA Open Championship
At Trump National GC, Bedminster
Old Course: Par: 72; Yardage: 7,074
Final
(New Jersey clubs in CAPS)
Grant Sturgeon, Winged Foot 70- 68- 71- 209
Frank Bensel, Century 73- 70- 69- 212
Timothy Puetz, Huntington 72- 71- 69- 212
a-Harrison Shih, ALPINE 69- 74- 70- 213
Cameron Wilson, Shorehaven 69- 72- 72- 213
Mike Ballo Jr., Woodway 71- 67- 75- 213
Chris Scialo, Paramount 72- 71- 71- 214
Rob Labritz, GlenArbor 68- 74- 72- 214
Sunny Kim, Bethpage 70- 73- 71- 214
a-Cameron Young, Sleepy Hollow 72- 67- 75- 214
Brian Lamberti, Richter Park 71- 71- 73- 215
a-Dylan Newman, Hollow Brook 72- 70- 73- 215
John Guyton, Wheatley Hills 71- 69- 75- 215
Timothy Hegarty, Sleepy Hollow 78- 68- 70- 216
Brett Jones, MOUNTAIN RIDGE 71- 73- 72- 216
Abbie Valentine, Bethpage 72- 71- 73- 216
Anthony Aruta, Staten Island 71- 70- 75- 216
a-Jim Liu, Stonebridge 74- 73- 69- 216
A-David Pastore, MGA eClub W/F 73- 72- 72- 217
Colin Dolph, North Hempstead 74- 69- 74- 217
Mike Gilmore, Winged Foot 73- 66- 78- 217
Brian Gaffney, Quaker Ridge 71- 70- 77- 218
Adam Fuchs, Bethpage 72- 74- 73- 219
a-Garett Engel, Woodmere 73- 73- 73- 219
Max Buckley, Westchester 73- 73- 73- 219
Pat Wilson PANTHER VALLEY 75- 72- 72- 219
Alex Edfort, NESHANIC VALLEY 78- 71- 70- 219
a-Max Greyserman, CRESTMONT 75- 71- 74- 220
Frank Esposito Jr., BROOKLAKE 70- 75- 75- 220
Tyler Jaramillo, Seawane 74- 75- 71- 220
Steve Scott, Paramount 76- 72- 72- 220
Rob Corcoran, Poxabogue 76- 72- 72- 220
Mark Brown, Tam OShanter 74- 72- 75- 221
Jason Caron, Siwanoy 78- 73- 70- 221
Craig Thomas, Metropolis 77- 73- 71- 221
Jeremy Quinn APPLE RIDGE 72- 76- 73- 221
John Stoltz, Concord Monster 75- 72- 75- 222
Bobby Gage UNATTACHED 76- 74- 72- 222
Bill Britton, TRUMP COLTS NECK 75- 75- 72- 222
Colin Amaral, Metropolis 73- 76- 73- 222
Paul Selvaggio, Wykagyl 73- 75- 74- 222
Ben Polland, Deepdale 76- 71- 76- 223
Matthew Dobyns, Fresh Meadow 76- 75- 72- 223
a-Cody Cox, MGA eClub HV 77- 74- 72- 223
Brent Studer, MANASQUAN RIVER 72- 77- 74- 223
a-Dylan Crowley, Glen Cove 75- 74- 74- 223
a-Colby Lewis, Mansion Ridge 72- 76- 75- 223
Bob Rittberger, Garden City 77- 74- 73- 224
Patrick Fillian, CANOE BROOK 80- 71- 73- 224
Mark Mielke, Mill River 80- 69- 75- 224
P.J. Cowan, Eisenhower Park 71- 77- 76- 224
Gregory Bisconti, St. Andrews 73- 77- 75- 225
Paul Dickinson, Atlantic 75- 75- 75- 225
a-Sam Bernstein, Century 82- 69- 75- 226
Chris Mazzuchetti, DUE PROCESS 76- 74- 76- 226
Jerry Courville Jr., Shorehaven 74- 72- 81- 227
James Ondo, Apawamis 75- 76- 76- 227
Jimmy Hazen, St. Georges 75- 72- 81- 228
a-Peter Ballo, Woodway 73- 75- 80- 228
Sam Kang, FARMSTEAD 75- 71- 84- 230
a-Mike Stamberger, SPRING LAKE 81- 70- 80- 231
Mike Diffley, Pelham 74- 76- 81- 231
Patrick Schwarze, Wykagyl 75- 76- 82- 233
Patrick McCarthy, Garden City 75- 76- 84- 235
Peter Springstead, HACKENSACK 77- 73- 85- 235
a-denotes amateur
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