2022
NEW YORK STATE MEN’S MID-AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
Seven Oaks Golf Club - Hamilton, New York
September 23-25, 2022
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NYSGA Officers
President - Henry Fust, Onondaga G&CC
1st VP - Jamie Miller, Crag Burn GC
2nd VP - Doug Vergith, Chautauqua GC
Secretary - Iris Stanek, Lancaster CC
Treasurer - Robert Smith, Highland Park GC
General Counsel - Peter Jones, Drumlins CC
NYSGA Executive Committee
Shawn Baker, Oak Hill CC
Lee Bearsch, Binghamton CC
John Burns, Niagara Falls CC
John Cooney, Olde Kinderhook GC
Joseph Enright, Lancaster CC
Ryan Gabel, Trump National - HV
Jim Gifford, Mohawk GC
Megan Grehan, Hudson National GC
Brent Herlihy, Glens Falls CC
Lawrence Lessing, The Creek
Christy Schultz, Oak Hill CC
Frank Suits, Cortland CC
Brian Williams, Winged Foot CC
Warren Winslow, Western Turnpike GC
Norm Amyot
Michael Aquino
Fred Arliss
Larry Arliss
Gary Assad
John Barry
John Bartholomew
David Beattie
Al Belair
Vic Bergsten
Marci Bevilacqua
Doreen Biviano
John Blain
Vincent Bonvino
Chris Boynton
Timothy Brady
David Braunscheidel
Gene Bullis
John Bullis
Ted Casey
Sue Chambers
Michael Chianelli
Cory Ciambella
Brian Clark
Matt Clarke
James Coleman
Andrew Conway
James Cook
Darrell Cornett
Thomas Cotter
George Cretekos
Jerry Danielski
John Davis
Garrett Davitt
Gordon Dewey
Todd Dischinger
Patric Donaghue
Renato Donato
Mike Donnelly
Dick Dorgan
Ryan Drake
NYSGA Staff
Bill Moore Executive Director
Andrew Hickey Assistant Executive Director
Dan Thompson Director, Marketing and Partnerships
Jack Travers Assistant Director, Rules & Competitions
Mark Ackley Manager, Course Rating
Deb Spilman Manager, Special Events & Volunteer Operations
Fred Wilkes Communications Intern
Parker Gauthier USGA P.J. Boatwright, Jr. Intern
Michael Dirkes USGA P.J. Boatwright, Jr. Intern
NYSGA Committee
Michael Drennen
Georgia Dusckas
Tom Eckert
Wayne Eckhardt
Joe Enright
Laurie Enright
John Ernst
Vie Evans
Karen Feldman
Mary Beth Fiore
Mark Fitzgerald
Michael Fitzgerald
Georgette Folley
Adrian Forzani
Tim Frank
John Gaffney
Richard Galvin
Bill Geider
Brad Griffin
Tom Hahn
Julie Hamm
David Hayes
Joe Hazard
Sherry Heath
Patrick Henry
Jeff Holmes
Braden Houston
John Hudacs
Al Huggard
Don Hurley
Ed Kaczor
Robert Kawa
Tim Kayes
Mary Ann Keeler
Stephen Keeler
Jeffrey Kennicutt
Edward Koslick
John Kulesa
Peter Lalla
Nan Lanahan
Tom Lanahan
Rod Lindstrom
Bill Loehr
Janis Luce
Ron Mack
Patrick MacRae
Susan Marsh
Robert Martin
Ronald Mason
Patricia Mayne
Jim McConnell
Theresa McGibbon
Thomas McGibbon
Pat McKenna
James McKillip
Patrick McNierney
Sean McPhee
Richard Meath
Brian Merritt
James Meyers
Gene Meyle
Ginny Meyle
Matthew Micheli
Bill Moore
Matthew Moran
Bill Moreland
Albert Mowery
Jack Mulvey
Art Munson
Jim Murrett
Thomas Oles
Thomas Owen
Rocco Palmieri
Brandon Payne
Mark Perry
Noah Poskanzer
Richard Prestopnik
Joe Pucello
John Quijano
Nick Raasch
John Raunick
John Reagan
Tom Reidy
Joseph Riccio
James Roff
Robert Rosen
Sean Rotella
Tony Scarpello
Chris Schmidt
Carl Schultz
Tim Schum
Dan Scott
Martin Siefka
Robert Simms
Sue Sims
Sarah Simson
Jaspal “Ricky” Singh, M.D.
David Smith
John Sniezyk
Ron Socash
Don Sommerville
Joseph Sorrento
Jerry Stahl
Edward Stanek
Tom Steele
Peter Stoj
Joseph Strykowski
John Sullivan
Levin Sullivan
Gale Sutton
Thelma Taylor
David Vaneenenaam
Jerry Vereeke
Mona Wasserman
Rich Weber
Bryan Whooten
Steve Wilber
Richard Wilson
Doug Young
Jon Zucarelli
On behalf of the entire New York State Golf Association, welcome to the 38th Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship.
The NYSGA is pleased to join with the leadership and staff of Seven Oaks Golf Club to provide a fair challenge in crowning New York State’s Men’s Mid-Amateur winner.
We are proud to return to Seven Oaks again this year. This time for the Mid-Amateur Championship.
The 38th New York State Mid-Amateur will be the first of it’s kind to take place at Seven Oaks, but the the club has hosted many memorable state championships over the years. Before this season, the Boys’ and Girls’ Junior Amateur Championships took place at Seven Oaks each year since 2016.
We certainly anticipate an exciting and memorable competition over the next several days, and the golf course and setup will surely challenge the players to utilize their full ability and skill.
I’d like to offer our thanks and appreciation to the management, club and pro shop staff, and especially the course grounds crew, whose combined efforts have provided us with this wonderful championship venue.
Finally, I’d like to thank our NYSGA staff and fantastic team of tournament volunteers, who work tirelessly to provide a first-class experience and support the talented players that participate in our competitions.
We hope you enjoy this year’s championship and we appreciate your support of our association and tournaments. If there’s anything that we can do to make your experience more enjoyable, please don’t hesitate to reach out to one of the NYSGA staff.
Sincerely,
Henry W. Fust , President New York State Golf Association
Seven Oaks Golf Club has a rich history which dates back to 1916 when a group of faculty at neighboring Colgate University and some townspeople met to form a local golf club.
This first nine-hole layout, named Hamilton Golf Club was built in 1917-18 and was located on the upper portion of the hill behind the student dormitories.
In 1927, New York City’s Thomas Winston was hired to redesign the original layout. With the transition came a renaming of the course to Seven Oaks in honor of the ancestral home of the Colgate family in England.
Less than ten years later, in 1934, a proposal was made to construct an 18-hole course on the newly-acquired Dunn Farm (where holes 1-12 are currently located). Gene Sarazen was brought on to help design the course, along with a young architect named Robert Trent Jones. Sarazen wanted to create his concept of an “Augusta of the North.”
The first nine was completed in 1958 and the second nine in 1965. The original course on the hill was closed and the name transferred to the new, modern-day Seven Oaks Golf Club.
The brook-laden Robert Trent Jones original presents a great challenge for any player that navigates the tricky layout.
Thank you to the staff at Seven Oaks Golf Club for hosting this year’s championships!
Dallas Pylinski, PGA Director of Golf
Jon McConville Golf Course Superintendent
1
PAR FOUR
424 YARDS PAR THREE
2
142 YARDS
3
PAR FOUR
389 YARDS PAR FOUR
4
435 YARDS
5
PAR FIVE
519 YARDS PAR FOUR
6
443 YARDS
7
PAR FIVE
552 YARDS PAR THREE
8
180 YARDS
YARDS
6,915
Entries
The Championship is open to male amateur golfers. Players must be a member of the NYSGA, defined as either belonging to an NYSGA member club or an NYSGA eClub (NYS residency required of eClub members). Players must be at least 25 years old as of September 23, 2022 and must have an up-to-date USGA Handicap Index of 10.4 or less issued by their NYSGA member club.
Format
38th NYS Men’s Mid-Amateur - Stroke Play, 54 Holes
Ties
In the event of a tie, a sudden-death playoff will be held immediately following play.
Schedule of Events
Thursday, September 22 // Practice Rounds
Friday, September 23 // Round 1 (18 Holes)
Saturday, September 24 // Round 2 (18 Holes)
Sunday, September 25 // Round 3 (18 Holes)
There is a cut after 18 holes to the low-60 players and ties, and after 36 holes to the low-30 players and ties.
Coverage
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Past Champions of the New York State Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship
Year Host Club Champion
1984 Glens Falls CC Charles Murphy, Albany
1985 Drumlins CC (East) Don Allen, Rochester
1986 Crag Burn GC Ken Andrychuk, Clifton Springs
1987 CC of Rochester Don Allen, Rochester
1988 Wolferts Roost CC Bruce Aubin, Poughkeepsie
1989 Bellevue CC Tom Flynn, Syracuse
1990 Dutchess G&CC Steve Nosonowitz, Poughkeepsie
1991 Brookfield CC John Baldwin, New York City
1992 Bristol Harbour GC Alan Foster, Manlius
1993 McGregor Links CC Cliff Earle, Saratoga Springs
1994 Wayne Hills CC David Benedict, Rochester
1995 Ontario GC Alan Foster, Manlius
1996 Normanside CC Mike May, Auburn
1997 Elmira CC Michael Valicenti, Elmira
1998 Yahnundasis GC Luke Hobika, Utica
1999 Crag Burn GC Jim Roy, Syracuse
2000 Bellevue CC Tim Hume, Williamsville
2001 Leatherstocking GC Jim Roy, Syracuse
2002 Westwood CC Jim Roy, Syracuse
2003 Teugega CC Patrick Pierson, Central Nyack
2004 Shaker Ridge CC Jim Roy, Syracuse
2005 CC of Rochester Matt Clarke, Loudonville
2006 Brookfield CC Aaron Tallman, Lancaster
2007 Dutchess G&CC John Vaccaro, Albany
2008 Elmira CC Tim Rose, Endicott
2009 Glens Falls CC Ken Riter, Buffalo
2010 Crag Burn GC Tim Hume, Cheektowaga
2011 Dutchess G&CC Jimmy Welch, Valatie
2012 Midvale CC Tim Spitz, Pittsford
2013 Onondaga G&CC Jim Scorse, Churchville
2014 Teugega CC Jamie Miller, Silver Creek
2015 Wolferts Roost CC Luke Hobika, Dewitt
2016 Stafford CC Jim Scorse, Churchville
2017 Yahnundasis GC Patrick Keegan, Rochester
2018 Wanakah CC Jamie Miller, Hamburg
2019 Tuscarora GC Bradford Tilley, Easton, Conn.
2020 Suspended for COVID-19 pandemic
2021 Shaker Ridge CC Carl Schimenti, Ithaca
2019 Champion Brad Tilley
2014 & 2018 Champion Jamie Miller
2021 CHAMPIONSHIP
SCHIMENTI CAPTURES 37TH NYS MID-AMATEUR IN PLAYOFF
playoff.
The 37th NYS Men’s Mid-Amateur came down to a two-hole playoff, where Carl Schimenti of Cornell University Golf Course emerged victorious to take home his first state title at Shaker Ridge Country Club on Sunday.
Schimenti held a three-stroke lead that he built after Saturday’s second round through 15 holes on Sunday. On the tough finishing stretch, he bogeyed 15 and 16, and double bogeyed 17 to drop to three-over heading into the final hole.
“Three putting from 25 feet just off the green was kinda tough,” Schimenti said. “Again a three-putt from the fringe on 16. Then my only bad swing on the back nine was the tee ball on 17. We lost one right and was trying to be aggressive, hit the driver and sometimes that happens when you swing at it hard.”
That gave Chris Blyth of Locust Hill Country Club the opportunity to climb back. After a birdie on hole 14, he parred the rest of the way to stay at three-over, and awaited his fate as Schimenti teed off on his 54th hole of the championship.
Carl Schimenti outlasted Chris Blyth in a two-hole
Carl Schimenti
“My playing partners and myself, we were checking the leaderboard on the whole back nine,” Blyth said. “I kind of knew where I was, going down 17 and 18.”
Schimenti hit the green’s upper tier on the par-four eighteenth hole in two shots, setting up a difficult downhill putt. He sent it nearly 20 feet past the hole.
“I wasn’t feeling too good and it was long enough of a putt that it wasn’t a short tester,” Schimenti said. “I could give it a full stroke. These greens are really subtle and sometimes you’re trying to read a break where there isn’t some.”
Looking at an uphill putt, Schimenti hit it straight on and sank it to send the championship to a playoff.
“On that putt I was looking for a break, didn’t see any so I basically ended up just playing it straight and hit it hard enough,” Schimenti said. “That was a good read on my part. That gave me a lot more confidence heading into the playoff.”
Teeing off from the first hole, Schimenti and Blyth each two-putted for par. On the second hole, Blyth’s approach shot landed about 40 feet above the hole. Schimenti placed his approach on the fringe in front of the green about 12 feet short of the flag.
Blyth three-putted, while Schimenti set himself up for a tap-in par to win the championship.
“I think I was just really smart leaving it short of the hole on the fringe,” Schimenti said. “It feels great. It’s really probably my biggest win ever...I felt like I really played well this week and was deserving of being up there, at least in contention.”
Blyth added, “My playing partners this morning had the same exact putt so I knew that it was fast and that it would run away from me if I hit a bad putt, so I knew I had to baby it down there. I just mishit it and misread it and it just got away from me, so it was kind of unfortunate.”
Schimenti, who also won the Tompkins County Amateur last summer, has participated in three additional NYS Men’s Mid-Amateur championships. His next highest finish was fifth place in 2018.
Chris Blyth
Darin Goldstein
“It’s nice to finish it off. The NYSGA events are the big events on my calendar, so that means a lot,” Schimenti said. “Down the stretch, I hit some bad short game shots and kind of bled (the lead) away, but really overall, five-over on a day like today was still not a bad score.”
Blyth’s second place finish came in his first mid-amateur appearance. He finished runner-up at the NYS Men’s Amateur in 2018 and 2019.
“I was pretty happy that I made it to that point without playing at all coming into this week so I was really proud of myself for battling and getting into the playoff,” Blyth said. “Being runner-up the first time is good...hopefully one of these days I’ll break through and get the win.”
With a two-under 69 in the final round, Darin Goldstein of Deepdale Golf Club finished in third place, shooting four-over 217 for the weekend.
Billy Hanes of Crag Burn Golf Club and first round co-leader Jimmy Pizzutelli shared fourth place at six-over to round out the top five.
Timothy Coykendall of Brook Lea Country Club (+9), Michael Auerbach of Bellport Golf Club (+9), Daniel Gabel of Mahopac Golf and Beach Club (+10), Bill Moore of Bellevue Country Club (+10), Joe Quijano of Country Club of Troy (+10) and Bobby McCartney of RDGA eClub (+10) finished in the top ten, which earned them an exemption into the 2022 NYS Men’s Amateur at Onondaga Golf & Country Club.
Billy Hanes
Jimmy Pizzutelli
MIchael Auerbach
We’d like to recognize our partner regional associations for the exceptional work they do in promoting the game of golf.
AMATEUR GOLF ASSOCIATIONS
PGA SECTIONS
Since its founding in 2003, the NYSGA Foundation has impacted thousands of people through golf related programs such as scholarships, junior golf programs, supporting local first tee chapters, free USGA GHIN Handicaps for juniors, recognizing the top contributors through the NYSGA Hall of Fame, and much more. The Foundation is a 501c(3) and all donations made to support these amazing programs are tax deductible.
HALL OF FAME
The NYSGA Hall of Fame’s mission is to identify, recognize, and enshrine the state's finest amateur and professional golf competitors, as well as those who have made outstanding contributions to the game throughout New York by their careers as golf teachers, coaches, mentors, and volunteers to the game. ESTABLISHED IN 2012
NYSGA SCHOLARSHIP FUND
FUNDING SCHOLARSHIPS SINCE 1967
The NYSGA Scholarship Fund annually awards $30,000 to deserving students, with over $500,000 given since 1967. Eligible students must be in their second year of employment at an NYSGA member club, be in good academic standing, and demonstrate a financial need. The Foundation’s goal is to increase the amount raised in order to give out more awards through the NYSGA Foundation Membership Program.
FOUNDATION MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM
FOUNDED IN 2021
The money raised via the NYSGA Foundation Membership Program directly funds college scholarships for NYSGA member club employees. Supporters of the fund come from participating clubs and individual members across the state. Donations of $100 or more will be recognized on the NYSGA website, “Supporters of the Fund”.
YOUTH ON COURSE
PROVIDING AFFORDABLE GOLF TO JUNIORS
Youth on Course is a junior golf membership for boys and girls 6-18 to play participating courses for just $5. Founded by the Northern California Golf Association in 2006, it is now offered in all 50 states, with over 70,000 members, 950,000 subsidized rounds of golf, and 15 million holes played. The NYSGA currently partners with 13 courses and has 60 junior members. Youth on Course promotes the game to today’s youth, allowing them to build strong long lasting relationships and instilling core values.
SCENES FROM THE 2021 MEN’S MID-AMATEUR
ALL PHOTOS CAN BE FOUND ON OUR PAGE
