BEDMINSTER, N.J. (Sept 10, 2013) -- Former champion Mike Deo of Black Oak and Met Amateur runner-up Trevor Randolph of Arcola each fired rounds of 2-under-par 70 to share medalist honors in the qualifying round of the 30th NJSGA Mid-Amateur Championship at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster on Tuesday, Sept. 10.
Deo and Randolph will be the top seeds as the event becomes match-play with Wednesday morning’s Round of 16 followed by the afternoon quarterfinals.
On Thursday, both semifinal matches take place in the morning followed by the final match on Thursday afternoon which will crown a new champion. Defending champion Brian Komline of Black Oak is not playing due to the impending birth of a child.
Anthony Scelba of Packanack, the 2009 champion, and Niall Handley of Essex Fells, a three-time semifinalist, tied for third with even par 72s.
The Mid-Amateur is being conducted over Trump National’s Old Course.
Deo, 36, who won the Mid-Amateur in 2007, carded four birdies against two bogeys. Randolph, 40, who lost the Met Amateur to Pat Wilson of Panther Valley, had six birdies against four bogeys.
“I’ve been hitting it well,” said Deo, who won the State Amateur in 2009 and was also a Billy Y. Dear Junior champion. He has also won two New York City Amateurs and the Bergen County Amateur in his career.
“The course was set up short today, but I’m sure they will lengthen it and force you to use driver and be smart around the greens,” said Deo, who usually plays the Old Course a handful of times each summer.
“The rough is thick and the greens are hard and fast. I always get excited about playing in the Mid-Amateur. It’s one of the state’s majors. It means a lot to win it against a field of awesome players. The competition is very good,” added who played golf at Immaculata High School and the University of Maryland.
Deo started on the back nine and recorded birdies on the par-5 15th, par-3 16th and par-4 17th holes and the par-3 seventh. His bogeys came on the par-4 13th and par 4 sixth holes.
Randolph two weeks ago won the club championship at Maryland’s famed Congressional for the fourth straight year.
He blamed unfamiliarity with Trump National for costing him several strokes.
“I didn’t have a practice round,” said Randolph, who is playing in the Mid-Amateur for only the second time. “I hurt myself in spots and didn’t give myself a chance on several holes,” said Randolph, who played rarely in tournament formats from 2002-2011.
Last year, he qualified for the U.S. Mid-Amateur, but lost in the first round. He lost to Komline in last year’s Round of 16 in this event.
“I putted on the lines. I hit it really well,” said Randolph, who lives in Wyckoff and works in New York City. “Having now seen the course, it should help me tomorrow.”
Like Deo, Randolph started on the 10th hole and birdied the par 3 14th hole as well as 15 and 16. On the front, he birdied the par-5 first hole, the par-5 eighth and the par-4 ninth. Bogeys came on the 11th, 17th, and the fifth and sixth holes, both of those by three-putting.
View results for New Jersey Mid-Amateur
ABOUT THE New Jersey Mid-Amateur
Open to male amateurs age 30 or above who have
qualified from one of two qualifying sites or have
met
the exemption criteria. Format consists of 18 holes
of
stroke play followed by round of 16 match play.
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