COLTS NECK, NJ ()--Anthony Scelba of Deer Run Golf Club defeated Peter Barron of Stone Harbor Golf Club 4&3 to claim the 26th New Jersey State Golf Association Mid-Amateur Championship at the
par-72, 6850 yard Trump National Golf Club in Colts Neck. The thirty-two year old resident
of Wayne fired five birdies in his final round match to cap a dramatic run to the
Championship.
Scelba’s route to claiming the Gigi Carnevale Championship Trophy included three
consecutive twenty-hole victories, including his quarterfinal triumph over defending
champion Michael Stamberger of Spring Lake and his semifinal decision over Phil Ries of
Architects yesterday. For Scelba, the Mid-Amateur Championship is his first career NJSGA
‘major’ Championship which gains exemptions into the NJSGA Amateur and NJSGA Open
Championships later this season.
Through five holes in the final match, Scelba and Barron remained all-square before Scelba
birdied holes 6, 7, and 9 to make the turn three-up. Barron battled back with a birdie on the
par-4 tenth hole to cut the Scelba’s lead to two, but Scelba responded with a par-three on the
146 yard eleventh hole to regain his three hole lead. The contestants halved the par-four
twelfth hole, and Scelba capitalized on Barron’s double-bogey on the par-five thirteenth by
making par to extend his lead, four-up. Once again, Barron bounced back on the par-four
fourteenth hole with a fifteen-foot birdie putt to cut Scelba’s lead back to three with only
four holes to play. The match would come to an end on the par-three, 199 yard fifteenth
hole when Scelba tapped in a short putt for par after Barron had carded a bogey-four, giving
Scelba the Championship, 4&3.
After persistent rain and wet course conditions plagued the first two days of the
Championship, the weather improved marginally for today’s final round. An overall
outstanding effort by the Trump National green staff made it possible for the Championship
to continue without interruption.
The New Jersey State Golf Association looks forward to the 2010 Mid-Amateur
Championship which will be held in early May at the Galloway National Golf Club in
Galloway.
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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